When it comes to restaurant value offerings right now, it’s not a question of how low can you go. It’s a matter of how attention-grabbing and creative can you get?
I’m pretty sure every third email in my inbox this week has been a restaurant brand pitching a new meal deal of some kind.
On Thursday, Taco Bell announced the test of its new Luxe Value Menu in Indianapolis, featuring “premium innovations and classic innovations,” all for $3 or less.
Taco Bell is billing the offerings as an “evolution” of its Cravings Value Menu, with a test lineup that features a Mini Taco Salad (a new item with seasoned beef, Chipotle Sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and refried beans in a crispy tortilla bowl); Chipotle Ranch Chicken Stacker (grilled chicken, Avocado Ranch Sauce, Chipotle Sauce, three-cheese blend, lettuce and tomatoes); Beefy Potato Loaded Griller (grilled roll-up with seasoned beef, crispy potatoes, nacho cheese sauce, Chipotle Sauce and reduced-fat sour cream); Chips and Nacho Supreme Dip (layers of seasoned beef, beans, Nacho cheese sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, pico de gallo and three-cheese blend, served with tortilla chips); and Salted Caramel Churros (churros dusted in salted caramel sugar).
It's all part of the Irvine, California-based fast-food brand’s “evolving value story,” the chain said.
Clearly, it’s a story a lot of restaurant brands are telling right now as cash-strapped consumers pull back on dining out.
To wit, some of the more creative value offers to hit my inbox recently:
- Planet Hollywood New York wants to party like it’s 1991. That’s the year the chain's Times Square location debuted. So, it’s traveling back to the era of “City Slickers,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with 1991 prices. Some examples: A Turkey Burger for $7.95, double-decker Hollywood Club for $8.95 and Margherita Pasta for $9.95.
- To mark what is traditionally the hottest week of the year, Brazilian chain Fogo de Chão will sell $1 Caipirinhas from Monday through July 25.
- Drive-thru beverage chain 7 Brew is also marking the hot weather with its Chiller Nights promotion, also running from Monday through July 25th. Visitors can score buy one, get one free on eight Frozen Chillers (blended drinks with flavors like Funnel Cake, White Mac Mocha and Blondie Coffee).
- Taco John’s is celebrating being named Best Fast-Food Taco in America in a USA Today survey by offering its award-winning Taco Bravo for $1 (about a third of the usual price) on July 30.
- Fast casual Newk’s Eatery launched a limited-time Pick 3 menu of mix-and-match sandwiches, soups, salads, mac & cheese and more. New to the lineup is a 6-ounce sirloin steak served in a Steakhouse Salad and Steak “Q” Sandwich. The deal sells for $12.99.
- And fast casual California Tortilla is riding the wave of the return of “Shark Week.” (Who knew that was still a thing?) Starting Wednesday, customers who buy a Fish Taco get a free Shark Fin Hat. And those who are brave enough to wear the hat back to a restaurant before the end of the month can score a free Fish Taco with any purchase. Can’t make it in? Model the hat on any social media platform, tag the restaurant and get a free taco added to your rewards account.
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