Sandwiches are way out ahead,  accounting for a 15% share of almost 3700 new items added to chain menus in the first 8 months of 2010.  MenuMine ® tracks new items and LTO's in 640 leading restaurant chains from all regions of the country.   Second in line of importance is Dessert (13% of new items) followed by Center of Plate Entrees (12%), Beverages (9%) and Breakfast Items (9%).

Average Chain Has Added 5 to 7 New Items in the Past Year

The 224 Casual Chains in the MenuMine Database have added 1408 New Items so far this year, which equals an average of 6.3 items per chain. Fast Casual Chains, with 80 chains represented in MenuMine, are the most aggressive, adding an average of 7.1 new items. QSR Chains added an average of 4.5 new items per chain and Midscale Chains added an average of 6.0 new items.

Leading New Items By Menu Part

There are hundreds of New Items in each Menu Part, however, the top three are shown in the table below. Menu planning directors who are serious about the content and positioning of their new items are invited to contact MenuMine staff for more information at 888-386-MENU.

Individual Ingredients and Foods

MenuMine tracks over 37,000 unique foods and ingredients, all of which may be generally classified into groups as shown in the table below.  Breads and Proteins  are found in almost half of all New Items added to chain menus.  Cheese is found in one third of items.  About 3 of 10 use a Cooking Sauce and one in five feature greens or lettuce in their new items.

More Information

A thorough analysis of New items and New Item Trends is available from Foodservice Research Institute.  Contact Foodservice Research Institute at 888-386-MENU. Business publications and manufacturers are requested to contact Foodservice Research Institute for permission to cite parts of this newsletter.  All attributions must cite MenuMine from Foodservice Research Institute.