LTOs: the Good, the Bad, the Hungry

There’s nothing as satisfying as pulling up to a fast food drive-thru and knowing that you’re about to get your favorite limited time menu item. Inversely, there’s also nothing as devastating as the employee informing you via headset that your favorite item has once again gone away. It’s one thing for a sit-down restaurant to rotate meals based on seasonal produce, but why do fast food restaurants have the gall to give and take fan favorite items for seemingly no reason?

Some of these decisions are definitely less sinister than others. I can understand an Autumn pumpkin spice latte, or a Winter gingerbread coffee. Items that don’t have a seasonal correlation are where I draw the line though. Taco Bell, listen up. Nacho Fries belong in my stomach every day of the year.

Why do restaurants repeat limited time offers for the same items? Why deny us the items at all if we know that they will randomly return? Unfortunately, there are several reasons.

Seasonal Circulation

Many limited time offers (or LTOs) do follow seasonal trends, like the flavors mentioned prior or the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake that reemerges each year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. These foods and beverages lean into the holidays, and the traditional flavors that accompany them. We’re probably more likely to order a Candy Cane Chill Blizzard from Dairy Queen when we’re in the Christmas spirit near the holiday itself rather than on a random day in Spring. Some items are sold simply because they are more likely to sell a high quantity depending on the time of the year.

While it’s sometimes disappointing to lose access to items such as these, we at least have the peace of mind that comes with knowing when these items will return (most of the time). The same cannot be said for restaurants like Taco Bell, who hand us our Mexican Pizza or Nacho Fries and then rob us of them a month later.

Marketing Strategies

One major function of LTOs, which should come as no surprise, is to drive sales as a marketing strategy. LTOs can increase both engagement and profit in a number of ways.

For starters, new customers may be drawn in by special offers. This is true for limited menu items, as well as exclusive discounts or secret menu items. Unique offers generate excitement toward the company, and can peak the interest of curious new buyers. (I personally fall for this every time a fast food restaurant advertises new breakfast items, so stay tuned for a future article where I rate fast food breakfasts from worst to best.)

LTOs can also pull in returning customers who have tried the item in the past and waited for its return. The knowledge that the item will again disappear creates a sense of urgency. Some restaurants push the idea of scarcity with details in their advertisements such as “while supplies last,” putting pressure on us to purchase the item quickly or risk missing out.

Their sales go up as we buy the limited item, but also as we order other items alongside it. The limited time item gets us to the restaurant (for example, the Nacho Fries), but the rest of our order (large Baja Blast, Black Bean Quesarito) is profit that wouldn’t be possible if we had not shown up for the LTO.

More Trouble Than The Item Is Worth

Some LTOs are only worth the time or cost of a limited window to drive sales. An item may take too long to make to be worth keeping on the menu. Alternatively, the ingredients may be too costly to sustain the item other than a brief period where it generates larger sales due to its scarcity. For items that are inconvenient in one way or another, there’s much less reason to keep them around--especially when doing so would take away the selling power of the LTO.

More Trouble Than I’m Worth?

The reasons behind LTOs make sense. I can’t deny their effectiveness when I fall for this marketing strategy regularly. That doesn’t mean I have to like it though. What about my needs, Dairy Queen? What if it’s always Nacho Fries season in my book, Taco Bell? What if I never bought another LTO, entirely out of spite, huh?

That being said, as of today, Taco Bell’s beloved nacho fries are back on the menu for a limited time! I’ve already had some for lunch. Get ‘em while you can! They definitely won’t stick around for long.