Can a traditional carnival treat work wonders for a quick-serve?
In 1969 the founders of Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips purchased a London restaurant called Malin’s, which had supposedly created the fish-n-chips dish in the 1860s. And even though, by virtue of that purchase, Treacher’s has quite a long history, it has relatively little prominence today, a situation the company would like to change. Would you believe they’re counting on a food more associated with carnivals than quick-serves to play a big role in the comeback effort?
Actually, it’s more to the point to say that Treacher’s is turning to funnel cake precisely because it’s not a common sight in the industry. Lennie Spier, vice president of purchasing for the chain, explains: “We’ve taken a tremendous beating with protein this year. Chicken has gone up, meat has gone up, cheese has fluctuated tremendously, and fish is in the process of growing up. Price points are getting close to the point where the consumer can look at the cost to bring a family of four here and say, ‘You know what? For another $7.00 or $8.00, I can have a sit-down meal at Chili’s or Applebee’s or Houlihan’s.’ That’s our big problem today. We have to offer quality and some things that are unique and different.”
Enter J&J Snack Foods. Though Treacher’s hadn’t worked with J&J previously, Spier, through prior employment experience, was familiar with J&J as a company and believed they had a reputation for quality products. So when the chain began revamping its dessert program, and keeping in mind its desire to do something unique, Spier approached J&J and told them he needed help with a problem. A regional sales person showed up with the funnel cakes, and Spier felt it was a winner.
First, because it’s not commonly menued at quick-serves, it was unique. Plus, operationally speaking, it was a great fit. “Everything in our operation is basically freezer to fryer,” says Spier. “We were looking for a product that we could produce very quickly --- 30 seconds at most. When a customer orders it, by the time the meal is plated, the funnel cake is done. It fits our operation perfectly.”
There were other considerations, too, like filling in daypart gaps, particularly after lunch. It was also less of a theft problem than other desserts Treacher’s had tried. “If the owner or manager wasn’t around,” Spier says, “people would open up these individual cakes and cookies we used to buy. By the time you looked at the sales and how much was lost due to the employees eating the product, it was ridiculous. That limits us on what we can offer, unfortunately, because it does disappear.” No such problem with the funnel cake.
Spier expects the program to roll out in 60 stores in August. They’ll use J&J’s point-of-purchase materials, and offer the funnel cake at a $1.29 price point with a 30-cents-off special. They’ve tried it in one store thus far and found the results “amazing. We just put the literature up, and it brought people in,” says Spier.
Which, come to think of it, might qualify as a carnival in its own right.
