Smoothie King’s Flatbread Lesson: Why Hand-Held Food Is the Next Growth Platform

 

Smoothie King may have started with smoothies, but its latest sales performance demonstrates something much bigger about the American foodservice consumer: beverages are food, flatbreads are food, and hand-held foods are increasingly becoming the format for how America eats.

The Dallas-based chain reported 9% same-store sales growth in July, with its new Chicken Flatbreads identified as one of the important contributors. Launched in June, the toasted flatbreads combine grilled chicken, tomatoes, cheese and a choice of chipotle, ranch or pesto sauce.

That is more than a menu extension.

It is a strategic recognition that consumers don't necessarily think in traditional restaurant menu categories. They think about what they want to eat, when they want to eat it, how portable it is and whether it fits their lifestyle.

And that is where the Hand Held Food opportunity becomes particularly interesting.

The Hand Held Food Economy Is Bigger Than Most Restaurant Operators Think

I have long argued that the food industry needs to stop defining "food" too narrowly.

A smoothie consumed as a meal replacement is food.

A breakfast sandwich is food.

A burrito is food.

A taco is food.

A pizza slice is food.

A chicken flatbread is food.

And increasingly, consumers expect all of these foods to work across multiple dayparts and locations.

There is no authoritative industry dataset that categorizes every U.S. meal specifically as "hand-held." That distinction matters because burgers, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, burritos, pizza and other portable foods are tracked in different restaurant and foodservice categories.

But the available data clearly demonstrate the scale of the opportunity.

Technomic consumer research has found that 32% of restaurant consumers in the U.S. and Canada order sandwiches and related handhelds at least once every 90 days.

That is not a niche behavior.

It is mainstream foodservice behavior.

And when handheld foods are combined with the broader universe of pizza, burgers, tacos, burritos, wraps, breakfast sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and other portable foods, the potential occasion base becomes enormous.

The Bigger Story: Americans Are Eating Away From the Table

The hand-held food opportunity is being amplified by another major structural change: where meals are consumed.

The National Restaurant Association reports that nearly 75% of restaurant traffic now occurs off-premises. In other words, approximately three out of every four restaurant orders are consumed somewhere other than inside the restaurant.

That fundamentally changes what a restaurant should design food to do.

Food that travels well has an advantage.

Food that can be eaten without a knife and fork has an advantage.

Food that fits into a vehicle cupholder, lunch break, commute, office, school schedule or living-room environment has an advantage.

And food that combines portability + craveability + value + speed has an even greater advantage.

The National Restaurant Association reports that 42% of U.S. adults use a restaurant drive-thru at least weekly, while 47% pick up takeout at least weekly and 37% order delivery weekly.

Those numbers tell restaurant operators something important:

The restaurant is no longer necessarily the place where the meal is eaten. It is increasingly the place where the meal is acquired.

The Drive-Thru Makes Hand Held Food Even More Important

Revenue Management Solutions reported that drive-thru orders represented approximately 65% of total QSR orders in 2025, down from the extraordinary 83% level reached in 2020.

Even after that normalization, 65% is a staggering number.

Think about the operational implication.

If roughly two-thirds of QSR orders can flow through a drive-thru, then restaurants should be designing more of their menus around foods that:

·       travel well;

·       remain appealing for the duration of the trip;

·       can be consumed conveniently;

·       don't require traditional tableware;

·       fit into today's fragmented dayparts; and

·       encourage add-on purchases.

This is precisely where beverages and flatbreads become strategically interesting.

Smoothies have always been portable.

Now Smoothie King is making the food component portable, too.

That creates the possibility of a two-handed or one-hand-plus-beverage meal occasion rather than a beverage-only visit.

That is a powerful distinction.

And What About Dine-In?

Dine-in has not disappeared. Far from it.

But the balance has changed.

The National Restaurant Association's data show that off-premises now represents approximately three-quarters of restaurant traffic.

Technomic's beverage research illustrates the continuing importance of the restaurant itself: 61% of beverage sales still occur through dine-in, compared with 16% through takeout, 16% delivery and 7% drive-thru overall. Among operators that actually offer drive-thru service, drive-thru's share of beverage sales rises to 28%.

That is a critical distinction.

Consumers still want the restaurant experience.

