Posts Tagged ‘menu compliance’

Menu Labeling Compliance: Qdoba Case Study

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qdoba2In this post, I’ll expand on the topic of menu labeling with a particularly relevant case study of one of our clients, Qdoba. Qdoba called on Synq Solutions to handle the printing, kitting, and fulfillment for the January 2010 promotion of their new ‘Craft 2′ and enhanced Kids Menu rollouts. The new Craft 2 menu displays a variety of smaller portion entrees for customers to choose from, with a number of combinations that are 600 calories or less. Qdoba also caters to health-conscious customers by offering a nutritional calculator on their website.

Qdoba’s requirements to present caloric information as well as the varying menu options and price points presented a complex production and fulfillment challenge. To prepare for the Craft 2 and Kids Menu rollout, Synq navigated through the variable data for the pricing and caloric requirements specific to the new menu offerings. In order to accurately account for menu variations within approximately 500 Qdoba locations, our system created over 3,000 unique print-ready files. Our intelligent profiling incorporated every variation imaginable, from price points, caloric information, nutritional verbiage and beverage options. Another challenge was the unique menu board and merchandising hardware per location (33 different sizes needed to be produced to accommodate the various hardware).

Synq’s unique Intelligent Profiling solution captured all of the individual store attributes and allowed Qdoba to rollout the Craft 2 and Kids Menu promotion successfully and within compliance to the various regulations specific to each locale, state, and city.

National Menu Labeling Legislation

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*image from Center For Science in the Public Interest

With a national standard for menu labeling and supporting legislation up in the air due to the uncertainty surrounding the status of the health reform bill, several local jurisdictions are forging ahead with previously enacted legislation of their own.

For example, Philadelphia is requiring that nutrition information be disclosed on menu boards, and is fining chain restaurants $150 for violations of the city’s new menu law that requires caloric content be posted. Additionally, by April 1st, Philadelphia will require that menus disclose information on saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, and sodium. Other states and jurisdictions have enacted similar menu labeling ordinances, including New York City, Maine, Massachusetts, Nashville, TN, Oregon, and Maryland.

Needless to say, we’re hoping that the federal standards will be implemented before more states and localities are forced to launch countless varieties of requirements. In the meantime, the patchwork of local menu labeling standards doesn’t have to slow down marketing processes. Just as POP, menu boards, take-out menus, and brochures can all be tailored to the respective restaurant’s unique needs (including products offered, pricing, location information, and physical layout), so can required nutritional information.

I’d like to hear from you: how is your brand or organization handling the challenges of menu labeling and nutrition compliance?