STORES Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 46)

WORTH WATCHING / RESTAURANTS Serving Up “Stealth Health” Chain restaurants are expanding their menu choices for the health-conscious eater BY SUSAN REDA, EXECUTIVE EDITOR uick. What’s the theme that runs through these recent news stories? Taco Bell rolls out a new Fresco Menu featuring nine items with less than 9 grams of fat. Au Bon Pain serves up Portions, a line of 14 dishes that are all 200 calories or less. Jack-in-the-Box debuts its new Smart Choice logo to help direct guests to lighter menu options. Q If you guessed that chain restaurants are bringing more options to the table that provide smaller portions, fewer calories, and healthier alternatives, pour yourself a Diet Coke . . . and keep reading. Truth be told, those are just a few of the recent headlines grabbed by chain restaurants. Last month, Fuddruckers debuted “lite” burgers as part of a Lighter Options Menu; Quiznos introduced 200-calorie flatbread “Sammies” in November, and Burger King has announced plans to add flame-broiled chicken tenders and apples sliced to resemble thickcut fries for the under-12 set. Quick-serve and casual-dining chains are getting more creative at catering to health-conscious consumers without compromising taste. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, they’re not using the word healthy to tell the story — opting instead for words and phrases like “guiltless,” “sensible,” “smart,” “fresh” and “better for you.” It’s part of a strategy referred to inside industry circles as “stealth health” — packing meals with nutritional value but backing away from a hard sell. 46 STORES / APRIL 2008 "It's time to turn the spotlight on all the menu options being offered and be sure they're communicating how the current menu options can fit into a balanced, active lifestyle." – Jack Whipple, NCCR “Using the word healthy to describe a new menu offering can be the kiss of death,” says Kevin Higar, director of operator product development for Chicago-based research and consulting firm Technomic. “Consumers hear that and assume it won’t taste good.” Instead, chain restaurants are talking about smaller portion sizes, freshness and less fat, which resonates better with consumers. “Over the years, chain restaurants have done a lot of things to make the food they serve better for their guests, including cutting sodium levels, sourcing higher-quality products and using whole-grain breads,” Higar says, “but sometimes too much emphasis on healthy can backfire.” Restaurants also are shifting from grouping all the healthier menu items together to integrating them into the appetizer, salads and entrée menu listings. It’s all part of an over-arching plan to be sure that guests who are looking for healthier options find enough good-tasting choices to return again and again — and avoid getting a veto vote from those who feel their dietary needs are not being satisfied. Lifestyle decision “Choosing to follow a balanced and healthy menu is an important lifestyle decision,” says Jack Whipple, president of the National Council of Chain Restaurants, a division of NRF. “Chain restaurant companies understand that, and they’re making sure that they provide options and alternatives for those guests who are watching their consumption of calories, fat, sodium, sugar and other nutritional ingredients as part of pursuing a balanced lifestyle approach.” One area where Whipple feels chain restaurants could be doing an even better job is spreading the word that there WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - April 2008

STORES Magazine - April 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page More Retailers Bagging Monthly Comp-Store Reports Time-Warner Center's Economy-Defying Results What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Eating Locally Grocery Concept2Watch Restaurants Online Services Marketing Human Resources Product Lifecycle Management E-Commerce: Peer Reviews Drive Online Buyers Kiosks Recycling Operations Payment Systems POS Logistics E-Commerce: Getting Personal Website Management LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - April 2008

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