Our research tells us that to be successful, franchise
restaurateurs must strike a delicate balance between too much and
too little on menus this year. You'll see more smoothie stores
adding complementary foods like bagels and sandwiches to increase
sales in the off-season (Jamba Juice has added soup) and,
conversely, food concepts like Smash International adding smoothies
to their menus. Smaller dessert franchises are also adding more to
their menus, as we've also seen in the past with ice cream
stores adding frozen yogurt and frozen coffee drinks to their
offerings.
What's the not-so-new contender in the frozen dessert
market? Custard. Big in Wisconsin and Minnesota, frozen custard has
loyal fans: One Web site, http://www.custard.execpc.com/cgi/index
, lists the custard du jour for Milwaukee custard shops.
The custard revolution is being led by Culver's Frozen
Custard, with 59 franchised locations in five states. Each day, the
franchises offer a "Flavor of the Day" from their
selection of more than 130 flavors, including caramel pecan and
raspberry cordial. Rita's Water Ice is also jumping on this
trend as fast as it did with Italian ices by adding custard to its
summer menu.
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We've found the secret to rounding out a specialized menu is
not to go overboard. "The market will be more discriminating
[about providing] better quality and better service. It's [not]
just a matter of having a wider variety of products," says Don
Boroian, chairman of Francorp, an Olympia Fields, Illinois-based
franchise consulting firm. Case in point? Boroian contends that one
of the reasons Boston Market recently filed for bankruptcy is that
the company diversified its menu to the point where it confused
both employees and customers. "Trying to add more things can
sometimes screw up your menu, screw up your labor costs, render you
unprofitable, and confuse the public as to what your image
is," adds Boroian.