There is a constant tension in the world between specialization and diversification. On the one hand it's good to focus tightly on one particular thing, and get so good at it that no one else can hold a candle to you. On the other hand, we relish and admire the person or place that has a wide portfolio, that can handle or create multiples of things to a standard that is more than simply passable. We say we want the first, but the convenience of the second makes that an attractive package.
You see this often in the restaurant world. Establishments gain followings and notoriety for their focus on one particular dish or cuisine. It might be their homemade pasta or their Buffalo wings, their fried chicken or their Greek salad, their turkey club or their filet mignon. Word gets out, and they become THE destination for that dish. After all, to be the go-to spot for a burger, spaghetti with meat sauce, or ham and cheese omelet is no small thing.
But rarely do those places decide to simply rest on their laurels. Seeking to leverage their popularity they branch out and add other options outside their area of expertise. While it would be nice if that new outing was also home run, the hope is that it will be at least a step above adequate, offering variety and perhaps attract its own following. Come for the onion rings, but while you're here give the tuna salad a try.
That's the idea behind Little Blue Menu, a special brand created by fast food restaurant Chik-fil-A. That establishment has grown since its founding in 1967 to become the third largest restaurant chain in the US by systemwide sales, despite having fewer locations than Sonic Drive-In or Papa John's, and while being closed on Sundays. While the average McDonald's generates about $3.7 million annually in sales, the average Chik-fil-A takes in $8.7 million. That's a lot of chicken.
And it is mostly chicken. The chain has built a passionate customer base on that protein, the consumption of which has increased in the US over the last 10 years by about 23%. Sure, their customer service wins rave reviews, and their waffle fries and milkshakes get high marks, but it's all about their signature hand-breaded chicken sandwich. To be sure they've added variations on that, including spicy and nugget versions, even a grilled filet to tap into the healthier eating trend. A sampling of online posts: "It's consistently a good chicken sandwich." "The chicken is AMAZING." "One of the few places where the chicken sandwich isn't a frozen hockey puck." Or perhaps the most pointed: "At the end of the day Chick-fil-A is just a fast food chicken sandwich. However, it's the best fast food chicken sandwich."
That kind of customer response is the stuff that dreams are made of. And so the idea behind Little Blue Menu (so named because in 1946 at The Dwarf Grill, founder Truett Cathy's first establishment, new menu items were printed on a blue menu) is to leverage that enthusiasm and push the envelope. The embodiment of the concept is in the test store opened late last year in College Park MD, as well as a single food truck in Athens GA. One wonders if they chose those locations because they are both college towns where the students can be expected to try almost anything.
According to their web site, at Little Blue Menu you can get Chik-fil-A favorites along with "whatever we cook up next." At College Park that includes wings, which kinda of makes sense as a line extension and considering their expertise in poultry. But you can also get a burger, somewhat counterintuitive from the chain whose marketing catch phrase is "Eat Mor Chikin." And in March they introduced 6 varieties of pizza. Four are in more traditional flavors (cheese, pepperoni and such) even as there is nothing remotely Italian about the firm's culinary expertise. And for the two that do use chicken as a topping, one adds pickles as a garnish, while the other has buffalo sauce, ranch dressing and lemon-pepper seasoning.
Speaking as a pizza lover, and without having actually tasted any of them, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that it doesn't make a whole of lot of gastronomic sense. Full disclosure: I am a pie purist, and find Hawaiian pizza a crime against nature. But in this case it's more about pedigree. If I want chicken, maybe I'll come to you. If I want pizza, well, there are many other options from those who know better than to add a kosher dill on top.
The mistake here is in thinking that the ability to go deep also means you can go wide. There is no shame in doing one thing very well; in fact, most can't even claim that accomplishment. So if you can, recognize that fact and lean into it. Or as summed up in "One Trick Pony" by Paul Simon: "He makes it look so easy, it looks so clean, he moves like God's immaculate machine. He's got one trick to last a lifetime, but that's all a pony needs, yeah, that's all he needs."
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Marc Wollin of Bedford still likes a simple McDonald's cheeseburger. Something about the pickle. His column appears weekly via email and online http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/ and https://marcwollin.substack.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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