Changing menus are and will always be a trend in the restaurant industry. Restaurants change their menus constantly to better suit customers, or to try new things and see what the customer reaction will be. They add items to the menu, or take things of the menu; but either way, people aren't always happy with the change. To accommodate a greater range of customers, some restaurants have even taken up the trend of having seasonal items on their menus, or limited time only offers. McDonald's is one such restaurant corporation who has taken up the trend of implementing a seasonal offer system, for such items as the Shamrock Shake. They have also begun to implement a regional and limited time only offer system, to keep their customers on their toes. The McDonald's sandwich known as the "McRib" is one such item on the menu that subscribes to the "regional" offer system. The McRib pops up randomly in McDonald's restaurants around the country, sometimes unannounced, and sometimes staying for only a few weeks. The randomness of this sandwiches arrival has become a topic of great interest to "McRib" lovers across the nation, attracting dedicated customers to go out of their way to pick up one of the sandwiches when it arrives at a location nearby.
As with McDonald's and the "McRib" and "Shamrock Shake", a new trend seems to be emerging or just further developing in the restaurant industry. Having seasonal or regional offers causes a rush of want and need from dedicated customers, and therefore can result in a quick influx of profits for restaurants who implement this system. Restaurants other than McDonald's could benefit from adapting and allowing certain items on their menus to be "limited time only". The randomness and short time span of these offers makes customers think they need to stock up on these items before they leave again for another year. This can benefit the restaurants by causing an increase in not only profits, but also an increase in customer dedication. Customers who know about the limited time only offers may look forward to buying their select items in mass quantity during the select times it is offered, and may also look to give the restaurant business throughout the year in hopes of catching their item on the menu.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704696304575538373863627604.html?KEYWORDS=restaurants
Interesting post. As someone who worked in a smaller scale family owned restaurant, I can say that restaurant changes are not always so positive. They are extremely expensive and are sometimes met by disheartened regular customers. Of course, this experience comes more with raising prices or eliminating choices. The limited time offers like the McRib and Shamrock Shake always get people excited. So menu changes can work both ways!
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