But they increasingly want restaurant-quality food that works wherever they happen to be.

The winning restaurant doesn't have to choose between dine-in and off-premise.

It needs food designed to perform in both.

Pizza Has Been a Hand Held Food All Along

Perhaps the industry's greatest example of hand-held food hiding in plain sight is pizza.

Pizza can be eaten with a knife and fork.

But American pizza culture has always made another behavior equally important: pick up a slice and eat it with your hands.

The USDA's Food Surveys Research Group reports that approximately 11% of the U.S. population consumed pizza on any given day in its more recent prepandemic analysis. More than half of pizza consumed was obtained from restaurants, while approximately one-quarter came from grocery stores.

An earlier FSRG analysis found an even higher estimate of approximately 13% of Americans consuming pizza on a given day, depending on the survey period and methodology.

That means pizza is not simply a restaurant category.

It is a highly portable food format that crosses:

Restaurant → Takeout → Delivery → Grocery → Convenience → Home

That is the Grocerant lesson.

The consumer doesn't care which channel owns the food.

The consumer cares whether the food satisfies the occasion.

Flatbread Is Pizza's More Flexible Cousin

This is why Smoothie King's Chicken Flatbread deserves more attention than simply being called a "new menu item."

Flatbread provides many of the attributes consumers already understand about pizza while giving operators greater flexibility around portion size, toppings, proteins, sauces and dayparts.

Chicken, tomatoes, cheese and sauce can create a familiar flavor architecture.

But the flatbread can be positioned as:

lunch, dinner, snack, post-workout food, afternoon fuel or an accompaniment to a beverage.

That flexibility is enormously valuable.

And because the product is hand-held, it can potentially move with the consumer.

That matters in a foodservice environment where convenience is no longer an amenity.

Convenience is part of the product.

Smoothie King Is Showing What Menu Expansion Can Really Mean

Smoothie King ended 2025 with 1,242 units, according to the information supplied in the company's release, and Technomic data cited in the release put 2025 sales at approximately $791 million.

The chain also says it has grown its store count 76% over the past decade, added 34 units since the beginning of 2026 and added 47 new store commitments to its development pipeline.

The company is also expanding its operational capabilities.

It rolled out ovens across its approximately 1,250-unit system at no cost to franchisees to support the new food platform.

That is important.

This isn't simply adding another SKU to a menu board.

It is adding food-production capability to a beverage-led restaurant system.

And the July same-store sales result suggests consumers may be responding.

Competitor Tropical Smoothie Cafe demonstrates the other side of the equation. Technomic data cited in the release show approximately $1.5 billion in 2025 sales and 1,659 units, with food playing a much larger role in its overall proposition.

That comparison should get the attention of every beverage-led chain.

The question isn't whether beverages can sell food. The question is how much more frequently consumers will visit when beverages and food solve the occasion together.

Consumer First. Menu Second.

This is where I believe too many restaurant companies get the strategy backward.

They ask:

"What food can we add?"

The better question is:

"What does our consumer need from us that we aren't currently providing?"

That is a dramatically different approach.

If the consumer wants a breakfast that can be eaten in the car, build around portability.

If the consumer wants a post-workout meal, build around protein and satiety.

If the consumer wants an afternoon snack, build around portion size and beverage pairing.

If the consumer wants dinner without sitting down, build around portable meal bundles.

If the consumer wants restaurant food at home, design for takeout and delivery quality.

The consumer should determine the menu architecture—not the other way around.

And that is why Smoothie King's flatbread move is strategically significant.

The company is taking something it already owns—the beverage occasion—and adding a portable food occasion around it.

That is food-channel blurring in action.

Three Insights From the Grocerant Guru®

1. Stop Separating Beverages From Food

Consumers don't necessarily see a smoothie, sandwich, flatbread or pizza slice as separate categories. They see something to consume that satisfies an occasion. Operators that merchandise beverages and food as complementary components of a meal can increase relevance, frequency and check potential.

2. Make the Menu Travel

With nearly 75% of restaurant traffic occurring off-premises, portability should be treated as a product attribute, not merely a packaging decision.

Hand-held foods are particularly well positioned for the mobile consumer because the food itself becomes compatible with the consumer's lifestyle.

