Familiar favorites will always have their place on restaurant menu boards.But new research shows how important it is for foodservice operators to stay on top of the “flavor trends” – creating new “twists” on old favorites. According to Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report, 73% of surveyed consumers will try new and innovative flavor options - and if they enjoy them once, they’re likely to return to try them again.New flavor offerings are an attractive draw for many consumers – with 41% saying new flavors often influence which restaurants they frequent. Even hot and spicy sauces and condiments – frowned upon in the past - are seeing an increase in popularity amongst those surveyed (54% enjoying the intense flavors, compared with 46% back in 2009)."In a competitive foodservice climate, flavor differentiation is a must-have for operators," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic. "Because today''s foodservice consumers have such a strong expectation for innovative flavors, operators and suppliers have to help the menu stand out by staying ahead of the flavor curve. Knowing which flavors are up-and-coming and truly enticing to guests will be essential in gaining their dining-out dollars."Digital menu board systems – like VGS’ SimplicityTM Mobile – are designed to allow maximum flexibility for your constantly evolving menu offerings. With foodservice trends coming in and out of popularity more quickly than ever before, it can be difficult for operators to effectively control the messaging on their menu boards.While there are many digital signage solutions on the market today, only SimplicityTM Mobile is designed specifically for foodservice menu board applications, by menu board experts. It not only provides flexibility to stay on top of continually changing flavors, but allows users to make those updates directly from a Smartphone or Tablet.Flavor trends are all the rage and deserve a place on your most valuable marketing tool. Does your current menu board system provide you with that flexibility?Statistics taken from Convenience Store News(November 2013) http://www.csnews.com/top-story-prepared_food-consumers_drawn_to_flavor_innovation-64816.html?utm_source=CSNDaily&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=3686