This is a special message from Schwan’s.
Forecasters have different reads of restaurants’ sales prospects this year, but there’s agreement on one point: Beverages and snacks will remain key drivers.
How much more of a boost might they deliver, some wonder, if those two trends should converge? Sweet snacks may be the best of both worlds.
“As a restaurateur, you’re always looking for new ways to get more people in the door and generate incremental sales,” observes David Henkes, vice president of the foodservice research firm Technomic Inc. “If they can sell a small snack with a beverage, or a beverage with a small snack, that’s an opportunity, clearly.”
He and others note that the prospect has largely been theoretical to date.
As a standalone sales driver, coffees, smoothies and other higher-ticket beverages have been a powerful force, particularly for quick-service restaurants.
“Beverages are one of those areas where it’s easy to innovate, and there’s every indication of growth in consumer demand,” says Henkes. “They’ve come to expect better choices from every place that serves food.”
Indeed, McDonald’s attributes its phenomenal sales performance in recent quarters in part to the drawing power of McCafe, a multi-year, multi-product beverage program.
At the same time, snacks have been the traffic and sales boosters on the food side, as evidenced by McDonald’s Snack Wrap and the similar options offered by competitors. The number of menu choices has increased by 170 percent since 2007, according to Mintel Menu Insights, and “it’s one of those things that is going to continue,” says Eric Giandelone, Mintel’s director of foodservice research.
Yet “much of the push has been on the savory side,” notes Evan Carlson, senior marketing manager of innovation for Schwan’s Food Service Inc.
“They tend to be smaller versions of what’s on the menu,” almost always on the appetizer, entrée, sandwich or salad sections, agrees Mintel’s Giandelone.
But as Schwan’s market research revealed, “there’s a lot of opportunity on the sweet side,” says Carlson. “One of those opportunities has been the coffee boom and serving as an accompaniment to that.”
The indications led Schwan’s to develop a new line of dessert snacks — bite-sized, portable treats that can serve as snacks, either alone or as a complement to coffee, tea or their iced versions. Instead of pulling away from the drive-thru with just a cappuccino or iced late, patrons might pop for a few bites of cheesecake, a cookie with melted chocolate inside, or an apple crisp in a four-ounce cup.
“They satisfy the desire for snacks, but they also satisfy that sweet tooth that consumers haven’t lost,” says Carlson. “One of the things we’ve found from consumers is that there are certain ‘untouchables’ they won’t do without, something sweet being one of them. They want that dessert, but they want to control it. They would rather have the full flavor of a dessert, just in a smaller portion — a full dessert without the guilt of an 800-calorie serving.”
His assertions are supported by Mintel search. About 52 percent of consumers want an indulgent snack, according to the company’s Menu Insights, compared with 50 percent who want something salty.
“One of the drivers of snacks is the desire to treat yourself, to have a brief escape from a bad day,” says Giandelone. “We see that continuing.”
Only 32 percent want something healthy, Mintel’s data show. Its consumer surveys also indicated that almost two-thirds of snackers want to have their treat with a beverage.
Yet at the same time, the food has to be portable, adds Giandelone. “When you have a snack during the week, it’s going to be while you’re taking a break from work, so you’re going to want to grab it and go.”
That reality wasn’t lost on Schwan’s. “We wanted to have something that consisted of only a few bites, so you could sell it through the drive-thru,” says Carlson. “You can easily get that bite of sweetness with your drink.”
Snacks’ small size also usually helps in meeting consumers’ continued price sensitivity.
“That is one of the appeals, no question,” says Mintel’s Giandelone. “It’s a way of giving a restaurant experience for a less money.”
“There will always be an opportunity for value,” says Technomic’s Henkes. “Any time a restaurant can offer more options, and more value options, that’s a good thing.”
To learn more about Simple and Sweet desserts from Schwan’s Food Service click here.