3. Follow the Consumer, Not the Restaurant Category

The most important question for every restaurant brand is no longer "What category are we in?"

It is:

"What consumer occasion can we own next?"

Smoothie King is demonstrating the opportunity. A beverage brand can become a meal brand. A flatbread can become a snack, lunch or dinner. Pizza can move from pizzeria to grocery to convenience. And restaurants can become foodservice platforms rather than narrowly defined categories.

The future belongs to the brands that understand that the consumer doesn't live inside your menu category. The consumer lives in occasions—and the winning foodservice brands will follow them there.

That is the Grocerant Guru® perspective. Elevate Your Brand with Expert Insights

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With deep experience in restaurant operations, brand positioning, and strategic consulting, Steven provides valuable takeaways that inspire and drive results.

Visit GrocerantGuru.com or FoodserviceSolutions.US Call 1-253-759-7869

Mini Meals, Maximum Migration: Why Small Plates and Small Prices Are Rewiring Restaurant Success

 

The restaurant industry is in the middle of a quiet but profound reset. Consumers are no longer simply chasing “more food.” They are chasing more control, more flavor variety, more affordability, and more flexibility. That shift is fueling one of the most important menu transformations of 2024, 2025, and now 2026: the rise of Mini Meals, small plates, shareables, bites, and snackable dining occasions according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Consumers today are migrating toward restaurants and foodservice brands that understand one core reality: smaller meals at smaller prices drive frequency.

The old restaurant model was built around the center-of-the-plate entrée. The new model is increasingly built around multiple smaller flavor-forward experiences that consumers can mix, match, share, and personalize.

That is not just a menu trend. It is a consumer behavior revolution.

According to Technomic, “appetizers” now appear on 94% of restaurant menus, but operators are increasingly replacing the term with names like “small plates,” “shareables,” “starters,” and “bites.” Wings remain the most popular appetizer order at 16.8%, followed by cheese sticks and fried cheese appetizers at 15.3%.

What matters more than terminology, however, is why consumers are gravitating toward these offerings.

Three powerful forces are converging simultaneously:

·       Consumers want affordability.

·       Consumers want portion control.

·       Consumers want culinary adventure.

That trifecta is reshaping restaurant economics.

GLP-1 Drugs Are Accelerating Portion Disruption

The growth of GLP-1 weight-loss medications including Ozempic and Wegovy is fundamentally altering food consumption behavior across the United States.

Morgan Stanley research projected that GLP-1 adoption could materially reduce calorie consumption nationwide by the late 2020s. Restaurants are already responding. Consumers using these medications are ordering fewer full entrées, sharing meals more frequently, and increasingly choosing appetizer-centric dining.

But the shift is broader than GLP-1 users alone.

Inflation fatigue has consumers trading down from $22 entrées to combinations of smaller menu items that feel affordable while still delivering variety and satisfaction. Consumers are increasingly saying:

“I would rather have three interesting $8 items than one predictable $28 entrée.”

That behavioral change is especially pronounced among younger consumers.

Gen Z and Millennials Want Discovery, Not Just Dinner

Younger consumers increasingly view dining as an experience platform rather than simply a hunger solution. Small plates create social engagement, trial opportunities, and menu exploration without financial risk.

That is why chains leaning into globally inspired appetizers are outperforming those relying solely on legacy comfort-food entrées.

At Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, CEO Chris Simms noted that consumers are actively seeking affordability, smaller portions, and more variety. The company responded by dramatically expanding its small plates lineup with globally inspired offerings including Korean Fried Chicken Bao Buns, Chili Garlic Cucumbers, and Tikka Masala Meatballs.

These items accomplish several strategic objectives simultaneously:

·       Lower price points

·       Higher perceived culinary value

·       Increased trial

·       Increased beverage attachment

·       Increased visit frequency

That is a winning equation in 2026.

Flavor exploration has become one of the largest drivers of restaurant relevance. Consumers no longer need a passport to experience Korean, Indian, Brazilian, or Mediterranean flavors. They simply order two or three small plates.

The appetizer section has become the restaurant industry’s innovation laboratory.

Restaurants Are Borrowing From C-Stores and Grocerants

For years, the Grocerant Guru® has said that the future of food is “mix-and-match meal component marketing.”

