What are some important factors of a successful LTO?

Many restaurant brands use limited-time offers (LTOs) to capture customer attention and drive incremental business. By introducing new menu items or offering special pricing for a short period, LTOs create excitement and instill a sense of urgency that motivates customers to visit before the promotion ends.

The best LTOs generate buzz, attract new customers, boost sales, and encourage repeat visits. Franchise Update spoke with several multi-unit franchisees about what makes a successful LTO. Their responses reflected marketing, operational, and strategic perspectives.

A successful LTO should align with the brand and offer something customers want. Traditional advertising and social media can help build awareness, generate excitement, and drive customer engagement. Several franchisees also emphasized the importance of choosing an item that is easy for team members to understand, execute, and sell. After the promotion ends, brands should evaluate what drove its success, gather customer feedback, and consider whether the item deserves a permanent place on the menu.

Multi-unit franchisees juggle long hours, competing priorities, and the demands of running multiple restaurants. In this week’s Franchisee Bytes, we asked several multi-unit owners how they maintain a healthy work-life balance. Many emphasized the importance of being intentional about how they spend their time, setting boundaries between work and home, and relying on strong teams to delegate responsibilities. They also highlighted the value of having family members who understand the demands of franchise ownership. Read on for their insights into balancing the personal and professional sides of life.

Andrea Wells

Company: Wells Pie Group
Brands: 6 Your Pie Pizza
Years in Franchising: 11

LTOs are a great way for brands to reinvigorate excitement and give guests a reason to come back. Timing is an important part of their success, both the frequency of new offerings and making sure they align with the right season or occasion. You want an LTO to feel fresh and exciting without introducing so many that they lose their impact.

I think one of the biggest measures of a successful LTO is whether it can drive both an initial purchase and a repeat purchase. I want our guests to be excited enough to try something new, but the product also needs to be good enough that they want to come back and order it again. That helps keep the brand relevant and part of our customers’ regular purchasing routines.

I also think a strong LTO should have the ability to increase average check. If an LTO can attract new guests or reengage existing ones, encourage repeat visits, and strengthen average ticket at the same time, then I consider it a successful promotion.

Sam Batt

Company: Batt Enterprises
Brands: 15 TCBY and 2 Mrs. Fields
Years in Franchising: 16

For me, a successful LTO starts with something customers want, but it also needs to be easy for our teams to execute and make financial sense. We spend a lot of time monitoring trends and testing new flavors, so we try to bring new ideas to TCBY that stay true to the brand, such as Dubai Chocolate. Marketing and presentation also matter just as much as the product itself, because the whole point is to create enough excitement that it gives people a reason to come in and try it.  We then look at the numbers, not just to see whether it drove incremental sales, but to determine if it has potential beyond being an LTO.

Brad Steven

Company: 3B Lodge
Brands: 9 Twin Peaks
Years in Franchising: 4

A successful LTO has to do more than simply put something new on the menu. It should be relevant to the guest, operationally executable, and easy for the team to understand and sell. We look at whether the product fits the brand, whether it creates a compelling reason to visit, whether the kitchen and bar can execute it consistently at volume, and whether the marketing is strong enough to generate awareness. The best LTOs can also teach you something; if an item or promotion performs particularly well, it provides insight into what guests may want more of in the future.

Amy Boesen

Company: AK89 LLC
Brands: 6 Rock N Roll Sushi
Years in Franchising: 21

Staff buy-in is one of the most important pieces of a successful LTO. We need to make the guest understand and feel why this is worth trying and, more importantly, why they need to try it now. If the staff hasn’t tried the product, doesn’t understand it, or isn’t excited about it, it’s not going to sell. That excitement must start with the team and make its way to the guest. One of the things we do is a fun “We Buy, You Try” day at one of our stores. All our team members are invited to try and experience the new food for themselves. We also take team pictures, spend time together, and use it as an opportunity for team building so everyone can meet and connect. When your team believes in the product, they can sell it authentically. When they’re excited, the guest feels that excitement. You can’t expect your team to sell something they haven’t experienced themselves.

Moe Moustafa

Company: LES Wings Partners
Brands: 3 Atomic Wings
Years in Franchising: 5

You want to see genuine excitement and engagement from customers, not just sales. With our dirty soda launch, we stayed consistent with marketing every single day for a full month, working with micro-influencers, and we eventually saw guests showing up to try it and bring friends. That kind of social media engagement and repeat traffic, on top of stronger sales and upsells, tells you it's working. If an item performs well enough, it earns a permanent spot on the menu. Our Nashville hot sandwiches are a good example. Since launch, they've been one of the top sellers across all our stores.

Franchisee Bytes

How do you balance life and work?

I balance life and work carefully. There are times when work requires my full attention, and other times when family takes priority. The key is being intentional about where I focus my energy, making sure that my business and personal lives receive the care they deserve.
-Lisa Starnes, Franchise Owner, Starnes Holdings, 8 Captain D’s

I am a fanatic about not wasting a single minute of the workday, and I’m also good at multitasking during the workday. This enables me to have a life outside of work. I am so fortunate that my wife is supportive of the career path that I have chosen. She knows that if I need to take a call for work during family time, I need to take that call to make sure the business is running smoothly.
-David Weeks, CEO, The Bean Team, 9 Barberitos, 8 Dunkin’, 4 Newk’s Eatery, 1 Dunkin/Newk’s co-brand

Integrating family into community events and being intentional with time. Presence over hours.
-Andy Kumar, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Kumar McDonald’s, North Texas, 19 McDonald’s

My faith in Jesus is the most important thing in my life. If I put his teachings first and walk according to his perfect plan for my life, everything else will fall in line. My wife and I do our best to always make time for each other and do as much together as possible. We also try to be there for our kids as much as possible. We go to all their activities and make time for their passions too.
-James Bullock, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Ekon Investments, 14 Tropical Smoothie Cafe

I don’t think entrepreneurs can really balance. We juggle. At work, I ask myself if I really need to be in a meeting. At home, I ask myself if I can afford to miss any family moment.
-Chris Aslam, CEO & Principal, Rock Strategies and various entities, 59 Jack in the Box, 5 Golden Chick, 5 Hawaiian Bros Island Grill

Having the right team and structure in place. When I need to focus on work, I have a fantastic family and friends I can rely on. When I need to focus on life, I know I can trust my restaurant teams to support me.
-Wade Oney, President, Bam-Bam Pizza Inc., 96 Papa Johns, 8 Qdoba, 8 Starbucks

Sometimes, it means just putting the work down. The business often demands more from you than your personal life allows. You just have to be able to say that it has been enough today and spend that time on life. Those emergencies were there before you and will be there after you’re gone, so dedicating time to family is the top priority.
-Andy Cabral, CEO, Vigario Management, 25 Dunkin’, 9 Baskin-Robbins

It’s hard, but I am learning that I need to share some responsibility with others and that I can’t do it all. My wife has also been my biggest supporter and is a huge help when it comes to balancing life and work.
-Shak Patel, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Breaking Bread LLC, 6 Potbelly, 1 The Halal Guys