Web Exclusive: Sizzler Dishes Comfort the Masses
In times of trouble, Sizzler markets tried-and-true comfort foods and classic fare.
By David Farkas, Senior Editor -- Chain Leader, 4/1/2008
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Sizzler USA is beefing up its standard menu with new dishes, which the company describes as “comfort foods with a twist.” Meatloaf is currently in test in 19 California restaurants. |
From its Web site, you might get the impression that Sizzler USA operates a chain of vaguely upscale restaurants. A bottle of Chardonnay sits strategically behind a plate of salmon in one photo. Another shot shows a yummy-looking skewer of grilled and seasoned shrimp.
That’s the idea--at least for limited-time offers. Featuring classic dishes as LTOs in conjunction with its core menu of comfort foods, Sizzler hopes to boost traffic and sales in a tough economic environment that has hit casual dining particularly hard.
Classic Chow
“[Limited-time offers] are great sales builders if you have the media weight and clout behind it,” says Michael Brannigan, vice president of marketing for the budget-steak chain, well-known for protein-rich entrees. Getting clout is proving problematic in California for a spot-TV buyer like Sizzler. Political ads, which have dibs on time slots if campaigns pay full price, have forced him to ramp up freestanding inserts, direct mail and community newspaper efforts.
“It is challenging buying media,” says Brannigan, adding that more than half of the system’s 232 units are in California.
Sizzler’s latest LTO relies on classic dishes such as Crab Crusted Salmon with Grilled Shrimp, $12.99, served with the familiar: rice, tartar sauce and clarified butter. Shrimp also shows up in Pea Spring Salad, $3.99, another LTO.
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A brand study revealed that Sizzler’s customers want easily recognizable fare. Chicken and biscuits, now in test stores, fits the bill, company officials say. |
Beyond Basic
When it comes to menu basics, Sizzler’s plan is to stick to its knitting. “We’re going to market with the next level of comfort foods, which we have spent a lot of time evolving,” declares Brannigan. A recent brand study that Sizzler did showed that customers desired “simple, classic yet familiar products with a twist,” he says.
To that end, the chain is now testing several such dishes in 19 company and franchise outlets. They include meatloaf, pot roast, and chicken and biscuits. Prices range between $6.99 and $8.99, less than most entrees on Sizzler’s menu. Portions, however, are smaller.
The “twist“ is the sauces, rubs and toppings that customers typically wouldn’t use if they were making these otherwise familiar dishes at home, Brannigan says.
Sizzler’s basic menu nonetheless remains a bastion of comfort food. Like the entrees being tested, core items—such as the $10.49 Fisherman’s Platter, with battered and fried cod, fried shrimp and breaded clam strips, and the $11.49 Sizzlin’ Onion Stack Steak, an 8-ounce steak on grilled onions topped with deep-fried onions--are designed to appeal to the masses, a customer base the chain has fed since its founding 50 years ago in Culver City, Calif., where the company is still headquartered.
“Our brand statement is we are a great place for great American meals every day of the week,” declares Brannigan.
Guest Counts Drop
Today, the working-class and fixed-income crowd that make up the base is hurting, stung by rising mortgages, gas prices and job loss. Guest counts at Sizzler have sunk 3 percent this year, notably on weekends. “We are feeling it Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights,” he says. “It’s not that they don’t love us. They don’t have the money to go out right now.”
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Pot roast, an American favorite, is among the promising menu items that Sizzler USA is now testing in California. |
Sizzler is hardly alone. In a recent national survey conducted by Chicago-based market research firm Technomic Inc., 77 percent of consumers gave “less money to spend on ‘extras’” as the reason for fewer visits to both quick-service and full-service restaurants.
Although Brannigan says chains should continually innovate, positioning themselves for the economy’s inevitable upswing, he cannot quite justify such actions at Sizzler. “I just think at this time, classic, familiar products that people are very comfortable with are the great sales drivers, at least for us,” he says.
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