First Watch, a popular breakfast chain, takes pride in its seasonal menu development process, which involves a meticulous 18-month timeline to create, develop, and procure ingredients for its seasonal menus. The chain’s culinary, marketing, and supply chain teams work together to create innovative dishes that keep customers engaged and excited about new offerings.
The process begins with the teams visiting independent restaurants to gauge flavor trends and determine the best time to buy specific ingredients. This market research helps First Watch stay ahead of culinary trends and ensures that their seasonal menus are always fresh and exciting. The seasonal menu typically consists of five items, including entrees and a juice, allowing the chain to experiment with new culinary trends while still offering their core menu favorites.
Matt Eisenacher, First Watch’s chief brand officer, emphasizes the importance of evolving and pushing the limits with seasonal menus, while maintaining the consistency of the core menu. This balance between innovation and tradition helps First Watch attract new and existing customers, especially during times of market fluctuations like soaring egg prices.
Shane Schaibly, senior vice president of culinary strategy at First Watch, explains that while the core menu remains steady with popular items like bacon and eggs, the seasonal menu serves as a platform for culinary adventure and experimentation. The seasonal menu development cadence, initiated by Schaibly, involves creating and testing new dishes over a three-month period to ensure they meet the chain’s high standards of quality and taste.
The culinary team at First Watch starts the menu development process by brainstorming different dishes, drawing inspiration from current cuisine trends and successful past offerings. They carefully select 50 ideas, which are then narrowed down to 12 for further development and testing. This rigorous process ensures that only the best dishes make it to the final seasonal menu.
To stay ahead of culinary trends, Schaibly and Eisenacher go on culinary tours to independent restaurants, observing popular flavors and ideas that can be incorporated into First Watch’s seasonal menus. This proactive approach allows them to anticipate customer preferences and create unique offerings that set the chain apart from competitors.
Incorporating customer feedback and market trends into menu development, First Watch tests new menu items before launch to gauge customer reactions and ensure optimal quality. This testing pipeline allows the team to refine dishes and make adjustments based on customer preferences, ensuring that each seasonal menu item meets the chain’s standards of excellence.
Lilah Taha-Rippett, senior vice president of supply chain at First Watch, emphasizes the importance of constant communication and collaboration between the culinary, marketing, and supply chain teams. This collaborative approach enables the chain to strategically source ingredients, anticipate market trends, and plan for the opening of new restaurants while maintaining quality and consistency.
By carefully monitoring market trends and customer preferences, First Watch can make informed decisions about menu offerings and supply chain management. This strategic approach allows the chain to stay ahead of the competition, adapt to changing market conditions, and continue to delight customers with innovative seasonal menus.
In conclusion, First Watch’s commitment to culinary innovation, market research, and collaborative menu development processes sets it apart as a leader in the breakfast chain industry. By balancing tradition with experimentation and staying ahead of culinary trends, First Watch continues to attract and retain customers with its diverse and exciting seasonal menu offerings.
