Back to school is in full swing, and operators are gearing up to accommodate new consumer demands and changes to popular day parts by expanding menu offerings that meet the needs of families on the go. Preparing for the back-to-school rush can be difficult when handling fluctuating demand, increased competition, and increased labor pressures, as part-time student workers quit or shorten their hours. For families who are looking for discounts amidst tightening school-year budgets, offering menus that appeal to whole families is critical. Furthermore, finding options that appeal to children but may still be considered healthier by parents allows restaurants to capture more consumer interest. Finding the ideal balance of low-labor, trendy, and healthy beverage offerings to satisfy back-to-school demand is challenging for every operator.
“As families adjust to school schedules, there’s often a focus on dining options that cater to both kids and adults,” says Rich Shuey executive director of sales for dining, hospitality, and leisure at Sunny Sky products. “Offering kid-friendly food and beverages, special family-sized deals, or bundling options can make quick-service restaurants more attractive for family meals during the back-to-school season.” Eighty-five percent of parents stated that a kids’ meal or kids’ menu is essential to making a fast-casual restaurant kid-friendly, according to Modern Restaurant Management.
Partnering with a comprehensive beverage solution provider is necessary when keeping up with trends, offering interesting LTOs, diversifying offerings, and keeping back-of-house processes streamlined to balance labor restrictions. Sunny Sky Products is a provider that does just that. Offering trendy, child-friendly, beverages like SOUR PATCH KIDS® Slush and Jolly Rancher Slush—which can be used as a frozen drink or as an add-in for an interesting LTO—can ensure name recognition and excitement from children while keeping labor costs down by offering a low-complexity beverage solution.
For parents and teens who may be more health-conscious and interested in caffeinated beverage options, operators can diversify their menus with Upouria Cold Brew Coffee, an innovative, ready-to-drink, cold brew that takes cold brew preparation from hours to seconds. This is especially important for quick-service menus since cold brew’s popularity has increased by 300 percent since 2016, according to the National Coffee Data Trends 2023 report. For parents who are looking for a clean-label, lightly caffeinated boost at after-school pickup Sunny Sky also offers Dr. Smoothie Refreshers, which come in 8 flavors and can easily be built on for a delicious refreshing beverage offering aesthetic colors and flavors to teens with the natural caffeination for parents.
“Back-to-school season is a prime time for quick-service restaurants to introduce LTOs or seasonal promotions,” Shuey says. “These can create a sense of urgency and excitement, driving traffic to the restaurant. LTOs that tie into back-to-school themes or offer discounts on family meals can be particularly effective.” Between LTOs, new menu offerings, and labor strains operators need products that can be used across multiple SKUs and play to multiple demographics. Back-to-school highlights this need and operators must be mindful that the vendors they partner with offer more solutions than problems.
Sunny Sky Products stays at the cutting edge of trends, convenience, and operational efficiencies to ensure operators can be as successful in their offerings as possible. Part of this is knowing what consumers want from every demographic from children’s favorite candies to health and wellness-conscious adults. Sunny Sky has a solution for every operator’s needs. Clean label and natural offerings like Dr. Smoothie 100% Crushed Smoothies allow operators to provide natural, on-trend offerings made with real fruit and juice without the labor or back-of-house hassle that can detract from consumer’s experiences and operators’ bottom lines.
Operators are facing unprecedented consumer demands with trends taking over the market faster and labor being more challenging than ever. Partnering with the right vendor to stay competitive has never been more necessary. Shuey concludes, “By staying informed about these emerging products from Sunny Sky Products, quick-service restaurant operators can keep their menus fresh, appealing, and aligned with current consumer trends, while also enhancing operational efficiency.”
For more information on Sunny Sky Products’ portfolio visit here.
