Why You Need Loaded Fries on Your Menu

Loaded Fries: Menu Innovation

Restaurants are operating in a challenging environment, between a tight labour market, supply-chain disruptions, and a host of other cost pressures.

At the same time, menu innovation remains important to meet the demands of today’s consumers. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of consumers say they are looking forward to new food and beverage trends, and nearly a third of consumers (30%) identify as “foodies.”

Operators can keep their menus exciting by cross utilizing their existing ingredients to create fresh, new dishes without having to add a host of new ingredients to their inventory. Amid an environment in which efficiency is paramount, using ingredients that are already on hand can help contain costs and minimize reliance on new ingredient supply chains.

A Creative Comfort Food:

One way to capitalize on existing inventories is to offer a fresh take on one of your most popular and profitable menu items, fries. Fries make a versatile base for new topped & loaded dishes that can include regional flavours and ingredients, and appeal to today’s foodies. After all, 51% of consumers want more unique and interesting fry options.

Restaurants can consider taking some of the most popular dishes they currently have on the menu and adapting them to create loaded fries.

If you have, for example, a chicken Parmesan that's popular on your menu, or a specific pizza that has special toppings that are unique to you, you can take that and put it on fries.

Think of loaded fries as a “one, two, three” creation—with a protein, a cheese and a sauce. Operators can explore their existing inventories to find combinations of these three ingredients that work on top of French fries.

If an operator has a unique sauce created in-house, that’s all the better as it can be incorporated into a French fry dish that differentiates an operator from the competition, either as a topping for loaded fries or as a sauce for dipping. Mayonnaise can easily be modified with some seasonings to also create a great dipping sauce, like an aioli.

Buffalo chicken wings are an example of a dish that can be transformed into a loaded fry dish with strong visual appeal and good economics. To maintain portion control, we suggest putting less than a full order of wings atop a plate of fries, along with the sauce, ranch dressing or cheese, and thinly sliced carrots and celery that would routinely be served on the side.

The Rise of Loaded Fries:

Piled with everything from queso to kimchi, ‘Loaded’, or ‘Dirty’, Fries have gradually risen to reign supreme over many a menu. It’s been years in the making and now dirty is the deal, with most burger-heavy establishments pretty much guaranteed to champion a loaded fries option – or three. Shake Shack’s Crinkle-Cut Fries (smothered in their cheddar and American cheese sauce) are a signature side for the chain, Meatliquor have no less than five loaded fries options and Poptata’s whole offer is DIY Dirty fries.

Dirty fries take a simple side option and transforms it into a main event, perfect for sharing due to the larger portion sizes and, interestingly, they also tend to drive menu diversity. After a lifetime of (native) French fries as our favourite accompaniment (barring the sweet potato craze) loaded options are pulling in all sorts of fun from around the world. We’ve had the popularity of Poutine, a Canadian combination of chips, cheese curds and gravy, eaten Dirty Curry Fries at Turtle Bay and seen everything from pastrami to pickled seaweed to pulled jackfruit (often the vegan replacement for pork) gracing our spiralised spuds.  That’s not to say Britain isn’t bringing its best too, with lamb shoulder, roast chicken and even Marmite!

Loaded fries and loaded margins:

Canadian poutine, fries loaded with garlic cheese, truffle and Parmesan or bacon and cheese – there are as many exciting and tasty toppings available as your imagination allows. This appetising alliance between fries and other ingredients can turn your fries from a side dish into an exciting main event that offers lucrative opportunities for your restaurant. That’s because fries love to be the hero in a main dish and their relatively low price ensures they provide quite a margin. As long as you don’t load them with comparatively expensive toppings, your fries will turn into a mouth-watering, high-value dish!

Conclusion:

In conclusion, adding loaded fries to your menu is a smart move that taps into current consumer trends and operational efficiencies. These versatile dishes use existing ingredients, keeping costs low while offering unique and interesting options that attract "foodies" and casual diners alike.

Loaded fries transform a simple side into a shareable main event, driving menu diversity and enhancing visual appeal. With endless topping possibilities, they provide a platform for creativity and differentiation. Economically, they offer high margins, making them a profitable addition to your menu.

Ultimately, loaded fries are not just a trend but a valuable menu innovation that can elevate your dining experience and boost your bottom line.