Food Management: Beef 'O'Brady's Drives Sales with Appetizers Menu

Operators are seeing that the beginning of meals are becoming just as important, if not more, than the main course. In a recent article by Food Management, restaurant experts said that not only do consumers enjoy starting their meals with small portions of chicken, pork or other proteins, but that appetizers can also drive impulse sales and increase brand loyalty.

Shareable plates are a great way to get consumers to try new items and allow brands to pack more bold flavors in bite-sized food experiences.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has been expanding its appetizer menu over the past two years by adding new items like Hand Breaded Chicken Tenders, Buffalo Chicken Dip and BBQ Chicken Flatbread. CEO of Beef 'O'Brady's Chris Elliott said that shareable plates are a big hit for their consumer base.

“One of the things we discovered was that we had a shareable appetizer on the menu, and it was the most expensive appetizer, but it was the one we sold the most,” Elliott told Food Management. “Our environment is primarily family and sports oriented so a few people come in by themselves, but mostly it’s large parties of people, which makes appetizers a much easier sell.”