Logan 's Roadhouse

Makeover magic: Two-part revamp rollout scales back deep-fried fare, expands selection of cravable, kickin' appetizers, seafood

Stephen Anderson, vice president of menu and culinary innovation, below left, headed up the team of people who revised more than one-third of Logan's menu.

Rollout: first phase in May 2004 and second phase in September 2004

Company: Logan's Roadhouse

Headquarters: Nashville, Tenn.

Units: 123 company-owned and 22 franchised restaurants

Region: 18 states

Description: introduced or improved 24 menu items; 36 percent of the entire menu

Dish Developer: Stephen Anderson, vice president of menu and culinary innovation

Make extensive changes and create exciting, new, highly "cravable" dishes, but don't alienate the core business; that's pretty much the challenge Logan's Roadhouse faced when planning an extensive menu revamp that rolled out in two waves in 2004.

While grilled steaks in a variety of cuts and sizes; the 9-ounce sirloin is the chain's best seller; still hold center stage, the concept revised slightly more than one-third of the entire menu in its first overhaul of that magnitude since Logan's was founded in 1991.

As 145-unit Logan's positions itself to transition from its position as a large regional player into a national concept, company officials deem it critical to differentiate the chain further in a highly competitive roadhouse/steakhouse segment. Tom Vogel, Logan's president, says:

"We are known for great steaks, but we thought it was very important to broaden the appeal of the menu. Our goal was to create kickin' food, which can be described as fast, flavorful and fun."

The first rollout, which hit in May 2004, concentrated on appetizers. In response to customers' comments that the menu needed more alternatives to fried appetizers, a team led by Stephen Anderson, Logan's vice president of menu and culinary innovation, initiated revisions that ultimately replaced or improved 75 percent of the appetizer lineup. Anderson credits development chefs George Odimegwu and Amy Smith with playing big roles in the overhaul.

Logan's average guest check runs about $11.85, and approximately 2 percent to 3 percent of restaurant sales now stem from three of the new appetizers, including:

Smokin' Hot Grilled Wings, $6.99; two skewers of V-cut wings grilled with Cajun seasoning and basted with smokin' hot chipotle sauce just before coming off the grill
n Lightnin' Hot Shrimp Bucket, $7.99; a half pound of chilled peel-and-eat shrimp, cooked in-restaurant in a signature shrimp boil and served on ice in a galvanized bucket with cocktail sauce
San Antonio Chicken Wraps, $6.59 to $6.69; sliced chicken in a Southwestern sauce with chile pepper, bell pepper and melted cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses; at the table customers wrap the mixture in flour tortillas along with toppings of sour cream, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and crisp tortilla strips

Another goal of the menu revamp was to update and expand seafood selections. Included with the second menu revision rollout in September 2004 were Triple Shrimp Skewers; shrimp grilled with zucchini and red onion, $13.99; and Southern Fried Catfish, $10.99.

For the catfish, Logan's uses premium deep-skinned, individually quick-frozen fillets. Anderson says Logan's catfish lacks any kind of "muddy" flavor because of the deep-skinning process. Fillets are cornmeal-breaded at the restaurant and served with tartar sauce and fresh lemon.

How has the menu revamp affected the bottom line of the company? Vogel says: "Over the last two years, we have not really done any kind of advertising, and therefore we think it's reasonable to say that the menu introduction was a very important contributor to sustained sales increases this year. In fact, we have completed seven consecutive increases in sales or comparable-store sales."

According to Julie Davis, corporate communications director for CBRL Group, Logan's parent company, the simple average of those last seven quarters is 4 percent.

Besides the updated menu, the restaurant's music format has changed from 100 percent country to a mix of upbeat music that includes blues, rock, Southern rock and country with the ultimate outcome, says Vogel, "of creating a very upbeat, kickin' environment" to accompany the "kickin'" food. Patrons still are encouraged to throw the shells of their unlimited complimentary peanuts on the floor, however.

Not content to rest on last year's laurels, the Logan's team continues to revise. In late March the chain rolled out the "Anything and Everything Salad," $8.49, and Santa Fe Tilapia, $11.99.

Nashville, Tenn.-based TV and radio personality Charlie Chase says Logan's menu revamp has kept up with trends while not losing those aspects for which the restaurant is known. Chase, who got to know Steve Anderson when the two worked together on a joint Tennessee Titans/Logan's Roadhouse promotion, says: "Steve knows his food. Every time

I see him, invariably the conversation comes around to, 'Hey, we're trying this; we're experimenting with that.' He is proud of the fact that they are constantly changing to meet the needs of what the public and regular customers want. He's really into his gig."