Article

Checkers and Rally's capitalize on dessert trends in new Sweet Side menu

Everyone has a sweet tooth, but the question is, what are the flavors that customers most crave?

February 16, 2015 by Nicole Troxell — Associate Editor, Networld Media Group

Everyone has a sweet tooth, but the question is, what are the flavors that customers most crave?

Checkers and Rally's is testing its own theories on what customers crave with a pilot of its new dessert menu Sweet Side. In a complete overhaul of its Cold Creations, the company is rolling out select desserts that aren't necessarily tied to ice cream, but focus instead on value and attempt to tie in consumer taste bud trends. The concept is testing in Orlando right now with plans to launch system-wide by March 30.

Checkers and Rally's Sweet Side offerings include funnel cakes, donuts and a mix of textures and flavors that the company believes will resonate with its audience.

Sr. Director of R&D Ryan Joy said the company started the Cold Creations menu several years ago when they ran into some holes that needed to be filled. They had some items that were "entry level" and inexpensive, like waffle cones, and on the other end, indulgent, big and more expensive items like sundaes, which were more of a special occasion treat and an investment of four to five dollars.

"We realized the $1.49 - $2.49 area was where we needed to be playing. Also we had items that weren't portable - they didn't fit into cup holders for people driving. In Orlando we created items for that category by adding Sundae Stackers in a clear cup with a dome lid. It's layered with soft serve like a parfait. We added another one that capitalizes on the chocolate covered raspberry trend that includes hot fudge, raspberry puree and Oreo. With a Stacker, you can customize each bite with as much of each layer of topping you want. We also added a premium shake upgraded to a banana split sundae with blended ingredients, whip cream and a cherry."

Portability and expense of desserts was a major strategy in Checkers and Rally's decision to change its menu. In a drive thru setting, most people are buying lunch, Joy explained. They forego ice cream because they don't want it to melt all over them. The company's new menu is meant to be inexpensive, driver-friendly treats.

Capitalizing on dessert trends

According to Datassential's dessert trend study, Checkers and Rally's are following trends toward consumer preferences for cheesecake, namely berry flavors, and though not in the context of pie, the addition of Oreo to its Sundae Stackers.

Consumer tastes favor a mix of textures and flavors, Joy said. One way the company accomplishes this is to take a familiar or classic item and add a twist. For example, instead of a traditional banana split, they are testing the Banana Split Shake.

"What I'm finding is that mixing flavors and textures - things like crunchy Oreo with the softness of soft serve and putting cold things with hot things like our fried apple pie rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with ice cream that brings the warm tartness of apples with the cold and creaminess of soft serve - these things are a big hit."

Funnel Cakes are a big favorite with its Orlando audience right now, Joy said. Usually we expect to only see these at special events, but Checkers and Rally's took this traditional item and loaded it with soft serve and strawberry topping.

"It's going like crazy," he said.

The company is also testing mini donuts at its Checkers and Rally's locations. The donuts can come with cinnamon sugar, whipped cream and strawberries.

So far, the results indicate the new dessert menu is "doing well enough to roll" system-wide.

"What we learned three years ago was that there was a giant trend in snacking, which is probably 40 percent of our business and how we've been successful in our sales for the last four and a half years," CMO Terry Snyder said. "We looked at both savory and sweet categories. We've found that people like sweets with meals, like for lunch and dinner. Our shake business hadn't moved an inch. When we did research, we found the shake is a burger dessert and we started playing with that idea, so we launched funnel cakes and had huge success."

The sweet occasion is fundamentally four occasions – afternoon, evening, on the run sweet treat and sit down, Snyder explained.

"We wanted to harness each of those opportunities. There's a much bigger and broader occasion for Sweet Side. We're understanding that sweets are bigger than just ice cream, that they're about desserts and snacks and they appear to all be incremental. They don't take away from burger or lunch occasions."

When it comes to dessert trends, there are some flavors that are powerful, such as cheesecake, Snyder said. It has an enormous value and it is usually differentiated from fast food. There aren't a lot of QSRs offering cheesecake, so Checkers and Rally's decided to introduce this item to differentiate itself from competitors.

Fruity flavors are also powerful. There's a big demand for strawberry and raspberry. Bringing these together with ice cream allows the company's menu to achieve multiple dimensions of flavor and texture.

Combining flavor trends with occasions for snacking and desserts is Checkers and Rally's basic strategy to solving the puzzle of how to make desserts relevant to every customer and occasion.

About Nicole Troxell

---

None

Connect with Nicole: