Snack Attack

The next big thing on menus is actually quite small. Petite portions are proliferating as consumer eating occasions and restaurant-convenience store hybrids continue to blur the lines of foodservice, expanding the snacking category in the process. Now, any time of day—not just the traditional afternoon or late-night bite—presents an opportunity for snack activation. Snacking fills the void when cravings strike or when petite portions are desired. The possibilities are vast and can entail customized, made-to-order bites; housemade, pre-packaged options; or altogether new menu classifications and meal periods.

As the category grows, consumers will expect their snacks to work harder. A strong value proposition is non-negotiable: The inherently smaller size of these “meals” must match the price and convenience they offer. Taking it a step further, modern snacks should feature flavor variety, sampling opportunities that can easily align with a person’s food mood. Chefs are answering the call by taking a curated approach that ensures something small still tastes and delivers big.

Here, we outline five snacking strategies, spanning appetizers, bar snacks, to-go eats, smaller versions of full plates and in-between meal noshing. Beyond their formatting, these approaches address a variety of consumer needs beyond satiating hunger, from tailoring portions to offering functional eating options to fulfilling a specific food desire.

1Classic Meets Contemporary

Retro options represent an ideal platform for snackable spins, especially when they tap contemporary flavor systems. This approach sets the stage for fresh food moments, proving that mainstream snacking need not be ordinary.

Bow & Arrow, in Auburn, Ala., serves snackable happy-hour appetizers, including fries with a new interpretation on the street corn craze. The Helotes Street Fries combine chopped pork, street corn mayo, Cotija, jalapeños and cilantro for flavorsome flair. The restaurant also serves Goat Cheese Guacamole, an indulgent yet elevated spin on the classic avocado-based dip. Meanwhile, Midwest-born eatertainment chain Chicken N Pickle goes small with its Mini Monday special: a trio of sliders available in Show Me Burger, NKC Hot Chicken or Country Fried Chicken.

Nostalgic snacking occasions have played an important role in TGI Fridays’ turnaround efforts. Last summer, the brand partnered with television network TBS for its Flavor Show Summer Menu, including items like the TBS Trio, which features a base of fries topped with tots, boneless wings and sliders. TGI Fridays also updated its mozzarella sticks with flavors including Frank’s RedHot Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan and Whiskey Glaze—sauced directly onto the sticks or as side dips.

Steakhouses, generally revered for their hefty portions, are getting in on the action, too. Within Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille locations, Bar 79 puts a bite-sized spin on heartier fare, with options including Perry’s Famous Skewered Pork Chop Bites, Steak & Tater Totter Bites and BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Cedar Plank Shrimp.

Sweet snacks easily open the door for operators to create a “Wow!” moment, giving guests a fun wink and a nod of permission to partake in a little self-indulgence. Recently, Crumbl incorporated a prominent beverage trend into its weekly lineup of rotating cookies and desserts, with the Dirty Soda Tres Leches Cake: a small chocolate soda cake soaked in a dirty soda tres leches sauce, topped with housemade coconut-lime whipped cream and a fresh lime slice. It can also be ordered in a Mini 3-Pack, which includes a Shirley Temple Cookie and Chocolate Cola Brownie.

2Health-Conscious Noshing

Credit: Seattle Mariners

Ballpark bites take a healthier turn at the Seattle Mariners T-Mobile Park, where offerings include the Copper River 3-Piece Salmon and Chips, served with Ivar’s signature tartar sauce atop a ferry boat carrier.

Current healthful snacking routines mirror overall dining preferences: Consumers want high-quality bites that don’t sacrifice taste but still leave them feeling good about what they’re eating. The focus need not be specific to wellness, as we live in a food world where “healthy-ish” counts just as much as healthful and can vary from person to person, day to day. Small bites containing more better-for-you ingredients and fewer not-so-good ones align well with the growing interest in functional foods. Operations with a broad snacking menu mix can fit these evolving and somewhat subjective options into their repertoire.

Demonstrating the importance of a multipronged approach to meet shifting consumer expectations, American Airlines refreshed its F&B offerings in May with a new Inflight Snack Box. Trend-forward premium snack bites include gochujang beef jerky, lemon-rosemary green olives, honey-roasted cashews, smoked Gouda cheese spread and a chocolate-cherry granola bar.

The Seattle Mariners T-Mobile Park demonstrates how national ballparks can cater to diverse, health-conscious fans with a variety of better-for-you options. Ivar’s Copper River 3-Piece Salmon and Chips is a fresh, Pacific Northwest treasure, while Lil’ Dumpers are a bite-sized standout, featuring steamed pork soup dumplings. An updated Ube Coconut Rice Krispie from Marination brings vitamin C and antioxidants into an iconic snack. But the park’s most unusual top-selling snack is almost certainly Chapulines, courtesy of Poquitos. These toasted grasshoppers are seasoned with chile-lime salt, delivering a gluten-free, high-protein, no-carb snack—with a fun, social dare factor that fans can embrace.

