Menu Trend to Watch: Melts
By Aimee Harvey on Nov. 14, 2017CHICAGO -- With grilled cheese sandwiches up 10% year over year on convenience-store menus, and upstart, gourmet grilled cheese restaurant chains on the rise, hot, indulgent, cheese-heavy sandwiches are all the rage across foodservice channels. Enter the latest variation on the trend: melts.
Beyond simple constructions of the classic grilled cheese, melt sandwiches piled high with different proteins, spreads, sauces and melted cheese are increasingly appearing on both c-store and restaurant menus.
What's driving the growth of this trend? Seasonal appeal plays a role, as colder weather often drives comfort food cravings, and toasted cheese-topped sandwiches speak to comfort, particularly when paired with chilis and soups. Additionally, while developing a range of melts requires some investment in toasting equipment, it doesn't necessarily require additional SKUs, since cross-utilization of ingredients allows for creation of melts on the menu.
Take a look at seven popular melts on the menu at c-stores, including brand-new options that rolled out this month ...
1. 7-Eleven
7-Eleven, Irving, Texas, first debuted a range of melts and has steadily added to the line ever since, expanding the selection to include breakfast melts. Varieties include hot and cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch, Steak & Cheese, Double Bacon Cheddar and an Egg & Cheese Melt with sausage or bacon.
2. Sheetz
Sheetz, Altoona, Pa., offers a slew of melt sandwiches on its extensive Meltz menu. Varieties include Turkey, Bacon, Chicken Salad, Cold Cut, Pulled Pork, Pepperoni, Italian, Tuna Salad, Steak, Grilled Chicken, Ham and Club.
3. Cumberland Farms
Cumberland Farms, Framingham, Mass., recently rolled out a new line of melts. Now available for grab-and-go in the warmer, the line includes Turkey, Ham & Cheese, Cuban, Three Cheese and Thick-Cut Bacon varieties.
4. QuickChek
QuickChek, Whitehouse Station, N.J., is marketing its Signature Grilled Cheese this month, paired with a small "clean-label" soup or chili for a special price of $2.
5. Kwik Trip
La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc. is promoting $2.99 melts this month. Its Chicken Tenders Melt features breaded chicken tenderloins topped with melted cheese, while its Angus Steak Melt tops Angus steak with melted Swiss cheese.
6. Turkey Hill Minit Markets
Turkey Hill Minit Markets offers a Melt 'N Go sandwich program, including an Italian Melt with provolone cheese melted atop ham, salami, pepperoni and a muffaletta spread on a telera roll. There's also a Chicken Philly Melt described as "a takeoff on a traditional Philly." The melt features a hoagie roll loaded with peppers, onions, chicken breast strips and melted American cheese.
7. Nice 'N Easy Grocery Shoppes
Nice 'N Easy Grocery Shoppes in Upstate New York offer eight different specialty melts, as well as a build-your-own melt option. In addition to Grilled Cheese, Tuna, Ham & Cheese, Philly Steak, Turkey Club and Classic Reuben melts, two standout offerings include the State Fair Sausage Melt—with Italian sausage, peppers, onions and the customer's choice of melted cheese on sourdough bread—and the Two-Alarm Turkey Melt—a spicy melt with provolone cheese, jalapeno-cheddar cheese spread, turkey and roasted red peppers.
Nice 'N Easy is part of San Antonio-based CST Brands, which was purchased by Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard.
BONUS: Pie Five
As reported by our colleagues at Restaurant Business, fast-casual chain Pie Five is adding a line of toasted sandwich melts to its menu.
Consumers will now have the choice of four sandwich options: Loaded Italian, Chicken Club, Buffalo Chicken and Ham & Cheese. The sandwiches, which are available for dine in and delivery, are currently offered at 60% of Pie Five’s locations. The chain plans to make the sandwiches available systemwide by mid-2018.
“Chef-driven menu additions, delivery and online ordering initiatives are all part of our Pie Five concept refinement process,” said CEO Scott Crane. “After conducting an extensive amount of consumer research, we found that guests would like to have a lighter option, in addition to our salads, when they dine in or order Pie Five delivery. From there, our talented chefs and franchisees worked together to create these four tasty sandwich melts that are just like pizzas but they’re sandwiches. Now, you can meet everyone’s cravings with even more innovative items to choose from.”