Chef Chatter

How to create the perfect LTO for your brand

Jim Hytner, corporate executive chef at Flame Broiler, discusses why the company didn't launch a spicy chicken sandwich during the "Chicken Wars." Instead, he created an LTO more aligned with the brand.

Jim Hytner, corporate executive chef at Flame Broiler

March 12, 2021

By Jim Hytner, corporate executive chef, Flame Broiler

Preparing a limited-time offering shouldn't be taken lightly or hastily be thrown together. At Flame Broiler, a healthy Korean-inspired bowl concept with over 170 locations, we decided to lean into the brand's heritage to make a new menu item that reflected the brand — Spicy Chicken — and here's how we did it.

Inspired by the Korean flavors of gochujang, gochugaru, and sesame, Flame Broiler has taken the traditional spicy chicken that has grown in popularity over the past couple of years and added a classic Korean twist.

We didn't want to develop a spicy chicken sandwich because it does not align with the brand's roots and menu. So, we reflected on who we are as a company and what would work for us. Young Lee, Founder & CEO of Flame Broiler, immigrated to the United States from South Korea and founded Flame Broiler in 1995 when he discovered that restaurants serving healthy meals were few and far between. Mr. Lee drew on his South Korean heritage to create his original menu and make a Korean-inspired Spicy Chicken bowl that embodied and celebrated traditional Korean flavors.

Mr. Lee wanted to be intentional when creating our Spicy Chicken offering. People come to Flame Broiler expecting delicious and nutritious bowls. Bringing about an LTO needs to be given great thought and research. As a team, we looked into traditional Korean spicy chicken, the flavor profiles, and the creation process to inspire our recipe.

Mr. Lee's feedback was crucial in developing this item. We went through numerous iterations to get a product that tastes true to Korean flavors. We had to try different variations of spice levels to find the ideal spiciness. He didn't want the chicken to only leave a tingle, so don't be surprised if you break a sweat eating our Spicy Chicken.

We focused on maintaining our signature charbroiled chicken flavor profile and finding the right balance of spice. Flame Broiler currently has three different hot sauces. We were able to test different flavors and heat levels because our signature hot sauces have unique flavor profiles and heat levels. As a result, we were able to iterate on several versions of the Spicy Korean Sauce until perfected. There were a few tears and tingling tongues during the testing process.

To prepare the Spicy Chicken, the team tried charbroiling our chicken with our new Korean spicy sauce as well as adding the sauce after charbroiling the chicken. We knew we finally met Mr. Lee's expectations for our first LTO when our new sauce had the spice level to satisfy your craving for heat and enhanced our signature charbroiled chicken flavor. Each bite produced that perfect amount of sweat on your brow.

As you can see, launching a new menu item, even if it will only be available for a short period, takes a lot of effort and dedication to perfecting the recipe.

We want to make sure that whatever we put on our menu not only meets customer's expectations but exceeds them. Flame Broiler plans on launching more LTOs in the future. As a chef, it is energizing to help ideate these new menu items and perfect offerings that we know customers are going to fall in love with.

When restaurants launch LTOs, there is only one chance to make a good impression. It is important for you to first and foremost consider who you are as a restaurant. LTOs shouldn't be developed and released for a quick sale but well-researched so you can ensure you're serving a quality product.

Flame Broiler will continue to be inspired by its South Korean roots to create menu items that are genuine to the brand and heritage.

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