Let’s talk about Lucky Charms.
And no, I’m not going to ask who used to eat them just for the marshmallows because… obviously.
Another quick early digression. Did you know industry rockstar and CEO of Dig Inn Tracy Kim created the 2 color pot of gold Lucky Charm Marshmallow. If you ever get the opportunity to spend time with her, make sure you ask her about that.
But back to me and Lucky Charms.
When I first started at Branded Restaurants about fifteen years ago as Marketing Director, one of my favorite parts of the job was creating our monthly LTOs.
Big Daddy’s, one of the original Branded Restaurants, was my creative playground. For those who remember it, Big Daddy’s was a retro diner in NYC that fully embraced over the top milkshakes, massive pancakes, and fun nostalgic food. When it came to LTOs, I was given carte blanche with one requirement.
They had to taste great.
(Thank you Schatzy for trusting me with some truly wild ideas that, with the help of our chefs and kitchen managers, actually did taste great.)
Each month we launched a Flavor of the Month that appeared as both a pancake and a matching milkshake. In March, the flavor was always Lucky Charms. For obvious St. Patrick’s Day reasons.
And those two menu items crushed (as the kids say these days).
They easily became best sellers in their categories. Pancake orders jumped. Milkshake orders jumped. Sales in those categories nearly doubled during the promotion window. They even generated media attention, which at the time felt like the ultimate marketing win.
Checkout this throwback clip from Herrine Ro (the original influencer) at Insider.
I will absolutely pat myself on the back for that press.
Fast forward to two weeks ago at the Women In Restaurant Leadership Conference.
During the LAMP session, which is always one of my favorite sessions thanks to Rachael Richel, attendees were grouped into random tables and given discussion prompts. It was very much a classic SNL Cawfee Tawk, “Tawk amongst yourselves” moment. (Linda Richman will always be Mike Myers top 5 characters, I stand by that with strong conviction).
One question landed on our table.
“What financial knowledge do you wish you knew earlier in your career?”
There were some incredibly thoughtful responses. Excel modeling. Personal investing. Budget management. Equity.
And then there was mine.
In true “Julie” fashion, slightly off the beaten path but very real.
For all the years I spent developing LTOs that required new ingredients, new SKUs, and new purchasing decisions, I never once stopped to think about how those promotions affected the restaurant’s COGS, purchasing cycles, or inventory management.
Another woman at the table asked when I finally realized that.
My answer was simple.
About thirty seconds ago.
And suddenly everything clicked.
Why our kitchen managers may not have been my biggest fans. Why introducing new ingredients every month meant extra purchasing complexity. Why managing inventory, storage, and spoilage risk mattered just as much as marketing buzz.
In other words, the marketing win had an operational cost.
And to be fair, I think our back of house teams were either thrilled that the promotions were driving real sales or simply kind enough to smile and support my enthusiasm every month. (Fun fact. You can actually buy dehydrated Lucky Charms Marshmallows by the bag on Amazon.)
LTOs, of course, are not just about fun marketing ideas. They are big business.
Research from Technomic has shown that limited time offers can increase restaurant traffic by as much as 20 percent during the promotion window. Datassential reports that more than half of restaurant operators rely on LTOs to drive trial and bring guests back more frequently.
But successful LTO programs also require operational alignment. New ingredients affect purchasing contracts, inventory turnover, prep time, storage capacity, and ultimately food cost.
That was the lesson that took me a little longer to learn.
And it brings me to the bigger point.
This is not about being naive in my twenties. It is about the importance of understanding every part of the business you are in.
Marketers should understand finance.
Finance should understand operations.
Operations should understand human resources.
HR should understand supply chain.
The best restaurant leaders I know can connect all of those dots.
Some restaurant companies intentionally train their teams this way. Brands like Chick fil A and Union Square Hospitality Group are well known for cross training leaders so they understand both front of house and back of house operations before advancing into leadership roles. That kind of cross functional understanding consistently leads to stronger operators and more resilient businesses.
Today I am proud to say I understand far more about our restaurants and our investment business than I did fifteen years ago. While I still prefer to stay in my marketing lane, Branded is stronger because I understand how the other lanes operate too. I might prefer the marketing lane, but I now know how to steer through finance, operations, and supply chain as well. (Automatic transmission though. Still not driving stick.)
And while Big Daddy’s and our legendary LTOs are a fond memory, and who knows, maybe one day they will make their glorious return, I cannot help but think how different those decisions would look today.
Technology now allows operators to model food cost impact, forecast demand, track inventory usage, and optimize purchasing in real time before launching a new menu item. Which means fewer surprises for the kitchen manager and fewer unintended hits to COGS.
But these days, while it may not be quite as operationally complex, I still enjoy making my own version of the Big Daddy’s Lucky Charms pancakes and milkshakes at home with my kids.
They still eat the marshmallows first.
Some things never change.
Have a great Saturday and if you find yourself celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this week, I hope it’s magically delicious!
