A Menu of One’s Own

Many restaurants feature “America’s Favorites”—but few actually differentiate themselves and create something unique and ownable. We helped Chili’s define menu platforms that the company could own and innovate. To do so, we looked back at Chili’s rich heritage for inspiration.

Engineering a New Flavor DNA

Once we understood the platforms to use, we worked with the culinary and supply chain teams to build a new flavor DNA. We identified flavors Chili’s could claim, as well as new complementary flavor profiles that would resonate with contemporary diners. We also recommended more experiential menu items, such as tableside guacamole service and handcrafted cocktails.

New Food, New Process

Over the course of our research, we recognized the need to create a new innovation process for Chili’s. We sought to give the culinary and marketing teams the means to make their process repeatable and to focus the innovation in the kitchen. Most importantly, we wanted to create a process that would yield items that could be faithfully and repeatedly delivered in the field, in over 1,600 restaurants serving up to 1,000,000 meals per day.

'Tis the Season

Introducing the notion of seasonality to the menu was critical. Communicating seasonal change was an important way to highlight in-season ingredients, to acknowledge that preparations change over time, and to introduce new menu items. Also, seasonality became a strategic way to sunset certain items, which had been a challenge in previous years.

Freshening up the Brand

Continuum’s work involved significant changes to the design language of the menu. For instance, we created new photography and copy guidelines. We advised Chili’s to make their photography look environmental and spatial, so that menu items would be shown in the context in which they were made. Copy was changed to be more descriptive of culinary process, and the specific nature of the ingredients themselves. Certain ingredients—for instance, jicama and poblano peppers—were added strategically to help create a freshness halo for the menu.

Results

The introduction of new primary menu platforms—Fresh Tex and Fresh Mex—has been extremely positive. Sales and traffic have risen, according to a 2018 earnings call. The new slimmed-down menu has, according to Wyman T. Roberts, CEO and President of parent company Brinker International, Inc., enabled Chili's “to deliver hotter food faster and cut our longest ticket times in half.” Roberts adds: “This quarter has been our best year, outperforming the industry on sales and significantly outperforming on traffic.” Brinker reports that first quarter revenues of fiscal 2019 are up: $753.8 million, from $739.4 million, an increase of 1.9%.

Results

From 2014 to 2016, Chili's realized a 27% growth in the menu mix of Fresh Mex and Fresh Tex menu items, calculated together as a percentage of non-beverage menu items ordered. They have seen a per-person average spend increase of $0.45.

Results

A clear indication that the Chili’s lighthouse menu led to an improved culinary experience was reflected in Chili’s Guest Experience Tracker in the Fall of 2015 (Q2 2016). Food scores increased by a net positive increase.

Results

Our culinary innovation reduced the number of ingredient SKUs in the kitchen, therefore simplifying operations in the kitchen.

Results

Tableside guacamole, an example of our more experiential culinary experiences, leads to higher customer satisfaction scores. Following the release of the 2015 Fall menu(Q2 2016), Chili’s hospitality score increased, showing an 8-point net positive change.