Vol. XXV, No. 11, October 2025
- Editor's corner
- Young adults' time at entertainment and art venues is on the decline
- The rise of experience-driven businesses for new millennial families
- Who chooses alcohol as their "go-to drink" when dining out?
- Is Dave & Buster's "the canary in the coal mine" for older model LBEs?
- The emerging "living room family" trend
- Creating repeat attendance
- Offering elevated, more expensive menu items
Offering elevated, more expensive menu items
The location-based entertainment (LBE) industry can learn a lot by following the restaurant industry. One good example of an idea from the industry that LBEs could adopt is fast-casual Shake Shack's move into more elevated menu items that the chain calls the "democratization of fine dining". The concept allows customers to have accessible luxury dining experiences.
Shake Shack recently offered a Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake, its most expensive shake at $10, which sold out quickly. Building on the success of that shake, Shake Shack has launched its latest premium menu innovation, the new French Onion Soup Burger. The burger is a made-to-order quarter-pound beef patty topped with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, crispy sweet onions, and roasted garlic Parmesan aioli on a toasted potato bun. Like the Dubai shake, it's priced at a premium compared with the chain's other items at $10.99 and is a limited-time offering (LTO).
Shake Shak is not the only fast-casual chain offering premium-priced LTOs. Chipotle often offers higher-priced, premium beef options. Sweetgreen occasionally offers premium LTO items, as does Chick-fil-A.
Premium, limited-time offerings cater to customers interested in elevated fast-casual dining experiences.to opt into higher-priced items while the restaurant still maintains lower-priced regular menu prices. It can help drive repeat business as well as increase per-capita food and beverage spending. One study found that 81% of guests are more likely to visit during an LTO. Another study found that LTO premium main dishes increased per-party spending by $3.60 when compared to the period before their launch, showing that consumers are willing to spend on such menu items.
For LBEs where food and beverage is a significant share of revenues, premium food and beverage LTOs can drive attendance, especially repeat attendance, and entertainment revenues, as well as increase per capita food and beverage spending.
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Vol. XXV, No. 11, October 2025
- Editor's corner
- Young adults' time at entertainment and art venues is on the decline
- The rise of experience-driven businesses for new millennial families
- Who chooses alcohol as their "go-to drink" when dining out?
- Is Dave & Buster's "the canary in the coal mine" for older model LBEs?
- The emerging "living room family" trend
- Creating repeat attendance
- Offering elevated, more expensive menu items
