Dive Brief:

• Dave & Buster’s updated its menu nationwide Thursday with at least 20 premium food and drink options, the company wrote in an email sent to Restaurant Dive.
• The chain is offering a 50% discount on all food for new and existing rewards members through April 28. 
• The menu update is part of the chain’s multi-phased effort to improve operations and the guest experience. The company previously launched its second phase in September that included removing complexity in the back of house and making sure that labor and management were in the right places at the right times.

Dive Insight:

While Dave & Buster’s previous improvement plan phases were focused on operational efficiencies, this latest rollout is about the menu itself, touching upon various sections including appetizers, bowls, desserts and sides. The company added the new menu at one-third of its system in late March, CEO Chris Morris said in the company’s April 2 earnings call. New menu items include the Game Day Grub Sampler Board, Loaded Barbacoa Fries, Stacked Steak Bowl, Cajun Shrimp Pasta and a Cereal Cake. 

Dave & Buster’s expects its new menu and service model, in connection with value-focused messaging, will lead to additional traffic, new loyalty members, more food and beverage attachments and increased gaming revenue, Morris said. 

In the quarter following its second phase, the chain already saw improvements to guest satisfaction with food quality and improvements in speed of service leading to greater throughput during peak times, Morris said. In the first five weeks of its second phase rollout, the chain saw a 5% increase in food and beverage revenue per check, Morris said during the chain’s December earnings call. 

“Based on how the Phase 2 menus performed since launching systemwide … and our test results for the Phase 3 menu, we expect to drive at least a mid-single digit increase in F&B revenue per check,” he said during the April call. The changes are also expected to improve food satisfaction scores by three to five percentage points. 

The company is also working on a new store remodel program that includes things like a “reconsidered dining room,” more group-relevant entertainment options and improved guest engagement using a digital guest engagement platform Morris said. Its first remodel in Friendswood, Texas, saw a double-digit sales increase in the few weeks after completion and a greater than 30% increase in sales compared to 2019.