Pickles Surge on Social as Burgers Break Out of the Bun

Pickle-flavored items and burger mashups are garnering some of the highest Uniqueness ratings over the past 12 months in Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform, according to the firm’s Unique & Unexpected LTOs report.

Pickle appears on 46% of U.S. restaurant menus, up 6% over the past four years, according to Datassential Menu Trends. The flavor has also generated more than 80 million social media engagements over the past 12 months, according to Datassential’s Social Listening platform. 

The report encourages operators to “get creative with pickles and pickle flavor,” including sweet-meets-savory pairings.

Sixty-eight percent of consumers found Smoothie King’s Grillo’s Pickles Smoothie Unique, as it featured Grillo’s pickles, bananas, a kiwi-apple juice blend, electrolyte blend, coconut water, and organic kale. Del Taco’s Fried Pickle Taco matched that Uniqueness score and 57% of consumers additionally say they would visit the chain just to get that item. McDonald’s Dill Pickle McShaker Fries also had 66% of consumers thinking it’s Unique.

Pickles cross-utilization potential, ranging from smoothies to tacos to fries, lines up with what consumers say they want from LTOs generally: 77% want new or unique flavors, and another 77% want new twists on a familiar dish, Datassential’s LTOs report found. 

Burgers are also being leveraged by operators as flavor inspiration, rather than a fixed bun-and-patty build. For instance, Applebee’s Bacon Cheeseburger Wonton Taco mashes up Chinese and Mexican concepts. It showcases seasoned ground beef, melted cheddar cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, pickles, and a drizzle of spicy honey mustard in a wonton taco shell and earned a Superstar rating with a composite score of 87 and a 64% Uniqueness score in Datassential Launches & Ratings.

Miller’s Ale House also offered a Skillet Queso Bacon Cheeseburger featuring a cheeseburger cut in half and served in a skillet of chorizo and pico queso, which 64% of consumers found Unique. Farmer Boys, additionally, demonstrated how to put a spin on burger buns with its Parm-Crusted 1/2LB Burger that showcased two never-frozen patties, bacon, and hand-smashed avocado on a parmesan-crusted sourdough bun. Sixty-five percent of consumers found this concept Unique.