Applebee's: Partnering for Better Health
Applebee's, the nation's largest casual dining chain, noticed that its guests were gravitating to the menu's more healthful options. Was it time for a bolder initiative?
The challenge: Wouldn't it be great if a guest could dine at any Applebee's and stick to the Weight Watchers plan? That was the provocative question that the dieting sister of an Applebee's executive posed, inadvertently launching a major new program at the 1,700-unit chain. Could Applebee's introduce Weight Watchers-approved items that guests would enjoy without feeling deprived or as if they were paying the same for less?
The solution: In mid-2004, Applebee's introduced its new Weight Watchers menu—10 selections, including appetizers, entrees and desserts, that met Weight Watchers guidelines. From onion soup au gratin to mesquite chicken salad to berry lemon cheesecake, the new dishes had rated at least as high as regular menu items in 60-plus restaurants in four test markets.
"We set out with one tenet," says Jim Doak, Applebee's executive director of menu development and innovation. "Above all, the food had to taste good and people had to want to come back and eat it again."
Convinced that its customers were looking for more healthful options, Applebee's partnered with Weight Watchers for the credibility this established organization conferred. "We liked their plan because it's science based and takes a balanced approach to eating," says Doak. "It helped us signal to folks that we were serious."
Meeting the Weight Watchers targets wasn't that difficult, says Doak. "We're culinarians," he says. "How do we continue to give big, bold flavors in the absence of lots of fat and salt? We use a lot of different dry seasonings and try to build flavor in every level of a dish."
The restaurant's grilled tilapia is first seasoned, then grilled—two layers of flavor, says Doak—and finally topped with a jalapeño-laced mango salsa. On the side: Steamed vegetables with lemon pepper seasoning and a full-flavored rice pilaf. "There's lots of flavor in all components of the dish," notes Doak.
Appetizers have proven more challenging. It's not easy to deliver an appetizer that feels abundant and like good value within the Weight Watchers calorie framework. Doak is working on it, but he says most Weight Watchers diners would rather have a dessert than an appetizer anyway. "Dessert is very important to the Weight Watchers consumer," says Doak. "It's a treat." In addition to the cheesecake, a chocolate raspberry layer cake meets Weight Watchers allowances. Applebee's executives are pleased with the initial response to the lean items, which eight to ten percent of customers are choosing. The winner by far is teriyaki shrimp skewers, grilled and served over rice pilaf with steamed vegetables. Not surprisingly, some guests have a Weight Watchers entrée and an indulgent dessert, says Doak, but that's their prerogative. "It's up to us to provide options," says the chef. "It allows them to change the way they eat, but it's not up to us to force them."