Article

Restaurant menus featuring more pork

Rising cost of beef a factor in pork's popularity.

November 13, 2011 by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

In what is likely either a response to consumer demand for healthier items, or an operator response to pricier beef, pork's presence on restaurant menus nationwide has jumped 7 percent in the past year.

According to foodservice marketing research firm Technomic, the increase is part of an overall shift toward rustic, natural ingredient use such as Chipotle's naturally-raised pork for its carnitas.

Bernadette Noone, director of Technomic MenuMonitor, a searchable online database that collects information about restaurant menus quarterly, added there are various other reasons behind pork's rise. For example, the cost of beef has risen sharply this year. In its most recent earnings call earlier this month, McDonald's CFO Pete Bensen said commodity costs in the United States are expected to be up nearly 5 percent, with one-third of that cost coming from beef.

"The higher cost of beef has made pork a nice substitute in combo dishes," Noone said. "Where customers were once seeing chicken and beef on the menu, they may now see more affordable chicken and pork dishes."

Additionally, according to Technomic's 2011 Beef and Pork Consumer Trend Report, health is the primary reason cited among consumer who expect to purchase pork more often at restaurants, according to Noone.

Bacon sends numbers up

Noone said the popularity of bacon is another factor in the overall rise in pork dishes.

"For the last few years we've seen bacon-related menu items increase by over 7 percent annually," she said.

The versatility of bacon has put the item front and center among numerous product launches throughout the past year. Darrel Suderman, Ph.D., president of Food Technical Consulting and founder of Food Innovation Institute, said this is because bacon is an American favorite, which makes it a low risk ingredient in product innovations. It's also one of the few food products that can incorporate a smoky flavor, and its salty taste can be an easy way to spice up existing flavors.

The QSR segment in particular has provided a boon for bacon. The NPD Group reported that total bacon servings have held steady throughout the past two years, but at QSR establishments, there has been an increase in bacon products by 7 percent in 2010 and 2 percent so far in 2011.

LTOs provide added boost

Plenty of popular LTOS have helped boost pork numbers within the QSR segment. For example, when McDonald's brought back its popular McRib last year, the company bought an additional 10 million pounds of pork to ensure a sufficient supply, according to Meatpoultry.com.

McDonald's spokesperson Ashlee Yingling told the website that the chain had sold nearly 60 million McRib sandwiches in three years.

McDonald's has once again brought back the McRib for a limited time, but it's too early to tell what type of impact this year's inclusion will have on the pork industry or the chain's sales.

Subway also likely contributed to the rise in pork's popularity this year. The largest QSR chain in the world rolled out its pulled pork sandwich LTO over the summer, an item spokesperson Les Winograd said is "usually popular when it's ever featured."

Subway also features a boneless rib patty, bacon, Genoa salami and pepperoni, he added.

Late last year, Jarrod Sutton, Pork Checkoff assistant VP of Channel Marketing, said Burger King's ribs and Taco Bell's Cantina Tacos were also examples of LTOs providing a lift for the pork industry.

"Pork is just smoking right now. It's trendy. It's hot, but most importantly it seems as though some of these culinary folks are recognizing what many of our folks on the pork industry side have known for a number of years: It fits into so many cultures and cuisines with such terrific flavor, and it's versatile," he said.

The momentum has continued into this year, with the launches of KFC's Cheesy Bacon Bowl, White Castle's Bacon and Cheddar Slider and Wendy's transition from regular bacon to costlier, Applewood-smoked bacon.

Other new items from July to September

Technomic's MenuMonitor tracked new menu items with pork from July through September of this year. Other notable QSR examples include:

Arby's: #12 Bacon Beef N. Cheddar; #13 Deluxe Bacon Cheddar; #14 Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon; #17 Farmhouse Salad; #19 Chicken Bacon Swiss; #20 Roast Chicken Club; #21 Prime Cut Chicken Tenders; #7 Angus Three Cheese & Bacon; Junior Ham & Cheddar Melt; and Loaded Potato Bites.

A&W:Mozzarella Bacon Cheeseburger; Mozzarella Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Burger King:Bacon Cheddar Ranch Tendercrisp; California Whopper.

Captain D's Seafood Kitchen:Breaded Chicken Sandwich; Pacific Cod Sandwich.

Checkers Drive-In Restaurants:#13 Chili Dog; #3 Baconzilla!; #5 BBQ Bacon Champ; #6 Bacon Cheese Champ; Bacon Cheddar Fries; Bacon Cheese Double Cheese; Bacon Double Checkerburger w/Cheese; Bacon Philly Cheesesteak Burger; Bacon Ranch Fries; Fully Loaded Fries; Grilled Hot Dog; Hot Dog Kid's Meal.

Culver's:Ham 'n Swiss On Rye; Hot Dog; Turkey Sourdough BLT.

Dunkin' Donuts:#11 Stuffed Breadstick; #9 Ham and Cheese Flat; Sausage Pancake Bite.

Gold Star Chili:Double Decker; Extra Bacon.

Hardee's:Hot Ham 'N Cheese.

Jersey Mike's Subs:Extra Bacon; Jersey Shore's Favorite.

Quiznos:Pork Cuban.

Rally's Hamburgers:BLT; Chili Cheese Dog Double Value.

Skyline Chili:BLT Salad; BLT Wrap; Cheese Coney; Coney Bowl; Kid's Coney Special; Kid's Hot Doggy Special; Regular Coney.

SONIC Drive-Ins:#11 Breakfast Burrito; #12 Super Sonic Breakfast Burrito; #13 Breakfast Toaster Sandwich - bacon and sausage; #14 Croissonic Breakfast Sandwich; #3 Super Sonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger; #4 Bacon Cheese Burger Toaster; #8 Footlong Quarter Pound Coney; All-American Dog; Blazin' BBQ; Chicago Dog; Chicken Club Toaster; Chili Cheese Coney; Corn Dog; Crispy Bacon; Jr. Breakfast Burrito; New York Dog; Plain Hot Dog.

Tim Hortons:Ham & Swiss.

Wienerschnitzel:Mini Corn Dogs.

Read more about trends and statistics.

Photo provided by ctaloi.

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