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For restaurant brands looking to drive guest engagement and sales, Limited-Time Offers (LTOs) can be a powerful tool. But launching a successful LTO program isn’t just about creating a new item and hoping for the best—it requires strategic planning, franchisee buy-in, operational efficiency, and a clear value proposition for the guest.

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Beyond Juicery & Eatery is a prime example of a brand that has mastered the LTO process. With as many as 20 new menu items introduced each year, Beyond Juicery has fine-tuned a playbook that ensures each launch is well-executed, well-received, and data-driven. Achilles Papakonstantinou, Director of Technology at Beyond Juicery, recently shared insights on their approach to menu innovation. Here are three key principles that make their LTOs work.

1. Establishing Franchisee Trust

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One of the biggest takeaways from Beyond Juicery’s approach is the importance of franchisee trust. Without it, rolling out new menu items can become an uphill battle.

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“If they don’t trust us, then the launch is never going to work,” says Papakonstantinou. Because Beyond Juicery launches so many LTOs—between 2 and 5 in each of their four LTO windows—franchisees have seen firsthand the impact they can have. Even if not every single LTO is a runaway success, franchisees trust the process because, overall, the approach works.

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For brands launching LTOs for the first time, Papakonstantinou offers this advice:

"Work 100% with one of your strongest franchisees and keep open communication throughout the entire process. You will learn so much throughout the process."

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Not all franchisees are equally suited to help test new items. The best ones for the job are those who provide thoughtful, constructive feedback.

2. Reducing Operational Friction

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Beyond Juicery’s commitment to innovation means balancing creativity with operational efficiency. A menu item may taste great, but if it’s a nightmare for franchisees and their teams to execute, it’s doomed to fail.

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“Not every location has the same layout and will work the same,” Papaconstantinou explains. That’s why Beyond Juicery starts by testing an item purely on taste and then continually iterates and adjusts  it to fit their operational environment. By the time it’s rolled out across the brand, it’s a proven operational success. 

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The key to a smooth rollout?

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• Testing in corporate stores first: Before introducing an LTO to franchise locations, Beyond Juicery pilots it in their corporate stores to identify and fix any executional challenges.
• Getting frontline team buy-in: The brand actively seeks feedback from frontline employees because they’re the ones preparing and serving the food. “If you’ve built the trust,” Papaconstantinou says, “they won’t dismiss ideas or criticize for no reason. Often, they actually give some of the best feedback.”

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By refining menu items based on real-world feedback, Beyond Juicery ensures that new offerings are both guest-friendly and operationally feasible.

3. Creating Value for the Guest

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A successful LTO isn’t just about introducing something new—it has to deliver clear value to the guest, whether that’s monetary, lifestyle-based, or experiential.

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One of Beyond Juicery’s biggest LTO successes was their specialty smoothie line. The Wild Berry Glow smoothie, in particular, was a large departure from their core offerings. Priced at $13.50 (compared to the typical $8 smoothie) it had an initial sticker shock, but it featured 20 beauty-focused ingredients and positioned itself as a premium lifestyle product.

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The result? A massive hit.

“It was an immediate success,” Papakonstantinou recalls. “We couldn’t believe it. People kept coming back for it.”

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What’s more, it didn’t replace other purchases—guests still attached food items, increasing average check size by around 20%. Data from their CDP, Bikky, also showed that guests who ordered the specialty smoothie came back more frequently than the average guest, indicating that the smoothie was driving long-term retention.

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“It hit so well that we expanded the line,” he says. “We added one focused on mood, another on immunity.”

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The key lesson here? If an LTO truly resonates with guests and provides value, they’ll embrace it, even at a higher price point.

Conclusion

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Beyond Juicery & Eatery’s approach to LTOs offers a blueprint for other restaurant brands looking to execute successful menu innovations. Their playbook highlights three critical principles:

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1. Establish Franchisee Trust – Without it, even the best new menu items will struggle to gain traction.
2. Reduce Operational Friction – Test, refine, and ensure frontline teams are part of the process.
3. Create Clear Guest Value – Whether through pricing, ingredients, or experience, guests need to see a compelling reason to try something new.

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Beyond Juicery also emphasizes the importance of guest data in shaping LTO success. By tracking engagement, retention, purchasing behaviors, and PMIX they ensure that each new offering aligns with what their guests truly want.For brands looking to launch their first LTO, Papakonstantinou’s advice is simple: start small, involve the right franchisees, and communicate constantly. With the right strategy in place, LTOs can be a powerful tool to drive engagement, frequency, and sales growth.