Once upon a time in America, most people probably subsisted on three square meals a day, and little else.

That has changed. In the today’s Information Age, creative foodservice establishments are beginning to vie for between-meal business that used to be viewed as some sort of protracted intermission in the business day.

McDonald’s highly successful Snack Wraps first made the case for savory afternoon snacks as transaction-driver, and the chain’s recently announced efforts to begin offering premium coffee beverages suggest it is continuing to work to keep guests coming through the doors between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. But up to this point, at least, no quick-serve chain has gone all-out to court the sweet-toothed, snack-happy consumers who, when afternoon hunger pangs strike, currently reach into their desks for a candy bar, nutrition bar, muffin, pastry, or other toothsome treat.

If we agree that there are three primary reasons why people seek out a sweet afternoon treat—as an energy boost, a healthy break, or a pure indulgence—then there are several ways for quick-serves to get themselves a sweet piece of this action. The trick in each case, though, will be to offer products that are compelling enough to get people out of the office and into the drive-thru. A few suggestions:

Explore Healthier Options

In the past, quick-serves have been criticized for being too slow off the mark when it comes to offering healthier choices. So wouldn’t it be great to see various chains take the lead in making available sumptuous, decadent, destination-worthy sweets that also offer real health benefits?

I’m of the opinion that hot, freshly made baked goods could provide a great incentive for office dwellers to forsake that chocolate bar and head for a local chain restaurant instead. And that incentive would be significantly enhanced by making sure the decadence factor is offset by substantial nutritional value.

As McDonald’s unveils its coffee bars, for instance, there is the possibility of pairing every cappuccino or latte with a fresh cookie, something formulated to be finished on the clamshell and made from whole-wheat or barley flour to maximize its fiber content. A line of light-but-satisfying mini-muffins containing pieces of fresh-frozen apricot, blueberries, banana, or apple, rather than the dried stuff, could also prove to be powerful lures. And for a while now, I’ve thought some enterprising chain would do well to introduce portable hot bread-pudding in stick form, made with fresh fruit and a high-fiber flour.

Moving away from baked goods for the moment, a push to offer healthier snacks could also result in a line of summertime fresh-fruit popsicles, a line of peanut-butter smoothies packed with protein powder as a post-work, pre-gym pick-me-up, or fresh fruit and frozen-yogurt parfaits with mix-ins ranging from granola to sweet roasted almonds to high-protein breakfast cereals.

The Energy Angle

That over-caffeinated young man in the cubicle down the hall, the one with the Thermos full of Jolt Cola and the espresso drip running straight into his forearm, demonstrates clearly that many of us now want our foods and beverages to get us amped up for the next phase of our days. But moving past liquid refreshment, why couldn’t Jack in the Box or Subway offer a line of freshly baked snack cakes containing flecks of chocolate-coated espresso beans? Or, how about a line of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate “energy cookies” that have been fortified with the berry-extract guarana, the amino acid taurine, and a bit of caffeine à la Red Bull?

Pure Indulgence

At the end of the day—or somewhere in the middle, at least—there are sweets for sweets’ sake. And there are those who cater to the unbridled sweet tooth seeking nothing more or less than a little pure pleasure in the afternoon. Specialty cupcake bakers that allow consumers to select their own cake flavor, frosting, and filling from among dozens of options are turning up in cities nationwide, while Beard Papa’s cream puff shops are expanding at a healthy rate from Honolulu to New Jersey. And, as Dunkin’ Donuts continues its inexorable march westward, it seems a given that all things pastry will continue to loom large in the quick-serve spotlight. If any or all of the major burger, pizza, taco, and sandwich chains choose to get in on the action with novel new afternoon-treat offerings, it seems safe to say they could reshape the sweet landscape.