Salads are often a light, summery meal option, but the Wendy's Harvest Chicken Salad looks to change this perception to offer consumers a more appropriately flavored option to enjoy when the weather gets chilly.
The salad is made with a portion of sliced grilled chicken, diced green and red apples dried cranberries, brown sugar walnuts, applewood smoked bacon, feta cheese and an apple cider vinaigrette dressing. The flavor profile of the salad mixes richer notes with heartier ingredients to offer consumers a way to enjoy a lighter meal option that is more in line with their diet preferences for healthier recipes and dishes.
The Wendy's Harvest Chicken Salad is available now at participating locations nationwide for a limited time only.
Autumnal QSR Salads
The Wendy's Harvest Chicken Salad Has Seasonal Flavors
Trend Themes
1. Seasonal QSR Salads - There is an opportunity for quick-service restaurants to offer seasonal salads with unique flavors and ingredients to attract consumers looking for healthier meal options throughout the year.
2. Heartier Salad Options - By offering salads with heartier ingredients, fast-food chains can disrupt the perception that salads are only for summer and cater to consumers' desire for lighter, healthier meal options year-round.
3. Fruit and Nut Salads - Fruit and nut salads are a growing trend that offers consumers a healthier, more filling meal option, creating an opportunity for quick-service restaurants to add unique fruit and nut combinations to their menus.
Industry Implications
1. Quick-service Restaurants - Quick-service restaurants can take advantage of the trend towards healthier meal options and disrupt the perception of salads being a light summer dish by offering seasonal, heartier, fruit and nut combinations.
2. Food and Beverage - The growing trend of heartier and fruit and nut salads creates opportunities for companies in the food and beverage industry to develop new and unique ingredients for creation and consumption.
3. Agriculture and Farming - The demand for unique fruit and nut combinations for heartier salads creates opportunities for the farming and agriculture industries to develop and supply these ingredients to the food and beverage industry.