8 Restaurant Chain Frozen Appetizers, Ranked Worst To Best - Tasting Table

"Now you'll see familiar faces like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts in the coffee aisle. Buffalo Wild Wings and Subway have taken to the sauce shelf. And I'm sure we've all noticed the influence of Krispy Kreme donuts in supermarket bakeries. Brands choose to take a walk on the retail side because it allows them to meet consumers where they are (aka at home) while satisfying demand, extending brand awareness, and generating a new revenue stream with just a handful of signature products."

"One aisle in particular has become ground zero for this movement: the frozen section. More specifically, frozen appetizers are at the frontline of what we'll call the restaurant-to-retail revolution. For every store-brand or name-brand freezer snack, there seems to be a well-known restaurant equivalent from chains like TGI Fridays, P.F. Chang's, and Nathan's. And today, we're taking a look at whether their popularity is based on their own merit or simply the logo plastered to the front of their boxes."

"I've picked up these minified veggie egg rolls in the past (and I'm not ashamed to admit that the P.F. Chang's frozen section at the grocery store is one that I frequent often). I have never been overly impressed with their taste, but I was willing to give them another shot. And what do you know, they once again proved to be mediocre at best."

Restaurant chains have expanded product lines into grocery stores, with White Castle entering retail in 1987 and contemporary brands appearing across multiple aisles. Coffee brands like Starbucks and Dunkin' occupy the coffee aisle, while Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway, and Krispy Kreme appear in sauce and bakery sections. Brands pursue retail to meet consumers at home, satisfy demand, extend brand awareness, and generate revenue with a few signature products. The frozen section, particularly frozen appetizers, has become a hotspot for restaurant-to-retail translations from chains such as TGI Fridays, P.F. Chang's, and Nathan's. Evaluation focuses on palatability and likeness to in-restaurant items; P.F. Chang's mini vegetable egg rolls register as wrapper-heavy with minimal filling and mediocre taste.

Read at Tasting Table