Boosting the variety and appeal of refreshment beveragesBoosting the variety and appeal of refreshment beverages

Gearing up for the great refreshment season, restaurant operators are touting flavored lemonades, iced teas, iced coffees and flavored waters that please the palate as well as quench the thirst.

For example, summer sippers at Charleys Philly Steaks have their choice of signature lemonades in strawberry, blueberry and peach flavors, each garnished to-order with pieces of the respective fruit.

“Right in front of you, we add the fruit to your beverage,” says Kris Miotke, vice president of marketing for the Columbus, Ohio-based, 540-unit sandwich chain. “It’s not a premix. We scoop it out and swirl it around, and you get chunks of strawberry or blueberry or peach.”

Although lemonade has been a concept pillar, along with cheese steaks and fries,...