Smalls Sliders has built a reputation on doing one thing exceptionally well — sliders. Operating out of 750 square foot modular containers, Smalls has scaled to over 50 “Cans” with 300 more in development, and was recognized as one of the fastest growing restaurant brands in the country. 

Recently, Smalls launched its first ever slider LTO: the Bacon Barbecue Jalapeño. Using Bikky, Smalls tracked guest reactivation, visit frequency, and ordering behavior to measure the full impact of the LTO.

Smalls had always leaned on cold indulgences for their LTO strategy — their Cookie Monster shake became a cult favorite, and brand collaborations like their Cafe Du Monde April Fools drop showed there was an appetite for innovation. But launching a slider LTO was new territory. The BBQ Bacon Jalapeño was a deliberate choice, bringing a familiar flavor profile to guests who know Smalls exclusively for their original slider.

Without years of historical data to benchmark against, evaluating the success of a first-of-its-kind LTO wasn't straightforward. POS data could show Smalls how the LTO was selling — PMIX, sales volume, bacon attachment — but not how it was impacting guest behavior.

Using Bikky, Smalls tracked guest reactivation, visit frequency, and modifier attachment to understand how the BBQ Bacon Jalapeño was shaping behavior across the menu.

Sales were strong, but what stood out more was who was buying. Nearly 9,000 lapsed guests came back because of the LTO, with steady weekly volume in the weeks that followed. Smalls also found that because the BBQ Bacon Jalapeño featured bacon front and center, it introduced guests to something many didn't know was an option — bacon as a modifier on any slider. 

"It's not just about how well is this selling, how are guests accepting this? It's also what are we teaching them with this LTO — and what can we do to get multiple bangs for their buck?" — Charnell Landry, Head of Digital, Smalls Sliders

The impact of the BBQ Bacon Jalapeño went well beyond the LTO itself. 22.1% of first-time Smalls guests who tried the LTO came back within 90 days. Among existing guests, visit frequency increased 24% in the same window. 

Bacon modifier attachment on non-LTO orders also climbed from 12.3% to 14.1% after launch, proof that the LTO was teaching guests how to customize in ways they hadn't thought of before.

The BBQ Bacon Jalapeño directly informed what came next. Smalls' current LTO — loaded fries with queso, ranch, bacon, and jalapeños — reused proven SKUs while continuing to push guests toward customization. It also gave the team confidence that their squad members could execute innovative LTOs within the constraints of a 750 square foot Can.

What started as Smalls' first-ever slider LTO became a blueprint for how menu innovation can drive lasting guest behavior change. With Bikky, Smalls can look beyond sales performance to understand what guests learn, adopt, and come back for — giving the team confidence to launch new LTOs more frequently with a clearer view of their long-term impact.

"The Bacon Barbecue Jalapeño has informed our ability to introduce LTOs at a more frequent pace than we have probably done in the past."