The Pretzel Bun Trend: From Extravagant to Fast Food

If you’ve been out to eat recently you’ve probably noticed an increasingly popular trend in the substitution of traditional bread buns for the “new” and delicious pretzel bun. Fast food on whole is what’s considered a “trailing indicator” of fashion, which means it’s one of the last things in line to  catch on to any particular trend. 

Pretzel buns were all the rage in extravagant culinary kitchens and foodie circles four or so years ago. Celebrity chefs and luxury diners and kitchens across the world carried them as a staple of their menu. Highly celebrated and richly enjoyed, the pretzel bun has finally made its way into the last bits of culture at large. From Wendy’s and Sonic to your local gas stations, pretzel options are now readily available at a wide variety of food service venues, and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere.  Jumping on these sorts of trends, after all, is vital in the fast paced market of restaurant business.

Bolstering Your Menu By Jumping On Po?Pular Trends Is Sound Business

Sonic, for instance, has a projected sales increase in its hot dog sales of 15 to 25%! Pretzel buns are viewed by customers as a premium option; it makes them feel as if they get more value added to their meal experience.  Because of its background, to those outside of culinary circles a pretzel bun screams gourmet, even when it’s simply wrapped around a standard hot dog. The idea of the warm, soft, salted bread complimenting the main meat of the entrée makes it seem more extravagant, when in reality, the cost involved in the production of pretzel buns is comparable to other bread items. Because of its perceived value, slight increases in price are easily permissible, which in turn adds to the feeling of value and gourmet experience that those dining out may have.

If you are looking to capitalize on this fad, there are certain things to keep in mind. Many of the larger distributors have cheapened the production of such buns, and have largely divorced them of their gourmet origins, making them softer and unsalted and more comparable to traditional buns. On whole customers view these at a lower perceived value than traditional hard salted pretzel buns. Likewise, you should avoid pre-salted buns, as the salt often wreaks havoc on the bread in shipment.  On whole, if you seek to provide this option to your customers and get in on this trend, you’ll want to look into frozen dough that can be prepared early in the mornings and held throughout the day. This gives you the best of both worlds as the buns maintain a gourmet perception while still being relatively inexpensive to supply.

Bolster Your Menu And Strengthen Your Customer Base With Pretzel Buns

As you can see, pretzel buns are a neat and interesting way to bolster any menu. If you are interested in jumping on this particular bandwagon at your restaurant, you will likely find it is a relatively inexpensive way to strengthen your menu and increase the value of your service for your customers!