Pop into your favorite fast-food restaurant these days and you almost expect to be greeted by a tuxedoed waiter and a table set with fine china.
That’s not exactly the case, of course, and, yes, McDonald’s is still serving billions of burgers and fries, even if they do contain one-third more trans-fat than previously thought.
But would you expect Mickey D’s to also offer a bacon ranch salad with designer greens such as radicchio and arugula, carrots and grape tomatoes topped with grilled chicken? Or how about a Prime Rib & Peppercorn sub, which Quiznos introduced Monday? It’s a double portion of tender prime rib, piled high with melted mozzarella cheese and sauteed onions, and then topped with a mild peppercorn sauce.
Fast food is going upscale.
From Subway’s sweet onion chicken teriyaki sub to Wendy’s mandarin chicken salad and Arby’s roast chicken club, your favorite fast-food joint is going through a seismic shift to meet consumer demands for higher-quality choices.
This trend is called “premiumization,” and it’s the latest wave rolling through the $120 billion fast-food industry.
Fast food is reacting to its customers’ demands while at the same time cashing in on the success of the “fast-casual” eatery concept–the fastest-growing segment in the restaurant industry. Growth of the fast-casual market is expected to exceed $70 billion this year, with more than 150 different chains vying for your business.
These restaurants–led by Panera Bread and including the McDonald’s-owned Chipotle and Wendy’s-owned Baja Fresh–do not offer full table service but promise a bit more ambiance, more top-shelf ingredients and higher prices than a typical fast-food restaurant.
People are clamoring for the experience, and fast-food restaurants are stepping up to the table.
“I don’t mind paying more for something that’s better for you,” said Monica Charles of Detroit. She and her son Maximillion, 13, visit Quiznos about once a month. “Their sandwiches are usually really fresh.”
Jermel Green, a manager at a Wendy’s in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., has seen a big change in how people are eating in the past year or so.
“They’re ordering a lot of low-carb foods like grilled chicken rather than burgers,” he said.
Wendy’s has responded. “We now offer a side salad or a Caesar salad with our combos, and people are ordering those rather than french fries,” Green said. “And we now offer a spinach salad, and we sell a lot of those.”
Fast still matters, though.
“Many more people are health-conscious, but they still want the in-and-out and more quality choices,” said Darlene Levinson, an instructor and dietitian at the Culinary Studies Institute at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, Mich.
Because a fast-casual restaurant offers a fresher product, Levinson explained, it’s not as highly processed. “People will choose a more high-quality product.”
Ron Santibanez, a restaurant consultant based in Riverside, Calif., credited Panera Bread and Baja Fresh with spurring the trend. “These restaurants are still fast, but they use premium ingredients at a higher price point.”
Reshuffling the menu also has proven key to the resurgence of McDonald’s U.S. sales since 2003. The additions of entree-sized salads, McGriddles breakfast sandwiches, white-meat chicken nuggets and chicken strips all have been successful.
Now Dan Coudreaut, director of culinary innovation at the Oak Brook-based chain, has launched the Premium Chicken Sandwiches, which includes the new Spicy Premium Chicken Sandwich. McDonald’s national regular menu now is 29 percent chicken based.
The spicy sandwich, which spent a year in research and development, is made of all-white-meat chicken spiced with cayenne and chipotle pepper, is fried and is served with tomato and lettuce, and sits on a specially made honey wheat roll. Its suggested retail price is $3.29.
“Customers increasingly want higher-quality items, which allows me to take more risks and make flavors bolder,” Coudreaut said. “It trends with our customers’ ever-changing tastes.”
Coudreaut also pointed out that the sandwiches are made to order rather than beforehand. “What we’re trying to do is give the customer an experience they would have at a sit-down restaurant but with McDonald’s value,” Coudreaut said.
Restaurant consultant Santibanez warned of a consumer price threshold. “If you hit $4 … most people aren’t going to pay more than $4 for a premium sandwich.”
But that is not necessarily the case at Panera Bread, whose sandwiches top off at a suggested $6.39.
“Both Panera Bread and Chipotle have had a major impact on people and their perceptions of quality,” said Christopher Muller, director of the Center for Multi-Unit Restaurant Management at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
That’s why, these days, at Arby’s you can order a trademarked Martha’s Vineyard salad for $4.59. It comes with mixed greens, fresh apples, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and a sweet and tangy raspberry vinaigrette.
“The [fast-food] salad business is all about quality,” Muller said.
“Who would have ever thought you could go into a McDonald’s, a Burger King or a Wendy’s and get toasted almonds, dried cranberries and mandarin oranges?” he asked. “Grown men are buying salads at lunch. It’s amazing.
“They’re not giving you more, they’re giving you better.”
Fast-casual restaurants
Several more upscale restaurant chains are making the fast-food industry take serious notice. These chains don’t have full table service but offer more ambiance and premium ingredients. Here’s a look at some of their offerings:
Atlanta Bread Co.: One-half of a Cuban pork loin panini sandwich along with a choice of soup.
Baja Fresh: Burrito ultimo with grilled vegetables, chicken, melted cheese and salsa Baja.
Chipotle: Fajita burrito with barbacoa (spicy shredded beef).
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop: No. 5 (Vito), Italian sub with provolone, capicola and more.
Panera Bread: Chicken Olivida sandwich with pepper mustard chicken, tomatoes, red onions, field greens, feta cheese, pesto aioli and olive tapenade.
[THE DETROIT NEWS].Fast food goes gourmet
Here are some higher-quality menu items at popular fast-food chains:
Subway: A 6-inch breaded chicken BLT.
McDonald’s: Premium chicken sandwiches, including the Spicy Premium Chicken Sandwich.
Wendy’s: Spinach chicken salad.
Quiznos: Prime Rib & Peppercorn Sub introduced Monday.
[THE DETROIT NEWS].
