THE OPPORTUNITY

Let Custom Culinary^® be your strategic partner to take your restaurant chain to the next level. Our culinary team is uniquely qualified to collaborate with you to create customized solutions by developing on-trend menu options that are innovative and operationally sound to set you apart from the competition. At the same time, our marketing and sales team can identify market needs and analyze competitor data to steer you in the right direction as we innovate the perfect new addition to your menu that meets all of your safety and quality standards. To make all of this happen, we rely on FlavorIQ^®, our proprietary go-to-market approach that gives you insight-driven results to help you attain your menu innovation goals. Our full suite of culinary services can lead the way to your chain's future success.
 

Six Steps for Insight-Driven Menu Innovation 

Launching a new menu item should't rely on guessing and hoping. Insight-driven menu creation is based on research and facts while removing assumptions from the culinary development process. With reliable information about consumer preferences and desires, you can follow six concrete steps that will guide your chain to greater visibility and profitability. This innovation system allows you to develop authentic, on-trend dishes that respond to modern consumer attitudes and keeps you one step ahead of your competitors. Explore these six steps as you consider partnering with Custom Culinary^®  for your future menu innovation needs.

Uncover Industry Trends

The first step to approaching menu innovation is investigating leading culinary trends and identifying flavors or ingredients that are rising to prominence.

Conduct a Competitor Analysis

After identifying an up-and-coming flavor or ingredient, look at your competitors’ menus to see if they’re taking notice of the item, too.

Validate Trend with Research

If the flavor or ingredient looks promising based on your competitor analysis, analyze menu and consumer data to see if there's compelling statistical support to support the trend.

Explore Concept Development

Create the perfect concept for your identified flavor/ingredient by engaging market research on both current favorites and fastest-growing dishes that feature the flavor. Examine price points of similar successful dishes and then develop marketing plans that may appeal to both current and prospective guests.

Perform Store Testing

Testing customer reaction will give you concrete information about the future success possibility of your new creation. Determine where to conduct your test by consulting your supplier partners for nuanced information to identify current regional penetration trends of the spotlight ingredient.

Launch the Product

Once you're ready to finally introduce your new product, team up with your manufacturer partner to plan for a successful launch, train all staff on the preparation and selling of the new item and design an effective marketing campaign to make the public aware of this exciting new development.

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