Mike Levinson, RD’s Post

It's no secret that we're getting less food for more money these days... 🌯 Chipotle is the most recent chain restaurant testing smaller portion sizes in select locations, raising questions about whether we're getting the same value for our money. Nathaniel Meyersohn's CNN Business article bites into the potential impact on our favorite burrito bowls. What do you think about this trend? Is shrinkflation impacting the deliciousness of our burrito bowls?? Share your thoughts below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/gAcjeupr #Shrinkflation #FoodIndustry #CustomerExperience #Chipotle

🍗 Happy National Fried Chicken Day! 🍗 Did you know? According to our latest survey, a whopping 79% of fried chicken fans prefer ordering from restaurant chains like KFC, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Chick-fil-A Restaurants, and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers over c-store and grocery chains. Whether it's the crispy tenders, savory buckets, or mouthwatering sandwiches, these spots are a top choice for satisfying that fried chicken craving. Join us in celebrating today by indulging in your favorite fried chicken and sharing your delicious moments with us! Don't forget to tag your go-to spot and spread the love for #NationalFriedChickenDay. Curious for more insights into consumer preferences? We've compiled a detailed infographic with additional trends and data. Download the full infographic and dive deeper: https://hubs.ly/Q02Fsrn10 #FriedChicken #ConsumerInsights #NationalFriedChickenDay

Burger King Launches $5 and $7 Deals to Tempt Budget-Conscious Diners Burger King is kicking off 2025 with wallet-friendly menu options designed to give customers more bang for their buck. The fast-food chain’s new $5 Duos and $7 Trios offer mix-and-match meal combos featuring items like the Whopper Jr., Original Chicken Sandwich, bacon cheeseburger, medium fries, and Chicken Fries. The goal? To help customers enjoy quality meals without breaking the bank, especially during an economically challenging time. These deals are available through spring, giving diners plenty of time to snag their favorites at reduced prices. With fast food chains increasingly competing for budget-conscious diners, Burger King is betting on flexibility and affordability to win over customers. Will these new deals make Burger King your go-to for value meals this year?

Those Chick-fil-A cow mascots exhorting you to eat more chicken may be the most powerful influencers out there. Since the chain kicked off a fierce fast-food battle for the best chicken sandwich, the dish has been pecking at the burger’s popularity crown. McDonald’s recently said that it’s making $25 billion off chicken annually, putting it on par with beef (though that figure includes nuggets). Sit-down restaurants are taking notes: According to Bloomberg, chicken sandwiches now feature on 47% of restaurant menus, while burgers are only on 41%. But don’t count the burger out just yet: Overall, people still order burgers twice as frequently as chicken sandwiches, per market researcher Circana.

This restaurant does an average volume of $5.4 million per store - second only to Chick-fil-A. But what’s wild is that they do it with only one menu item. Chicken fingers & fries. (they do have a sandwich option - but it’s literally chicken fingers on a bun.) Raising Cane’s strategy over the past 28 years boils down to having a simple menu with a laser focus on food and service quality. Customers know exactly what to expect and they don’t have to think about what to order. Todd Graves (the founder) explains it as "By adding just one more menu item, we'd force customers into making a decision, which would increase order times and affect our quality." When competitors zig, RC doesn’t zag. There’s no Nashville hot chicken or random LTO’s. Just chicken tendies and fries. Simplicity and consistency are superpowers in foodservice. Add in the ability to stay focused over a long period of time and you have as close to a recipe for success as you can create.

We weren’t kidding when we called our fries “restaurant-quality.” We’re the only fry brand you’ll be able to find at grocery stores AND at top restaurants across the country. Making “house-cut fries” is really hard for most chefs. They know how to do it. But they don’t have the space. They don’t have the staff (or if they do, it’s REALLY expensive). So they have to choose: sacrifice quality for convenience or stick with hand-cutting fries and live with the headaches. Most “frozen fries” are mid at best. We know because we tried them all. Jesse & Ben’s fries aren’t frozen fries. They are real Belgian-style, twice-fried fries that we freeze. Big difference. These fries are so good that chefs are proud to serve them on their menu. What restaurants need a fry upgrade??? Or if you have a restaurant and you’re cutting potatoes every day, how about you focus on what you do best and leave the fries to us! #theguysbehindthefries #jesseandbens #fries #frenchfries #frenchfries🍟 #cheflife #cheflife🔪

Want a Successful Restaurant? Sell Food That Sells In a classic Seinfeld episode, Jerry advises a Pakistani restaurant owner to focus on Pakistani food. The result? Failure—because that’s not what people wanted to eat. The lesson is simple: successful restaurants sell food that sells. Burgers, pizza, and tacos dominate because they’re what people crave—and eat regularly. If you want a thriving restaurant, don’t overcomplicate it. Focus on food that brings people back again and again. Ready to breakthrough? Message us to transform your brand or business! #RestaurantSuccess #SellFoodThatSells #SeinfeldWisdom #MiamiEats #AlanPhilips #CMO #MiamiBeach The Marketing Department

In 1996, McDonald's introduced a new dish to their menu- the Arch Deluxe burger. They invited fine Chicago chef, Andrew Sclvaggio to create the recipe. It was supposed to be the burger of the century. Things went on well initially with everyone wanting to try the new burger, but things quickly turned and took a nosedive. It would later go down in history as McDonald's biggest fail with about $200 million dollars in losses but what can we learn from here. Know your customers. Know why your customers come to you and not your competitors. No one goes to McDonald's to get a gourmet meal. They go there when they need some burgers and some fries and need them fast. That's what McDonald's known for. Trying to introduce a gourmet dish to the menu didn't sit well with their customer base. So know what differentiates you from your competitors and stick with it. If you want to transition and change your current brand's perception, that's a whole different adventure that requires a lot of carefulness and counseling. It's not something that can be done overnight. Enjoying my content, make sure to follow. There's more where this came from. #customerretention #brandperception

Have you ever dipped your toes in flowing lava? Have you ever fallen off a ladder into a pile of fire ants? Really hope not on both counts, but only then would you understand the excruciating pain we feel in relaying this news: Pizza, beloved like a family member in these circles, has been called “a slow-growth market,” per Nation’s Restaurant News. Alas, the world’s favorite saucy circles have come down from their pandemic-fueled bonanza period: 🍕Pizza sellers saw the slowest sales growth among all restaurant segments included in Technomic’s annual restaurant report. 📉Last year, ‘za scored only a 3% gain, less than half the 7.1% industry average. We all know pizza is delicious, but still — why the stagnancy? Well, here's what we found: https://bit.ly/3KJOoOw

Love this Wingstop Restaurants Inc. Went here for the first time over the weekend and saw their vision huge and proud on the wall. They are known for their chicken. Some even say they are the KFC alternative. But this says they are different. Clear. Transferable to new product ranges. I can see in the future... using the same sauces and spices they have in their range for chicken being extended to... 😋 falafels for a veggie option 😋 pork ribs 😋 fish nuggets/goujons 😋 even mozarella dippers OMG yes please The possibility is endless. Why? They nailed their vision. Well done Wingstop Restaurants Inc. Happy to be a taste taster 🙏🏼 What business are you in? #strategy #businessdevelopment #businessgrowth #businesscoaching