Today’s winning operators understand that consumers increasingly build meals the same way they build streaming playlists: customized, flexible, and experience-driven.

Convenience stores learned this early.

Chains like 7-Eleven, Casey's, and Wawa succeeded by offering snackable, portable, lower-price food options that encouraged multiple daily purchase occasions.

Now casual dining is adopting similar behavioral mechanics.

At North Italia, guests are encouraged to order multiple small plates, pizzas, focaccia, salads, and pastas for sharing. Importantly, the restaurant’s 12-inch pizzas are intentionally positioned as starter-shareables rather than strictly entrées.

That repositioning matters.

Consumers perceive greater value when food is shareable and customizable. A table ordering four or five smaller items feels abundance without the psychological shock of four expensive entrées.

The result:

·       Higher guest satisfaction

·       Higher perceived value

·       Higher beverage sales

·       Higher social engagement

·       Higher frequency

Happy Hour Is Becoming a Traffic Engine Again

The resurgence of appetizer-focused dining is also reigniting Happy Hour.

For years, many restaurant chains de-emphasized bar food innovation. That was a mistake.

Today’s consumers increasingly seek “micro occasions”:

·       After-work bites

·       Pre-event snacks

·       Late-afternoon social dining

·       Mini indulgences

·       Affordable group outings

That plays directly into appetizer-driven menus.

At Fogo de Chão, the Bar Fogo concept offers Brazilian-inspired small plates and cocktails priced between $6 and $10. These smaller purchases reduce consumer hesitation while increasing traffic opportunities throughout the day.

The restaurant industry is rediscovering a critical truth:
Consumers may not purchase a $65 dinner twice a week, but they may absolutely purchase two $9 bites and a cocktail multiple times weekly.

Frequency beats ticket size over time.

Seafood Towers, Snack Boards, and Shareables Signal “Affordable Luxury”

Even upscale casual chains are leaning heavily into shareable formats.

At Legal Sea Foods, the new Starter Sampler Tower gives groups of four to six consumers a premium-feeling experience at roughly $10 per person.

Consumers increasingly crave affordable luxury rather than traditional luxury.

That distinction is critical.

Shareable samplers, charcuterie boards, seafood towers, and globally inspired snack flights allow consumers to feel indulgent without committing to premium entrée pricing.

In many ways, the modern appetizer category has become the new center of the plate.

Why Small Meals Are Winning in 2026

Several broader macroeconomic realities are fueling the Mini Meal movement:

1. Inflation Has Permanently Changed Value Perception

Consumers remain cautious even as inflation moderates. Smaller purchases feel safer psychologically.

2. Consumers Snack More Frequently

Circana research continues to show that consumers increasingly replace traditional meals with multiple snacking occasions throughout the day.

3. Households Are Smaller

Single-person and two-person households now dominate U.S. household composition. Smaller households naturally align with flexible smaller-portioned dining.

4. Consumers Want Variety

One entrée limits exploration. Three small plates create engagement and entertainment.

5. Beverage Attachment Rates Increase

Appetizers and small plates often drive incremental alcohol and specialty beverage purchases.

That combination creates a compelling profitability model for operators.

The Grocerant Guru® Perspective

Restaurants that continue focusing primarily on oversized entrées and high-ticket dining are increasingly misaligned with modern consumer behavior.

Consumers today want:

·       Flexibility

·       Exploration

·       Affordability

·       Portion control

·       Social dining

·       Incremental indulgence

Mini Meals deliver all six.

The smartest operators are not merely shrinking portions. They are redesigning the dining experience around frequency, discovery, and affordability.

That is where customer migration is headed.

And the brands that master small meals with big flavor will own disproportionate traffic growth in the years ahead.

Three Insights From The Grocerant Guru®

1.       Small price points reduce consumer resistance and increase visit frequency.
Consumers who hesitate at a $28 entrée often willingly purchase two $8-$10 items multiple times per month.

2.       The appetizer category is now the restaurant industry’s innovation engine.
Global flavors, limited-time offers, and culinary experimentation increasingly begin in small plates because consumers perceive less financial risk.

3.       The future of foodservice belongs to customizable mix-and-match dining.
Consumers increasingly want meals built around flexibility, portability, sharing, and personalized experiences rather than traditional entrée structures.

Let’s Build a Partnership for Growth

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