Inch by inch, Starbucks relentlessly moves in on the core foods served at quick-service, coffee, doughnut and retail (convenience store) restaurants. The company that changed how we drink has an awfully keen nose for food trends, but it bides its time. It may not be the first in, but it will be in.
Starting Feb. 16, Starbucks taps into several trendy flavors with new foods in all participating U.S. stores. The Spicy Chorizo, Monterey Jack & Egg Breakfast Sandwich has a spiced chorizo sausage patty, Monterey Jack cheese and a fluffy egg with caramelized onion in a potato-bread roll.
For lunch, there is a new Ancho-Chipotle Chicken Panini sandwich. The build is shredded chicken breast in ancho-chipotle sauce, fire-roasted poblano peppers, red onion, Gouda cheese and spicy cilantro pesto on a ciabatta roll. How many on-trend ingredients did you count?
"We saw an opportunity to create sandwiches with bold flavors," Sita Kacker, Starbucks product development manager, said in a release. "Chorizo is popular right now and spicy is on trend, so this guided our direction."
"The breakfast sandwich is presented on artisan potato bread made with whole roasted potatoes and potato flour that has a unique bite to it," said Kacker. "It was the perfect way to incorporate the idea of potatoes at breakfast."
Starbucks gave burger and sandwich chains a scare last summer when it showed capabilities it wasn't known to have. The BBQ Beef Brisket on Sourdough showed it can do meat entrees. It also introduced a Chicken Santa Fe Sandwich on flatbread, tapping the flatbread craze.
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