What’s The Right Level of Heat for Menu Items to Grow Your Sales? Here Are Some Answers.

Determining your core customer’s demographic is key in picking menu items and condiments.

Datassential surveyed consumers, and the results make it clear 65% of Americans surveyed said they either ‘love’ or ‘like’ hot sauce.

According to Datassential, the greatest number of consumers prefer moderate levels of heat.

For drive-thrus, takeout, delivery, or catering, it’s important to know that only Texas Pete® offers four flavors of 7-gram PCs. It’s one reason why Texas Pete® is the #1 hot sauce in 7-gram PCs*. Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce (offered in gallons and ½ gallon jugs for your kitchen, bottles for your tables, and in 1oz. dipping cups and PCs) offering a medium level of heat at 340–740 Scoville Units.

Many Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X consumers love food as hot as you can make it.

For targeting younger Gen Z and Millennial males, Texas Pete® Hotter Hot Sauce (available in gallon jugs, bottles, and now 7-gram PCs) lets you serve menu items of 3,000–3,500 Scoville Units.

Texas Pete® is the only hot sauce brand offering four flavors of 7-gram PCs with varying levels of heat.

For the 22% of consumers who prefer a milder heat, ¡SABOR! by Texas Pete® Mexican-Style Hot Sauce (in ½ gallon jugs, bottles, and 7-gram PCs) with hints of chili powder and cumin at 500–700 Scoville Units. Texas Pete® is also the only hot sauce brand offering an extra mild (only 100–300 Scoville Units) and mild (300–550 Scoville Units) wing sauce. Texas Pete® Honey Mustard Sauce is our mildest at just 25–100 Scoville Units and is available in 1-gallon jugs, bottles for tables, and 1-oz. dipping cups.

For Asian menu items or for a sweet and spicy flavor, CHA! by Texas Pete® Sriracha Sauce is ideal. Between 1,200 and 1,800 Scoville units, the sauce is available in ½-gallon jugs, 18-oz. squeeze bottles, and 7-gram PCs. According to the Datassential survey, 59% of consumers are demanding more unique (spicy, globally inspired) sauces, condiments, dressings, and CHA! by Texas Pete® Sriracha Sauce and ¡SABOR! by Texas Pete® Mexican-Style Hot Sauce (500–700 Scoville Units) fit the bill.

Consumers Prefer Portion Control & Cups

Texas Pete® is the #1 hot sauce in portion control.

The Datassential survey also found that more than half of consumers prefer their sauces in portion control for convenience and the freedom to add as much as they want to their menu item.

More than half of consumers prefer their sauces in portion control packaging.

There are four options for 1-oz dipping cups: Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce, Texas Pete Mild Wing Sauce, Texas Pete BBQ Sauce, and Texas Pete Honey Mustard. SR operators frequently upsize to the 1-oz. dipping cups for their big-ticket family meal deals, catering, or tailgate specials. Others prefer to beat their competition by serving the 1-oz. dipping cups over packets.

Custom Sauces Are King. It’s Simple with Texas Pete^®

A perfect point for differentiating your QSR menu is with a custom sauce. Today, 52%** of operators offer at least one custom sauce, and 44%** of consumers look forward to ordering a custom sauce, condiment, or dressing at their favorite restaurant. The Datassential report lists trending custom sauces for sandwiches and chicken and their growth on menus compared to four years ago.

Here are the fastest-growing custom sauce flavors for sandwiches and chicken in the past 4 years.

Texas Pete® was ahead of the curve when its test kitchen crafted a variety of custom sauce recipes that can be prepared in batches in a few minutes using only a few common ingredients. Check out the Texas Pete® Simple As… Gallery.  

By ratcheting the heat level of your menu items up or down, you better serve your intended target customers in your kitchen simply with the variety of solutions offered by Texas Pete®. Learn more at their website.

*NPD, 2024
**Datassential, Sept. 2023