News, Events, and Openings
Bar Menus Offer Value for Diners and Drive Traffic for Operators
Posted 11/19/2009
by Gordon Food Service
Full-service steak and seafood chains are revamping their bar menus to adapt to consumer spending habits.
Bar and happy-hour menus at many chains are seeing refreshed lineups of inventive sliders, full-sized burgers with premium toppings, and other crafty small bites, all listed at lower prices during early-evening hours, and all offering the same quality level as the regular menu. Below is some information on how a pair of upscale steakhouses tweaked their bar offerings to woo deal-seeking diners without compromising their menu positioning. The Palm Restaurant launched its revamped happy-hour menu at locations nationwide in September. The Prime Bites menu boasts a selection of elegant small bites priced at an eye-popping $3.50 each. These right-priced luxuries, which sell for up to $12 each during non-promotional hours, include Kobe Beef Sliders, Veal Parmigiana Sliders, a Filet Mignon Capri Sandwich, Mini Broiled Crab Cakes, and a Point Judith Calamari Fritti. The happy-hour menu also lists Oysters on the Half Shell for $1 apiece and a $2 Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. The Prime Bites menu is available weekdays during prime time from 5–7 p.m. and again from 9 p.m. until close. It’s part of The Palm’s new Palm Bar concept, which also includes flat-screen TVs and updated overhead music in the bar as well as new uniforms for bar staff. The price points for these premium offerings coupled with a more casual atmosphere expand The Palm’s appeal to a wider range of consumers.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar recently added a Prime Burger Bar as an extension of its 5 for $6 ’til 7 happy-hour promotion. The new lineup features five Prime Burgers, each served with a mini-wedge salad and two onion rings. Selections include Fleming’s Prime Burger with Cheddar cheese and peppered bacon; Sliced Filet Mignon Burger with sautéed mushrooms and béarnaise sauce; Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Burger with a creamy mustard sauce; Ahi Tuna Burger with soy-ginger sauce on the side; and Portobello Mushroom Burger with sautéed spinach and goat cheese. The Prime Burger, regularly priced at $12, is available for $6 during the happy-hour promotion. Fleming’s Burger Bar is an attractive offering because it melds the trendiness of burgers with the brand’s polished positioning, all with pricing suitable for the times.
While the economy continues to hit the full-service steakhouse and seafood category particularly hard, many chains are finding their saving grace at the bar. Inexpensive versions of signature offerings present an attractive proposition to consumers still thrifty with their dining dollars. In addition to drawing traffic from regulars and adding on alcohol sales, chains that create value at the bar have opportunities to build their customer base heading out of the recession. By extending more affordable options and relaxing the bar atmosphere, higher-end chains can win new consumers who previously avoided certain restaurants based on perceptions of high prices and a too-upscale atmosphere. In this light, innovative but inexpensive bar menus are a win-win for operators and consumers.
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This information is provided by Technomic, considered an industry expert for over 40 years. Information can be segment-specific and it is important that operators understand the segment to which they belong in order to determine how this particular data may or may not impact their own operation.
Source: Technomic, Menu Clips, November 2009
