“We have such a large group that is eating at home,” Reynders said. With no lettuce or tomato to get soggy and crunched up tortilla plus extra queso to keep the whole thing hot and crunchy, it’s been a deliverable dream item. Tijuana Flats introduced a new menu item, the Queso Crunch Burrito, during the pandemic that has been a smash hit, thanks in part to its ability to travel well. But we were very concerned with our franchisees getting stuck with dead inventory, so that’s the good news the bad news is we could’ve sold more.”

“We made sure the marketing materials said, ‘while supplies last,’ which is a good thing, because we ended up running through the inventory halfway through the promotion. “When we were buying pumpkins in June or July, we have to be very conservative with how much we purchased, knowing that we wouldn’t be sure of the lay of the land,” Lykins said. One lesson she’s learned: People definitely still want pumpkin pancakes. All of this shaded by the shadow of the unknown. Thorn asked the panelists how things have been different when it comes to R&D.īoth panelists said the process itself has become much more “virtual,” with Denny’s using Go-Pro cameras for training on the line at a distance, and Tijuana Flats doing a lot of Zoom meetings, and keeping any in-person meetings small and safely distanced.ĭistanced but fresh ideas and fresh(er) delivery itemsĬonsumers are fatigued-by the year in general-and “they are looking for something new,” Lykins said, adding that she’s been trying to find a balance between new things and comfort food constants. The session, sponsored by Segafredo Zanetti, was hosted by Bret Thorn, senior food and beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. Director, Product Innovation, Denny’s, shared their menu planning experiences in 2020, a year unlike any other. “The challenge has been missing the actual R&D of getting out and seeing the trends,” said Joel Reynders, Vice President of Culinary & Executive Chef, Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex, who along with Sharon Lykins, Sr. Going out into the world, tasting new trends and following hot leads has been replaced with Zoom meetings, takeout and training by Go-Pro. The hands-on nature of researching and developing a restaurant menu has been yet another thing this industry has lost during the pandemic. Source: Nation's Restaurant News R&D At A Distance: How Denny's And Tijuana Flats Are Adapting High-Touch Research Into Virtual Reality

Tijuana flats near me in georgia