QSR March 2023

CH E F S & I NG R E D I EN T S / L I QU I D I N T E L L I G ENC E

amazing job describing our concept over the years, coined the term ‘unicorn casual,’ and what that means is we try to capture the best things of quick service and the best things of of fast casual and casual dining,” Schweitzer says. “Happy hour is one of those things that we wanted to grab from other sectors of the restaurant scene,

diners alike. It has also remained a key revenue driver, even in a post-COVID landscape. Late last year, XRG debuted new happy hour menus at its two f lagship concepts, Chevys Fresh Mex and El Torito. “This specific iteration of both happy hours is notable because we rarely make such extensive updates to the menu at once. These are com pletely new and innovative items,” Sharpe says. New offerings now account for about a third of the two dozen–plus options on the happy hour menu. These value-driven additions include $6 Potato Chorizo Taquitos, $8 Beef Birria Tacos, and $10 Shrimp Tacos Gobernador on the food side, as well as drink specials like $4 house wine and $8 Watermelon Candy Shots. Two of the most popular new items are the Mexican Pizza and the Margarita Flight, both clocking in at $10. Sharpe says classics like the Frozen Margarita at Chevys and Signature Mar garitas in fruit f lavors at El Torito “continue to be a main draw for our guests due to their con sistent affordability and quality.” For Sharpe and Krapp, happy hour’s vic torious return seems imminent. But from the

fast-casua l point of view, Schweitzer has a more measured opin ion. Since the pandemic, he’s seen fewer profes sionals and large groups at happy hour, but more young guests. Further more, he’s observed an increase in the down time stretch between the lunch and happy hour, with the former

and we thought that it could be a differentiator for us, given our full bar, given our service model, given our offerings.” During the pandemic, Hopdoddy, like many other establishments, stopped its happy hour. Now, plans are in the works to bring it back but with a fresh, new look. Schweitzer won’t go into much detail but explains that the brand is step ping outside its comfort zone. Guests should expect culinary innovation and speed of service to be at the forefront of the new program. “We’re going to do everything and anything we possibly can to ensure our bars are packed to the rafters. We want our bars to be so busy that we have to increase staff ing. We want there to be lines, and we want people handing drinks back to their friends behind them because peo ple are fighting for seats at the bar,” Schweitzer says. “Our goal is to be big and bold, to make a statement and put our stake in the ground. We’re going to have the best happy hour in the market and we want to be the local happy hour dining establishment of choice.” Back on the full-service side, Xperience Restau rant Group ( xrg ) is also reimagining happy hour. CEO Randy Sharpe says it’s one of the most pop ular dayparts, attracting both regulars and new

ending earlier and the latter beginning later. To address this, Hopdoddy is going to embrace overlap, so happy hour bleeds into dinner. The brand is also doubling down on service, which, Schweitzer predicts, has the potential to make or break the daypart. “People don’t want to look around for service; people just want it there right now, which is kind of why we want to pack our bars,” he says. “This younger generation is definitely a crowd of imme diacy. And it’s our notion that if people are having to think about wanting the next drink, we might have lost. So we’re going to try to cater our ser vice periods, our staffing levels, and our offerings to really combat that.” 

 XRG DEBUTED NEW HAPPY HOUR MENUS AT TWO OF ITS FLAGSHIP CONCEPTS LAST YEAR.

XPERIENCE RESTAURANT GROUP

20

INDUSTRY-WIDE ISSUE

MARCH 2023