News
Chick-fil-A makes over salads, adds calorie counts to menu boards
The chain is hoping the items will appeal to more health-conscious customers.
April 17, 2013
On April 29, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A will introduce three new premium salads — a cobb salad, Asian salad and grilled market salad — as well as a new version of the Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap. The chain is hoping the items will appeal to more health-conscious customers.
Chick-fil-A's new salad entrees will feature premium ingredients, such as romaine lettuce, mixed baby greens, honey Thai almonds, roasted corn, mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries and more. Starting at $6.79, each salad will offer two or more servings of vegetables or fruit, and have between 180 and 430 calories (without dressing). Salads will be freshly prepared throughout the day at the chain's 1,700-plus restaurants nationwide.
Chick-fil-A is also making significant changes to its salad dressing options. The salads can now be paired with dressings unique to the brand, such as Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Avocado Lime Ranch and Honey Sesame. And, for the first time, the cobb salad and Asian salad will be topped with hot, sliced Chick-fil-A nuggets.
"Customer taste preferences are constantly fluctuating, so we have to be intentional about staying ahead of and remaining relevant to those changes," said David Farmer, Chick-fil-A's vice president of product strategy and development. "We strive to offer a menu with only premium offerings, so we took a hard look at our current salad line and decided those options were not as relevant to customers as they were just a few short years ago."
Farmer added, "Our new salads have completely different flavor profiles — tastes that are not commonly found in fast food. In terms of quality, they rival entree salads you would expect to be served at full-service restaurants. These salads feature more unique ingredients and are paired with specialty dressings."
Complementing its new entree salads, Chick-fil-A also will debut an enhanced Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap, with a full serving of vegetables on new all-natural, high-fiber flax bread. Starting at $4.89, the wrap is filled with grilled chicken, green leaf lettuce, shredded red cabbage, carrots and a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. The Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap has 330 calories and 12 grams of fat.
Calorie counts added to menu boards
Additionally, Chick-fil-A is posting calorie counts to its menu boards nationally in an effort to help customers make more informed ordering decisions. The menu boards will also feature new food photography and type fonts set on a clean white background.
"Adding calorie counts to our menu boards is just another channel we are using to communicate our nutritional information to customers," Farmer said. "We have never shied away from making this information readily available for our guests. Our website features a meal calculator, we have nutrition panels and pamphlets in our dining rooms, and customers can also request a receipt with order-specific nutrition information at our registers."
Chick-fil-A dietitian Jodie Worrell adds that the entree salad and wrap rollout come as part of the brand's broader initiative to offer healthier menu options to customers. Last year, the chain introduced a Grilled Nugget Kid's Meal, for example.
Chick-fil-A also is actively working to reduce sodium across its menu, including a 40 percent sodium reduction in its chargrilled chicken filet, 25 percent less sodium in breads and removing 10 percent of sodium in dressings and sauces.
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