Aboutfour of every ten meals eaten in restaurants are entrees, either Centerof the Plate or Prepared Entrees.  The distinguishing feature ofPrepared Entrees is the integration of all primary ingredients(protein, carbo and veggie) into a single entrée rather than an entréewith three components.  Another characteristic that identifiesPrepared Entrees is suitability to advance preparation or purchasing ina fully prepared state.  In the absence of a large proteinportion, Prepared Entrees also lend themselves to freezing/chilling,days and weeks in advance.  Additionally, Prepared Entrees do notcontain any chilled veggies (tomatoes, lettuce, others), because thesedo not hold up under cooking or chilling stresses.. Prepared Entreesthat appear most frequently on menus are chili, burritos, spaghetti,stir-fried entrees, fajitas and macaroni & cheese.  Pizza is a type of Prepared Entrée, however, Pizza isconsidered an individual menu part because of its large category size.

 

New Menu Additions in 2003

Hundreds of  Prepared Entrees were added to chain menus in 2003, such as the following:

Restaurant/Chain	Prepared Entrée Menu item	Menu Price
California Pizza Kitchen	Kids’ Fusilli Alfredo	$4.99
Dailey Grill	Chicken Chili & Beans	$9.25
Lark Creek Inn	Gorgonzola Souffle	$10.75
Bubba Gump Shrimp	Bayou Scampi	$13.99
Clubhouse	Vodka Pasta	$9.95
Noodles	Wok Seared Lo Mein	$9.95
Smokey Bones	Brunswick Stew	$3.77
Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse	Broccoli & Mushroom on Pasta	$11.95
Timber Lodge Steakhouse	Little Moose Mac & Cheese	$3.99

 

Leading Prepared Entrees (ranked left to right by menu incidence)

• Top Ten
  Chili with Beef, Chili, Burrito with Beef, Stir-Fried Chicken Entrée, Spaghetti, Spaghetti with Meatballs, Chicken Fajitas, Steak Fajita, Burrito with Chicken, Macaroni & Cheese
  
  
• Second Ten
  Meat Lasagna, Fettuccini Alfredo, Chicken Pot Pie, Enchilada with Beef, Ravioli, Vegetarian Dinner, Chicken Burrito, Steak Stir Fry, Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken Burrito
  
  
• Third Ten
  Enchilada with Chicken, Thai Chicken Entrée, Cheese Ravioli, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Chicken Quesadilla, Liver & Onions, Veal Parmigiana, Angel Hair Pasta, Mostaccioli, Eggplant Parmigiana
  
  
• Fourth Ten
  Curry Chicken, Thai Veggie Entrée, Linguini with Clams, Eggplant Entrée, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Chicken Alfredo, Burrito with Beans (only), Pasta with Italian Sausage, Fried Rice
  
  
• Fifth Ten
  Fettuccini with Chicken, Fried Rice with Shrimp, Shrimp Fajita Dinner, Spaghetti Marinara, Kids’ Spaghetti Dinner, Chicken Marsala, Pasta Primavera, Shrimp Alfredo Pasta, Chicken & Pasta, Beef Broccoli Asian Entrée
• Sixth Ten
  Veal Marsala, Penne Pasta, Seafood Gumbo, Thai Beef & Veggie Entrée, Sweet & Sour Pork, Chile Relleno, Chow Mein, Beef Tamale, Curry Shrimp, Cajun Shrimp & Pasta
• Seventh Ten
  Enchilada with Cheese, Lasagna with Italian Meats/Sausage, Pad Thai Noodles, Sweet & Sour Chicken Entrée, Enchilada with Veggies, Stir Fried Shrimp, Stir Fried Veggies, Grilled Chicken Pasta, Cheese Quesadilla, Manicotti with Cheese

 

 

Growth of Prepared Entrees

 

Centerof the Plate Entrees are growing in menu incidence relative to PreparedEntrees, however, the volume share changes are not reliablyavailable.   Currently, Center of the Plate Entrees make up63.9% of hot entrees versus Prepared Entrees with a 36.1% share.

Hot Entree Menu Incidence	1997	2003	Change
Center of the Plate	60.6%	63.9%	+3.3 pts.
Prepared Entree	39.4%	36.1%	-3.3 pts.

 

Ona wider scope, the menu trend for the nine Menu Parts shows activity insandwiches (up 1.1 menu incidence points), pizza (+0.5 pts.) andappetizers (+0.4 pts.).  It bears repeating that this trend is nota reflection of volume, but an indication of menu placement.  Thedata below from the FlavorTrak® menu database does not include desserts or beverages or breakfast items.

