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QSR Magazine: More Restaurants Are Turning to Outside-the-Box Cheeses to Boost Profits
Move over American Cheese—diners are looking for more adventurous flavors.
Americans love cheese. So much so, in fact, that the average U.S. consumer eats 23 pounds a year—that’s way more than the occasional cheese dip. In 1970, that number was about eight pounds.
Restaurants are taking note. Today, some 90 percent of limited-service restaurants mention cheese on their menus. And it’s not just familiar varieties like Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan and American making an appearance. There’s Feta, Cotija, Asiago and more.
According to QSR Magazine, more and more restaurants are specifying the type of cheese being used in their menu items. Rather than labeling something as simply Cheddar, operators are qualifying with words like sharp, jack or white. Instead of blue cheese, menus mention Gorgonzola or Roquefort. Even the cheesemaker may be mentioned.
“Restaurants are trying to make more clear what the cheese is that they’re using and where it’s from,” said Claire Conaghan, senior account manager at Datassential, to QSR Magazine. “The descriptors for cheese have become more important. People are more adventurous than they were even five years ago.”
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
