Set Up for Summer Success
As summer heats up, diners crave fresh, vibrant flavors and seasonal favorites – making it the perfect time for restaurant operators to refresh their menus and boost sales. With optimal produce availability and rising demand for proteins, strategic menu planning aligned with seasonal trends can help drive traffic, delight guests and maintain profitability.
Maximize Summer Trends to Drive Sales
Summer is one of the busiest seasons for launching new items, bringing back seasonal favorites, and offering limited time offers (LTOs). LTOs are a great option to increase orders, drive incremental sales and create buzz with diners.
Did You Know?1
of consumers associate the summer season with special flavors, dishes, and LTOs from restaurants.
During the summer season, major chains release the most LTOs, new items, and returning items in June
Father’s Day is the top summer holiday when consumers are most likely to dine out
Summer Holidays to Consider:
Summer holidays are some of the busiest dining occasions of the year, and tend to drive higher traffic, larger group dining and increased demand for LTOs. Planning around these key holidays is essential for maximizing revenue, managing costs and avoiding last-minute supply issues.
Memorial Day
Monday, May 26
Father’s Day
Sunday, June 15
Juneteenth
Thursday, June 19
Independence Day
Friday, July 4
Labor Day
Monday, September 1
Building Profit-Driving LTOs
With the price of beef predicted to rise by 3.2% this year2, creating high-margin LTOs can help offset rising costs and boost profitability. Use the calculation below: Choose an LTO category, select a summer protein, add an on-trend summer ingredient and watch your seasonal profits heat up.
Add Up Some Delicious Profits This Summer
Step 1
Pick a Key Category for LTOs3
- Sandwiches
- Appetizers and Slides
STEP 2
Choose a Popular Summer Protein
- Burger Patties
- Chicken Breast
- Shrimp
- Sirloin Steak
STEP 3
Select a Trending Summer Ingredient1
- Peach
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Lemon/Lemonade
- BBQ Sauce
Classic 8 Oz. Cheeseburger
with Fries
$13.99
Sell Price
30%
Food Cost
$9.69
Profit Contribution
Recommended Lto
Peach-Infused BBQ Bacon 8 Oz. Burger with Fries
$15.99
Sell Price
29%
Food Cost
$11.28
Profit Contribution
Watch the LTO Profits Stack Up
Weekly Covers: 126
Summer Duration: 16 weeks
Potential LTO Profit Lift:
+$3,175.36
Pricing and profit margins shown are for illustrative purposes only and may not reflect your actual costs or menu pricing.
1 Datassential: Summer Trends, 2024
2 USDA & Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
3 Datassential: State of the LTO, 2025
More Ways to Heat Up Your Summer LTO Profits:
Grilled Peach & Lemon Glazed Chicken Sandwich with Fries
$15.99
Sell Price
29%
Food Cost
$11.39
Profit Contribution
Grilled Shrimp with Peach BBQ Glaze & Corn Salsa
$7.99
Sell Price
21%
Food Cost
$6.29
Profit Contribution
Grilled Sirloin Steak Sandwich with Peach BBQ Sauce, Corn Slaw and Fries
$14.99
Sell Price
28%
Food Cost
$10.70
Profit Contribution
Looking for ideas or support? Your local Food Fanatics® Chef is here to help you build profitable LTOs that work for your menu. Contact your
US Foods® representative to schedule a free 1:1 consultation today.
Unlock More Summer Profits
We’ve covered why summer is the perfect time for LTOs – but the real secret to success? Strong promotion. That’s where the
US Foods® Menu Program shines, with custom marketing materials designed to boost visibility and bring more guests through your doors. From table tents and to-go bag stuffers to posters, menu inserts and more, our menu design experts make it easy to create branded materials that are as unique as your restaurant.