Menu Part Trends	2003	Change vs. ‘97
Center of the Plate	25.8%	+0.4 pts.
Prepared Entree	14.6%	-1.9 pts.
Sandwich	14.4%	+1.1 pts.
Appetizer	12.2%	+0.4 pts.
Salad	9.0%	N/C
Side Dish	8.8%	-0.4 pts.
Hamburger/Hot Dog	5.9%	-0.3 pts.
Pizza	5.5%	+0.5 pts.
Soup	3.8%	+0.2 pts.
Total:	100.0%
Base # menu items in 2003	24,327

 

Casual Chains Most Likely To Menu

PrepareEntrees are most likely to be found on the menus of CasualChains.  Prepared Entrees account for 17.2% of all items on casualchain menus (not counting beverages, desserts or breakfast).  A vast majority of casual chains (87%) menu prepared entrees andthis is up from 1997.  The average (median) number of preparedentrees on the menu ranges from an average of 9 in casual chains downto 2 in QSR chains.  However, some chains menu more preparedentrees, sometimes 20 or 30.

Market Sector:	Casual Chains	Midscale Chains	QSR Chains	Cutting Edge
Prep. Entrée %:	17.2%	10.7%	9.3%	17.1%
Other Items Share:	82.8%	89.3%	90.7%	82.9%
Incidence 2003:	87%	83%	52%	90%
Incidence 1997:	85%	80%	50%	89%
# Items 2003:	9	5	3	5
# Items 1997:	9	5	2	6
Menus in Sample:	170	128	157	121

 

  Leading Cuisines

Italian,which accounts for 34% of all prepared entrees, is the leading preparedentrée cuisine.  Mexican (20% of items), Chinese (9%),American-Traditional (7%), Thai (4%), Southwestern (4%), Cajun/Creole(3%) and Japanese (3%) are other leading cuisines of prepared entrée.

Cooking Methods

Sauteed/Stir-Fried/SkilletFried is the preferred cooking method (for 27% of all preparedentrees); Simmered/Slow Cooked/Stewed (26%), Grilled (14%) andRoast/Bake (13%) are other leading methods.

Carbos

Pastais the leading carbo in prepared entrees.  At 48% of total carbosin prepared entrees, Pasta is way ahead of Potatoes (7%) andsignificantly ahead of Rice (31% and Beans (14%).

Chicken vs. Beef

Chickenis leading Beef as the main protein found in prepared entrees. With 38% of total menu mentions, Chicken is ahead of Beef (32% share),Shrimp (14%), Pork (7%), Seafood (6%) and Finfish (3%).

Veggie Shares

PreparedEntrees usually include two or more veggies as componentingredients.  Menus mainly mention vegetables (39%) withoutspecifying the veggie type.  Tomatoes are listed as ingredients in22% of prepared entrees, followed by Mushrooms (21%), Onions (20%),Peppers (10%), Carrots (7%) and Eggplant (5%).  Note: sums togreater than 100% because of multiple mentions.

 

Prepared Entrees frequently include multiple liquid Flavor Enhancers 

 

Cooking Saucesare used on 79% of prepared entrees.  Leading items are MarinaraSauce, Alfredo Sauce, Salsa, Italian Meat Sauce, Tomato Sauce, ChiliSauce, Meat Sauce, Enchilada Sauce and more than 240 others.

Condimentsare used on 20% of prepared entrees.  Leading items are Guacamole,Sour Cream, Pico de Gallo, Salsa, Ketchup, Sweet & Sour Sauce,Mayonnaise, Fresh Fruit Relish, Balsamic Vinegar, Ranchero Sauce,Tartar Sauce and over 300 other condiments.

Dressingsare used on 18% of prepared entrees.  Leading items are Pico deGallo, Salsa, House Dressing, Olive Oil, Caesar Dressing, RanchDressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Guacamole Dressing, Italian Dressing,Lemon Dressing, Poblano Dressing and others.

Dipping Saucesare used on 9% of prepared entrees.  Leading items are Guacamole,Sour Cream, Pico de Gallo, Salsa, Chutney, Marinara Sauce, OysterSauce, Cocktail Sauce, Drawn Butter, Plum Sauce, Chile con Carne, Sweet& Sour Sauce and over 100 others.

Marinadesare used on 8% of prepared entrees.  Leading items are FajitaSpices Marinade, Mexican Garlic Marinade, Teriyaki Marinade, CoconutMilk Marinade, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lime Marinade, Lemon Marinade,Garlic & Basil, Mesquite Marinade and over 20 others.

Glazesare used on 3% of prepared entrees.  Leading items are TeriyakiGlaze, Barbecue Sauce, White Wine, Soy Sauce Glaze, Olive Oil, DemiGlace, Honey, Butter Glaze, Cajun Spices Glaze, Ginger & OrangeGlaze and over 30 others.

Leading Seasoningsare: Italian Spices, Mexican Spices, Fajita Spices, Garlic, Italianherbs, Oriental Seasonings, Chili Pepper, Cajun Seasonings, Basil,Chili Powder, Cilantro, Ginger, Mesquite and others.

Leading Cheeses are: Parmesan, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Colby, Feta, Romano, Goat Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Asiago and other.