Spicy and Hot Sensations have been infiltrating menus for a long time now.  We find them under the guise of sauces, glazes, coatings, seasonings and even marinades, dressings and cheeses.  All heat on the menu traces back to fresh on the vine pepper plants.  Fresh Peppers may be found on four of five (79%) restaurant menus and they keep growing at a rate of one to two incidence points per year.

Menu Incidence for Peppers

Key Market Sectors

Virtually all restaurant chains (85%) and independents (83%) integrate peppers into their creations.  On average, chains use peppers in 8 or 9 entrees.  Institutional use of Peppers is relatively soft with 53% incidence, however, the range swings from 75% incidence in colleges and B&I to 65% in hospitals to 35% in nursing homes on down to  20% in schools.

Items Per Operator Menuing

Long Term Growth

For the last 14 years MenuMine from Foodservice Research Institute has been tracking menus from 1,477 foodservice restaurant chains, independents and on site feeders.  The MenuMine online database reports that 9.7% of savory items on restaurant menus use fresh or prepared/packaged peppers.

New Items

The case is even better for new items.  While 9.7% of all items use peppers, 10.6% of all new items (introduced in 2009, 2008 or 2007) use peppers.  Most important of all is the fact that one of every three menu items with fresh pepper was introduced to the menu in the last three years.

Limited Time Offers with Peppers

• Culver’s: Spicy Chipotle Curds as an LTO in September, 2009
• Marie Callender’s:  Kickin’ Chicken Salad as an LTO in March, 2009
• Red Robin: Burnin’ Love Burger as an LTO in March, 2009
• Q’doba: Pork Chile Verde as an LTO in March, 2009
• Taco Bell: Chipotle Steak Fully Loaded Taco Salad as an LTO in April, 2009
• Weinerschnitzel: Angus Chipotle with Chili Dog as an LTO in May, 2009
• Charley’s Steakery: Chipotle Chicken Sandwich as an LTO in May, 2009

Where to Find Peppers on the Menu

Other (8%) places to find peppers include side dishes, cold appetizers, soup, breakfast sandwiches, prepared salad and hot dogs/sausages.

Varieties of Peppers (ranked left to right and down by usage)