Planning Your LTO

Research brand and customer data before embarking on an LTO.

TREND 2

Planning Your LTO

DATA, TRENDS, AND SEASONALITY ARE THE KEYS TO LTO SUCCESS

Deciding how and when to run a limited-time offer takes a bit of finesse. More than seasonality or industry trends, you’ll want to research past customer data and your own brand trends before locking in an LTO launch date. Explore some of the following:

Your past sales data, including slow periods that could benefit from an LTO sales boost
Lead time for menu development, ingredient sourcing, and promotional materials
Upcoming holidays, special events, seasonality, etc
Ingredients in-house that could work with LTOs
Industry trends and how you can play into them
Social media trends and if/how you can launch an LTO while they’re relevant

Looking through Technomic Ignite Menu consumer-rated LTOs data for 2022, 1,208 LTOs across 116 limited-service and full-service restaurants were tracked. Among those, 51 LTOs were considered “Best in Class” by Technomic, meaning they featured above-average purchase intent and consumer ratings.

The 51 Best in Class LTOs included the following items, among others:

32 entrées: 14 oz USDA Choice Porterhouse Steak Dinner, Filet Mignon and Maine Lobster Tail, 1/4 rack ribs, Double Stacked Club Quesadilla, Lobster Lover’s Dream, Hawaiian Rib Eye

7 nonalcoholic beverages: Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato, Red Sangria Smoothie, Mexican Hot Chocolate

5 desserts: OREO Fudge McFlurry, Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake Fried Pie

4 appetizers: Cheesy Pizza Poppers, Coconut Shrimp, Nashville Hot Wings

3 alcoholic drinks: Ultimate Claus for Celebration, Campfire Peach Margarita

Another look at Technomic’s data for 2022 illustrates that it can be more difficult to sell menu items that feature less-than-familiar flavors. When planning an LTO, novelty foods or flavors that may have limited appeal or a niche audience should be used sparingly. Unusual or niche flavors can work with some brands, but if you’re new to offering LTOs, focus on familiar flavor combinations and meal bundles that are more reliable bottom-line boosters.

Limited-Time Offer Celebrations

National Food Days are a great way to celebrate and promote LTOs. A quick search online will reveal dozens of food holidays that allow you to highlight your menu. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

^*^{National food holiday.}

January
16: International Hot & Spicy Food Day
24: Peanut Butter Day*
31: Hot Chocolate Day*

February
4: Homemade Soup Day
7: Fettuccine Alfredo Day*
9: Pizza Pie Day

March
1: Peanut Butter Lover’s Day*
9: Meatball Day*
28: Something on a Stick Day

April
11: Cheese Fondue Day*
23: Cherry Cheesecake Day*
29: Shrimp Scampi Day*

May
5: Hoagie Day*
11: Eat What You Want Day
15: Chocolate Chip Day*

June
10: Iced Tea Day*
15: Lobster Day*
20: Vanilla Milkshake Day*

July
14: Macaroni and Cheese Day*
28: Hamburger Day*
29: Lasagna Day*

August
3: Watermelon Day*
4: Chocolate Chip Cookie Day*
21: Sweet Tea Day*

September
16: Guacamole Day*
27: Corned Beef Hash Day*
29: Coffee Day*

October
1: World Vegetarian Day
4: Taco Day*
7: Frappe Day*

November
3: Sandwich Day*
6: Nachos Day*
28: French Toast Day*

December
8: Chocolate Brownie Day*
16: Chocolate Covered Anything Day*
25: Pumpkin Pie Day*

_{^{Source: Julee Ho Media: 2023 Food Holidays: The Most Comprehensive 365-Day List (Jan. 2023)}}