From
Lisa Jennings of Nation's Restaurant News: CALABASAS HILLS, Calif.
(April
23,
2009)
The
Cheesecake Factory, long known for serving guests heaping portions of
its upscale-casual fare, is now rolling out a line of smaller-sized
dishes at lower prices.
The new Small Plates &
Snacks menu is designed as a “pre-appetizer” or to be combined with
other dishes to make a meal, The Cheesecake Factory Inc. said Thursday.
The offerings follow a growing restaurant industry trend toward smaller
and less expensive menu options, as operators attempt to drive traffic
at a time when customers are looking for greater value and more
healthful options.
Cheesecake Factory’s new menu
includes 16 dishes priced from $3.95 to $6.50 each, including beets
with goat cheese, hand-battered onion rings, shrimp scampi crostini,
ahi tartare, stuffed mushrooms or pizzettes.
“We
have actually been developing our Small Plates & Snacks menu for
quite some time; however, we thought now was the perfect time to
introduce it to help make The Cheesecake Factory even more accessible
to Americans looking for reasons to get out and celebrate,” said Mark
Mears, the company’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
“But don’t let the name fool you, at The Cheesecake Factory we don’t do
anything small.”
Others following a less-is-more
strategy include Chili’s Grill & Bar, which introduced 10 menu
items under $7 earlier this month, such as Honey-Chipotle Chicken
Crispers, a half order of quesadillas or two mini beef burgers. The
Brinker International chain also has promoted its Bites line of mini
sandwiches for months.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is
testing a new menu in Denver stores that includes a “Low Roller”
selection of smaller, lower-priced items such as a vegetarian soup for
$2.99 per cup; a single taco and soup for $4.65; and a side salad for
$2.95 or $3.65 with chicken. FULL ARTICLE