Hold the Calories
These days, the industry is buzzing about health and nutrition. As consumers become more educated about what’s healthy and good to eat, restaurants and suppliers are becoming more attuned to what their customers are demanding.
It used to be rare for restaurants to promote healthy menu items — many worried that if food was marketed as being nutritious, chances are customers wouldn’t think it tasted good. But that’s no longer the case. Whether it’s a QSR, a casual-dining restaurant or a fine-dining establishment, healthy food is de rigueur. Not a day goes by that fast-food operators aren’t making headlines by adding healthy items to their menu mix. And you can expect the trend to gain momentum.
A recent report by Investors.com highlighted a new movement taking shape in California, the state where many food trends first surface. For years the restaurant industry has been caught in the middle of a battle waged by health advocates requesting greater nutritional analysis on menus. But now, customers purchasing food at various QSRs in California receive receipts listing not just the amount of money they spent on the meal, but also a nutritional breakdown of what they ordered. The info is so specific it even highlights customized orders. For example, if customers choose to hold the mayo, the receipt will indicate how many calories and grams of fat were saved and how it affected other nutritional categories.
The brainchild of Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Nutricate (a hybrid of the words nutrition and educate), the company has patented the technology and licenses it to restaurants. According to Jay Ferro, the company’s founder, who was quoted in the online newsletter, “Customers eat out over 250 times per year. They tend to eat at their same favourite restaurants and order the same items. If you create the platform to show them how they can make preferred meals healthier, or choose other options, they’re going to make better choices.” In addition to posting this important info, the receipt also lists a “Did you Know?” section highlighting other interesting nutritional information. It even features multiple choice questions to test the nutritional IQ of consumers.
Whether or not the innovative system will make a big impact remains to be seen, but Extreme Pita, which is using the program in its California restaurants, is already seeing positive results. Since implementing the technology in March 2007, the company has reported a five to 10 per cent increase in customers and a 10 to 15 per cent increase in sales. “The customer response has been phenomenal,” says Brett Weiss, president of Extreme Pita in San Diego, a privately held franchise of Canada-based Extreme Pita. Weiss plans to roll it out in two more of his units within the next few months. “We hear comments like, ‘I wish every restaurant would do this,’ and ‘Thank you for making it easier for me to eat healthy.’”
In today’s competitive marketplace, chances are if you make it healthy, and you make it easy, it will make you profitable.