How To Influence Minds and Menus: Honey Creates a Buzz

The EH+Y team continually seeks new ways to increase honey usage among foodservice professionals on behalf of our client, the National Honey Board (NHB).

We identified an opportunity for the NHB in the beverage category and delivered a robust, multi-year campaign that expanded honey cocktail menu penetration exponentially in the United States.

For example, in 2016, honey starred in PF Chang’s ingredient-driven “Garden to Glass” cocktail menu and promotion, featured at 200+ locations nationwide.

The campaign kicked off with a promotional mailing and honey sampling to PF Chang’s 23,000 employees. Other key ingredients included a captivating honey sourcing video, honey-themed promotional signage at all PF Chang’s locations, and social media.

Fresh, quality ingredients are the hallmark of P.F. Chang’s “Garden to Glass” cocktail menu. No wonder P.F. Chang’s chose to highlight honey in its new libations, along with hand-squeezed juices and premium spirits. “We agreed that honey was the ideal ingredient to unite our Garden to Glass cocktails,” said Mary Melton, Beverage Director of P.F. Chang’s. “It is made by bees from the nectar from flowers.”

P.F. Chang’s Garden to Glass – The Honey Bee Story (YouTube)

We have created a real “buzz” for honey cocktails in the foodservice industry. More and more, beverage professionals turn to honey as a sweetener and flavor ingredient.

• According to a Datassential 2016 Honey Menuing Report, honey cocktail menu penetration is up 17% year-over-year as of late 2016.
• More significantly, honey cocktail menuing is up a whopping 84% from 2012 to 2016 – coinciding with EH+Y’s NHB campaign.

A January 2017 Liquor.com article highlights the continuing honey cocktail trend.