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Help Drive Profits During
Peak Seasonality for Pizza,
Wings and Sandwiches.
Published: January 3, 2024
The seasons change and so does consumer demand when dining away from home. So, it’s important to take advantage of predictable periods when traffic peaks and the desire for certain items like pizza, wings and sandwiches is higher. To get a jump on the busy season and stay ahead of what consumers want, be sure to plan your LTOs, promotions and special items at least three to six months in advance. For example, June is a great time to test pizza concepts so you can lock them in for peak season in January and February. Let’s take a closer look.
Get In on the Pizza and Wing Craze
The best way to plan your seasonal pizza and wing offerings and help maximize profitability is by timing your LTOs and promotions just right.
“Pizza and chicken wings are my favorite example of seasonality,” says Briana Lee, Sr. Team Lead, Foodservice & Customer Insights. “Their menu importance consistently spikes in January or February due to consumers associating pizza and chicken wings with watching football playoffs and the Big Game. Operators who want to capitalize on the January and February spike in demand should plan ahead.”
With June being the biggest month for chain restaurants launching new pizza menu items,1 it’s a great time to introduce and test your new LTOs before peak season. Considering 45% of pizza orders are one topping (or cheese pizza) and 55% are build-your-own (or chef’s specialty),2 it’s important to have the right items on hand. “Consumers look for the classics as well as something new and exciting,” says Lee. “So, be sure you have the basics covered with pepperoni, sausage, ham and chicken, but also have a few chef-inspired LTOs or specialty pizzas. With wings, get creative with new flavor profiles and unique spins on this classic appetizer.”
Especially in winter, consumers are looking for both indulgent stuffed crust pizza and health-forward cauliflower pizza crust. In the summer, more creative pizzas are popular, like Hawaiian, barbecue and Buffalo pizza.1
Amp Up Your Pizza and App Menus with These Tasty Recipes
Make Sandwiches Shine During Peak Season
Whether getting creative with chicken sandwiches or going big and bold on burgers, you can hit the peak sales season at certain times of the year.
As shown above, there’s plenty of time to get in on the seasonal sandwich trend. But, while there’s a common misconception that consumers want to eat burgers away from home in the summer, burgers’ biggest months are actually from January to May.3 So, that’s the best time to get creative with seasonal LTOs, enticing promotions and special offers. In the summer months from May through August, burger sales tend to dip, which is likely due to consumers grilling more at home for summer holidays and occasions.3
Sandwiches, on the other hand, continue to peak throughout the summer. And it’s a good idea to start menu planning in November and roll out new menu items, LTOs and promotional items in March and April when breaded chicken sandwiches peak.3 Chicken sandwiches and the sandwich category as a whole also over-index in sales March through June,3 so use this time to attract customers with your seasonal offerings.
Shake Things Up with New Sandwich LTOs
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Sources
- Datassential, Seasonality, February 2023
- Technomic Consumer Trend Reports – US Pizza, March 2022
- CREST, Circana Service Mode Seasonality, September 2023
