Why restaurant chains are pushing so many new menu items

Why are restaurant chains introducing so many limited-time offers?This week’s episode of the restaurant finance podcast A Deeper Dive features Katie Belflower, manager of menu research and insights with Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. This is part of a series of podcasts we recorded during the recently concluded National Restaurant Association Show.We wanted to talk with Belflower about the shocking number of limited-time offers, or LTOs, restaurant chains have been pushing recently. The industry introduced a record number of LTOs last year, and she helps explain why. We talk about the impact social media is having on restaurants’ need for more innovation and whether weak traffic is forcing more companies to push new items. But we also talk about the risks associated with so many LTOs.And we also talk a bit about menu pricing.We’re talking limited-time offers on A Deeper Dive so check it out.