Customizing Beverages

If your guests cannot customize their beverages in your restaurants, they are going to seek some place they can. This is really true if the beverage is being used as a snacking occasion. Customization is table stakes in this day and age.

— Jim Doak
Director of Research & Menu Development/Executive Chef, Culver’s

Antioxidant and super food drinks at an affordable price would work. If a quick-service would take a chance and be the first to start putting out unique drinks, I think you’d see the competition follow suit. It can work utilizing existing material, e.g. the Venetian Freeze, a strawberry shake with sweet basil balsamic swirl.

— James McDonald Chef Owner, Pacific’O and I’O

This is a potentially huge area. Just think of the options to quick-service customers compared to other retail outlets. Three areas of growth for quick-service include: coffee drinks, integrated smoothie counters, and a paradigm shift increase in beverage options. More and more, beverage will be the determining factor for the quick-service visit.

— Jon Miller Director of Research and Development,El Pollo Loco

The days of the soda machine are giving way to new and exotic flavors. We will continue to see the growth of flavored teas, exotic fruit mixes, and even new and exotic soda flavors. Although Coca Cola is king, its empire is giving way to the new concoctions.

— Chef Scott Vogel Director of Operations and Culinary Development, Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri Piri Chicken

Fruit purées and fruit powders are products that allow you to offer custom, real fruit beverages easily with less worry about waste. The industry might start to see dehydrated fruit powders gain strength because they have all the benefits of whole fruit. You can make a real fruit smoothie or tea with blueberry by using these purées or powders. 

— Nola Krieg Tastemaster, Research & Development, Kahala Co.

Flavored lemonade, limeade, and orangeade have a place as well in quick-serve.

— Katy Malaniak Senior Director of Food & Beverage, Quaker Steak & Lube

Customization is the new standard in all aspects of the menu. I see a lot more people asking to change the offerings at white-tablecloth restaurants, e.g. “Can I have this meat with that set-up?” In the beverage area, the ability to customize is essential if you want to play. The trick for restaurants, ingredient suppliers, and equipment manufacturers is to allow customization but not create an operational nightmare.

— Stan Dorsey Vice President of R&D, FOCUS Brands

Serving Super Foods

We are currently looking at pomegranate and dark chocolate as part of our ingredient list, not because they fall into the “super food” category, but because our guests are asking us to bring these items onto our menu.

— Jim Doak
Director of Research & Menu Development/Executive Chef, Culver’s

The most effortless and effective way to incorporate [super foods is] through beverages.

— Stephen A. Kalil Executive Chef, Frito Lay

One that would work for almost any brand or restaurant would be teas. Teas are becoming very common and are very healthy and high in antioxidants.

— Dan Barash Director of R&D, Moe’s

Goji berries are an easy one because the name is so much fun to say as opposed to saying acai. A lot of people don’t realize how much of a super food figs are also. Dip those in the dark chocolate and you have the ultimate quick-serve guiltless snack.

— James McDonald Chef/Owner, Pacific’O and I’O

Super foods like dried beans and lentils have been prevalent on menus, and, of course, peppers can be found everywhere. Many of these items are easy to incorporate into menus, especially inside dishes such as grilled bell peppers, roasted onions, and black beans.

— Scott Vogel Director of Operations and Culinary Development, Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri

You will be seeing more smoothies and teas that incorporate the superfruits of acai and blueberries, while pushing the antioxidant benefits. Salmon is already popular, but promoting this omega-3–rich fish on a salad, rice bowl, or even as a burger could become popular.

— Nola Krieg Tastemaster, Research & Development, Kahala Co.

Acai has a lot of applications in the beverage category. Its rich and distinct berry flavor that is both sweet and sour is a perfect fit and complements our bakery-café offerings. We recently worked with the Republic of Tea to develop a specialty Acai Green Tea that we plan to roll out this spring. 

— Rob D’Orsi Executive Chef/Director of Product Development, Retail Brand Group

Saladworks already uses quite a bit of the super foods: beans, broccoli, oranges, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, turkey, and walnuts. January 15, we [introduced] our celebrity chef–inspired Signature Series salads, the first incorporating the mother of all super foods—salmon. We are also beginning to test dried blueberries in a salad, and any dried fruit like that would be an ideal and easy way to incorporate super foods into salads. Our ingredients are simply toss-ins, so adding in these items would only require an additional step. 

— Joe Giannetti VP of Franchise Services: Training & Distribution, R&D, Saladworks

The easiest, cheapest and quickest way to generate new product news is through beverage-line extensions. I would start there.

— Hilliard Creath Director of R&D, Carvel and Cinnabon

The best way to initially introduce these items is through beverages or salads.

— Jon Miller Director of Research and Development, El Pollo Loco

You could incorporate dark chocolate naturally in desserts, but dark chocolate milk and cocoas would also work.

— Katy Malaniak Senior Director of Food & Beverage, Quaker Steak & Lube