The Uncrustables Burger was described as “unhinged.” | Photo courtesy of Logan’s Roadhouse
When the supplier of Uncrustables presented Logan’s Roadhouse with the idea for a burger with PB&J sandwiches in place of buns, Senior Director of Culinary Luis Haro was a little skeptical.
It was fine, he thought, but not really a Roadhouse item.
“I was like, ‘How do I make this more relevant? … How do I make this unique?’” he said.
Haro experimented with deep-frying the sandwiches in beer batter, the same way Logan’s does its onion rings. He felt he was on to something. But the burger was still too sweet, so he created a garlic pickle aioli to add a savory element.
Logan’s doesn’t have a test kitchen, so he concocted the burger in one of its restaurants. When he thought he’d landed on a good final product, he presented it to the staff.
“Once we cut it up and everybody had a couple bites, it was great,” he said. “And when servers get excited and they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve never seen this. I can sell this,’ then you know you’re onto something, right?”
Logan’s has long been known for menu innovation, said Haro, a 30-year veteran of the brand. Its menu rotates seasonally, and it does three limited-time offers a year. Its use of mesquite wood to grill its steaks and other proteins also makes it unique among steakhouse concepts.
But recently, the chain has been taking its menu innovation to another level, rolling out a series of head-turning items like the Uncrustables Burger, a line of THC cocktails, and a “butter of the month” program with flavors like S’mores and Cinnamon Roll.
“We felt that, even though we do those three [LTOs], we still need to be more relevant in the marketplace,” Haro said. “How do we bring new guests, or how do we stay relevant in the news? By introducing these things that make people talk.”
The Uncrustables Burger — which the chain itself described as “unhinged” — certainly fits that bill. Haro just returned from The Flavor Experience, a culinary conference, and said he heard from many people who went out of their way to go to Logan’s and try the burger “to see how bad it was or how good it was.”
“I do think it has brought more people into the restaurant,” he said.
Unlike Logan’s usual LTOs, which have a set 12-week run, the Uncrustables Burger is available while supplies last, an idea Haro adapted from the quick-service industry. It launched in late June and has sold out in about a dozen of Logan’s nearly 100 corporate locations.
Haro saw another opportunity to push the envelope with THC cocktails, which debuted in June in 14 Texas locations. The hand-mixed drinks come in three flavors — Scarlet Haze, Pineapple Express and High Tide — and are made with Flora brand cannabis-infused spirits. Each contains 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC, and customers are limited to two apiece and aren’t allowed to order them alongside alcohol.
“It was like, ‘Hey, we have this opportunity. Nobody’s doing this in the marketplace, and we have the partner. Can we execute this?” Haro said.
Each drink contains 5 milligrams of THC. | Photo courtesy of Logan’s Roadhouse
The popularity of the beverages has depended on the location. Some stores will sell six a day, while others will sell just one or two. In some markets, it tends to be older customers who are interested in the drinks; in others, it’s a younger crowd.
The cocktails will remain on the menu in Texas indefinitely, though the company is keeping an eye on legislation that could ban THC-infused snacks and drinks, Haro said.
The chain brought together some more unusual menu items with its Great American Road Trip menu this summer, created to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. It draws on flavors and favorites from across the 21 states where Logan’s is located and includes Cedar Plank Chicken with Alabama White Sauce, Carolina Gold Fried Ribs, and NOLA BBQ Shrimp.
The best-selling item, though, comes from Logan’s home state of Texas: A ribeye topped with spicy butter and a roasted jalapeño.
“If you eat it with the butter, it’s pretty mild, but what drives the spiciness is really the jalapeño,” Haro said. “It’s kind of letting the guests choose the level of spiciness they want.”
The success of that steak has Haro thinking of more jdeas for steaks that are unique to Logan’s. He’s also busy working on upcoming LTOs, including chicken dishes for October, something seafood-based for Lent, and brisket for next summer.
Customers can also expect a return of the butter of the month program, but possibly with two-month-long windows instead of one. And Haro is looking to partner with other big brand names like Uncrustables.
He said it’s been “extremely fun” to be given some more creative license with the menu (with buy-in from marketing and operations, of course).
“It’s what sets us apart from competitors,” he said. “We do our core items and we do them well. But how do we bring new guests? It’s by bringing new ideas, new flavors.”
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.
