Nontraditional cheesesteaks, seasonally named salads and cinnamon roll dessert mashups were three trends that emerged among the top-ranked limited-time offers in January.

That’s according to Technomic Ignite Menu data in which consumers rated 250 recently launched LTOs. Those surveyed were asked to rank the items for purchase intent, uniqueness, craveability and draw after reading the menu descriptions.

Respondents gave high scores to several cheesesteak variations, including a Kimchi Cheesesteak that taps into the popularity of Korean flavors. At Charleys Cheesesteaks, the sandwich features USDA Choice steak marinated in Korean barbecue sauce with sauteed onions, peppers, spicy kimchi and provolone cheese, all served on a toasted roll. After reading that description, 73% of consumers said they were likely to visit Charleys to try the cheesesteak.

Following the same trend but in a smaller package are the Philly Cheesesteak Bites at Rally’s. These enclose the core ingredients of beef, grilled onions, grilled peppers and melted cheese in a crisp bite-sized shell.

The Chicken Florentine Cheesesteak at P.J. Whelihan’s Pub & Restaurant got high marks for craveability. It’s made with thinly sliced chicken, sauteed kale, roasted tomatoes, pepper jack cheese and garlic aioli in a garlic butter-toasted bun. Here, kale stands in for the spinach that usually identifies a dish as Florentine.

Salads with the word “winter” in their name were also consumer favorites. Carrabba’s Italian Grill offered a chef-driven Winter Pomegranate Salad with Sea Scallops, which 70% of respondents found unique. Along with the wood-grilled scallops, the salad included pecans, pomegranate arils, pickled onions and Gorgonzola cheese, tossed with lettuces in a pomegranate vinaigrette.

The Winter Orchard Salad at P.J. Whelihan’s also benefitted from a seasonal name, with 69% of consumers saying they would visit the casual-dining restaurant to try it. The salad layers baby kale in an apple cider dressing with grilled chicken, roasted butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, dried cherries, crumbled goat cheese and candied pecans.

The third trend revolved around cinnamon rolls as a dessert ingredient rather than a stand-alone treat. Cracker Barrel introduced a Cinnamon Roll Pie—cinnamon rolls baked into a pie crust and drizzled with sweet cream cheese icing. This appealed to 62% of consumers, who tagged it “unique.”

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse incorporated cinnamon rolls into its signature Pizookie dessert. It has a base of four fresh-baked cinnamon rolls coated in homemade cream cheese icing, then topped with vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled with hot caramel sauce—a description that appealed to 67% of consumers. And 65% craved the Oreo Cookie Cinnamon Bun Shake at Wienerschnitzel. It’s a blend of soft-serve with cinnamon bun syrup and Oreos.

Source: Patricia Cobe, Restaurant Business