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Gone are the salad days when a plate of restaurant greens consisted of bland lettuce and a few vegetables smothered in unimaginative orange or white dressing. Today’s salads, packed with character, bold flavors and texture, command center stage. “Increased consumer demand has caused the foodservice industry to recognize the need for higher-quality salads,” says David Engel, director of marketing for Sargento Foodservice, Plymouth, WI. “Every restaurant operation is looking to enhance what it offers, from the lettuce that forms the base of the salad to the croutons that top it off.” Chain reactionIn its effort to introduce lighter fare and more sophisticated flavors, the chain-restaurant segment arguably has implemented the most dramatic changes in its offerings. Making good on a pledge to upgrade its greens, McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook, IL, replaced its salad-in-a-cup McSalad Shakers with a new roster of salads in April. The four items, three entrée and one side, combine mixed greens, grape tomatoes and shaved carrots. Although iceberg and romaine make up the bulk of the lettuce, the mix is cut with six specialty baby greens, including arugula, radicchio and red Swiss chard. The three entrée salads are topped with warm chicken, either grilled or crispy. In addition, the California Cobb salad features crumbled blue cheese, hickory-smoked bacon and chopped egg; the Caesar salad tosses in grated Parmesan cheese and garlic croutons; and the Bacon Ranch salad features Jack and Cheddar cheeses and bacon. Each salad has a different packet of Newman’s Own salad dressing — the side salad, for example, which sells on the Dollar Menu, pairs with light balsamic vinaigrette. The fast-food chain hopes to benefit from the trend pioneered by Dublin, OH-based fast-food rival Wendy’s, which introduced a line of Garden Sensations salads last year composed of baby lettuces and garnishes such as Mandarin oranges and crispy rice noodles. An instant hit, those items allowed Wendy’s to siphon business from its competitors. They also showed that restaurant patrons will pay a premium for quality and perceived value. McDonald’s, however, has targeted a specific audience rather than take Wendy’s broad-brush approach. It is aiming its new product line at health-conscious women who tend to avoid the burger giant, and mothers, who bring their children to the chain for Happy Meals but likely only purchase beverages for themselves, not food. The fast-food chain has employed a variety of media to spread the word about its salads to female consumers. One TV ad shows a mom and her children in a van on a highway. The kids ask to stop each time they pass a McDonald’s billboard, but only when the mom sees a billboard for the chain’s salads does she agree. Two other ads show a cross section of women who are yoga enthusiasts, bikers, plumbers and stay-at-home moms. The pitch: “New McDonald’s Premium Salads. They’re surprising. Like you.” Another marketing vehicle is the Internet. The burger chain has posted ads on websites known to be popular with women, such as iVillage.com and MSN.com. The Internet ads also encourage viewers to click through to McDonald’s website to learn more about the salads. According to Neil Perry, senior director of digital marketing for McDonald’s USA, the first day the ads ran, the fast-food company’s Internet site had a record number of hits in one day. Although it is too early to determine the salads’ impact on the fast-food giant’s bottom line, Mark Kalinowski, an analyst with Smith Barney, New York, believes that domestic same-store sales could gain momentum based in part on the new product line. “The premium salads indicate to me that McDonald’s is moving in the right direction,” says Kalinowski. Turning up the heatChains that feature ethnic fare also feature an expanding roster of greens, venturing beyond traditional salad guises with adventurous ingredients. El Pollo Loco, a 300-unit Mexican chain based in Irvine, CA, polled customers earlier this year about possible menu additions, and made-to-order salads came out on top, with a version featuring the chain’s signature grilled, marinated chicken rating highest. As a result of the enthusiastic response, that salad was rolled out immediately. According to Jon Miller, director of research and development, it filled a menu void. “You see this type of salad in casual or quick-casual restaurants, but not in quick service,” he says. “There’s a demand for quality in our segment of the industry, and we’re proving that quality can be fast and convenient.” The chain also has added two larger, bolder-flavored versions to its line of salad bowls, which it has offered since 1998. The new salads — Chicken Fiesta and Chicken Caesar — feature chicken marinated in herbs, spices and fruit juices. The chicken is grilled to order and settled atop a bed of chilled greens with tortilla strips and cotija cheese. The Fiesta adds Cheddar and Jack cheeses, roasted corn poblano, guacamole, sour cream and chipotle dressing, while the Caesar includes roasted pepitas — a Mexican preparation for pumpkin seeds — and creamy cilantro dressing. One of four salsas — pico de gallo, avocado, spicy chipotle or house salsa — accompanies the salads and a serrano pepper, the chain’s signature garnish for the new salads, tops each one. “These salads embrace the growing demand for flavorful entrée-size salads and freshly prepared dressings,” says Miller.
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Dressing Up a Salad
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