The fast-food industry is always raising the bar against its competitors working to find a unique angle that it offers consumers over the other fast-food restaurants.
Subway has made its name with its freshly baked bread and fresh ingredients for sandwiches. Taco Bell Yum Brands (YUM) serves up a variety of Mexican foods. Yum's Kentucky Fried Chicken is known for fried chicken that is finger licking good. Chipotle Mexican Grill offers fresh ingredients with made to order burritos.
The fast-food industry it always trying out new menu items to see what works with customers. Some of these new items tested in select markets make it to the permanent menu, and sometimes they are complete flops for one reason or another. KFC tried out the Famous Bowl Fill Up back in 2006 and the bowl made it to the permanent menu. The bowl offers a way for customers to mix and match their favorite flavors of the restaurants. The bowl includes well... chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, cheese and gravy.
Healthier Menu Items to Boost Competition
Taco Bell test marketed the Power Menu Bowl, and it made its debut to the menu nationwide in 2014. Essentially, Taco Bell had all the fixings and the bowl, it just needed a way to easily order it. The Power Menu Bowl is rice, chicken, beans, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and guacamole.
The Power Menu Bowl is a pretty direct competitive menu item to all of Chipotle’s menu. Chipotle offers fresh and healthy ingredients that allow customers to create their own food and accommodate diets like vegan, vegetarian, plant-based and gluten-free.
Subway is launching its own direct competitive option against fast-food ‘bowl’ Chipotle. It's a healthy competition as both restaurants serve a lot of health options, but Subway is taking a stab at the 'bowl' market.
Subway in Canada launched new Rice Bowls, with four different bowls available, and always customizable. The Crispy Chicken Bacon & Peppercorn Ranch Signature Rice Bowl serves up crispy chicken, Maplewood smoked bacon, shredded Monterey jack cheese over a bed of mixed seasoned brown, red, and wild rice. The bowl can be topped off with all the fresh veggies and a drizzle of the all-new peppercorn ranch dressing.
Subway is also offering the Green Goddess Veggie Signature Rice Bowl. The Green Goddess Veggie bowl is a blend of vegetables over seasoned brown, red and wild rice, topped with smashed avocado and the new tangy Green Goddess Dressing.
Something with a little more kick is the Southwest Steak and Avocado Signature Rice Bowl. This bowl comes with the seasoned brown rice, red and wild rice, fresh veggies and Canadian seasoned steak and smashed avocado and the Southwest Chipotle sauce and banana peppers.
For those with more of a sweet tooth, Subway offers the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Signature Rice Bowl. The bowl features the same mix of seasoned brown, red and wild rice with strips of teriyaki chicken topped with choice of veggies and drizzled with Sweet Onion sauce.
When It's Good It's Copied
Chipotle's Burrito Bowl builds a burrito sans tortilla, starting with protein: steak, chicken, carnitas, barbacoa, garlic guajillo steak, sofritas and veggie. Additional choices to add to the burrito bowl are white or brown rice and then black or pinto beans, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo-green chili salsa, tomatillo-red chili salsa, fajita veggies, romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, queso and sour cream.
When a business is successful and it can be duplicated, it will be. Taco Bell saw this from Chipotle years before Subway decided to add it to its menu.