3Go Small, Go Global

This approach creates a culinary playground for innovation. Unique snacks paired with trending global flavors or novel culinary creations align with diners desiring an enhanced snacking experience. Such offerings will deeply resonate when they transport taste buds to a global destination, add unexpected or playful ingredients, showcase a clever pairing, or deliver pint-sized, over-the-top extravagances.

The Las Vegas location of Bazaar By José Andrés dazzles the imagination via a curated menu of Little Snacks, featuring the likes of José’s Taco, with jamón Ibérico de bellota, osetra caviar, gold leaf and nori, as well as the Honey, I Shrunk the Elote, with baby corn, Cotija cheese, popcorn powder, Tajín and Spanish-style aïoli. The small theme is carried over into Little Sandwiches with an unexpected carrier in the chic Bagel and Lox, with smoked salmon, cream cheese and pickled onions on air bread.

Bombay Bistro, in Rockville, Md., exemplifies why Indian cuisine, including its snacking potential, should be on chain restaurants’ R&D radar. The bistro serves up a trendy, bite-sized starter of Pani Puri Shots with chickpeas, mango powder and tamarind water.

4Micro-Dining Occasions

Credit: Renwick Hospitality Group

In New York, Lulla elevates snacking with its Aperitivo Box, featuring Italian-inspired nibbles like housemade focaccia, spiced nuts and fingerling potatoes with pistachio romesco.

Creative culinary executions of smaller portions provide guests with fresh ways to experience the menu and try new flavors. Plus, these options can be tailored to a single guest or to a larger group wanting to share in the bounty. Taking a future-facing approach, operators could use snacking as a way to convert high-end, intimate micro-dining into a more casual, budget-friendly and accessible experience. Under this hybrid model, restaurants would essentially create their version of a chef’s counter, serving small plates/bites but without the fuss.

In New York City, Le Petit Village offers five small bites and accompanying drinks designed for lingering and social interaction during its “l’apéro” from 4 to 6 p.m. The restaurant also embraces a smaller mantra at brunch where guests can choose individual half-plate portions or go for a full brunch tasting of avocado toast, smoked salmon tartine, ratatouille shakshuka and brioche French toast.

Also in the Big Apple, Lulla makes snackable sampling from across the menu more intimate through its aperitivo hour. The signature Aperitivo Box features an alluring selection of Italian delicacies for two, filled with the likes of housemade focaccia, spiced nuts with oregano and Aleppo pepper, meatballs with herbed mascarpone and pecorino Romano, and crispy fingerling potatoes with pistachio romesco. Guests can pair their box with a drink to complete the experience.

The Cheesecake Factory stays relevant amid shifting diner preferences via a versatile approach to smaller portions. In addition to traditionally sized appetizers, its Bites platform delights with petite handhelds like Baked Brie with Truffle-Honey Butter, showcasing warm bread and Brie cheese drizzled with truffle-honey butter and served with housemade orange marmalade. The Small Plates & Snacks section delivers contemporary flavors like Korean Fried Cauliflower, featuring crispy cauliflower tossed with sweet and spicy sauce, toasted sesame seeds and green onion.

5Lessons From C-Stores

As the increase of on-the-go snacking propels innovation, all operators should draw inspiration from the competitive edge which convenience stores hold. C-stores have become a trusted, daily destination for snacking, thanks to their inherently flexible approach to addressing consumer needs and tastes.

Category leader Sheetz demonstrates the power of crushing cravings 24/7/365 with its customizable Premium Sampler. Patrons select three out of nine appetizers (such as Cheesy Bacon Broccoli Bitez and Fried Pork Stickerz), then add a shake-on seasoning (like Ranch Dust and Cajun Kick), and finally two dips from a lineup of 17, with options including Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce and Buffalo Garlic Blitz.

Rutter’s, another mid-Atlantic convenience store chain, boasts an extensive menu, including plenty of smaller options, like breakfast sliders, hashbrown wraps, bite-sized Philly cheesesteak “travellers” and Buffalo chicken egg rolls. But the Build-Your-Own Walking Taco may be the pièce de résistance. Customers select their protein from more than a dozen options, including classics and comfort flavors like taco meat and pepperoni to more premium options, including chile con carne and crab cake. It’s all served in a nacho or corn chip bag for an easy-to-tote taco on the classic taco.