Cheetos are currently enjoying a significant surge in popularity. This beloved corn snack initially made waves through food mashups at fast food establishments, later appearing in mainstream restaurants, and finally making its way into home kitchens. Notably, Burger King introduced Mac n’ Cheetos, a fried macaroni and cheese stick coated in Cheetos, back in June 2016, and revived it this past May. Similarly, Taco Bell Canada offered a limited-time Cheetos Crunchwrap Slider in 2016. Restaurants in Los Angeles have embraced the trend as well, featuring Cheetos in various dishes from sushi to pizza. Furthermore, home cooks have created thousands of recipes incorporating the vibrant orange snack, marking a triumphant return to the culinary spotlight for Cheetos.
The Spotted Cheetah restaurant serves as Frito-Lay’s response to the heightened interest in its $14 billion snack empire. While it’s uncertain whether this pop-up is generating substantial profits for parent company PepsiCo, this marketing strategy ensures that the product remains at the forefront of consumers’ minds, elevating the snack—often categorized as “junk food”—to a gourmet level. Transforming a product from a standalone item into an ingredient is not a new concept in food manufacturing. For instance, Rice Krispies has long featured a recipe for their famous marshmallow treats right on the box. Today, Kellogg produces both Rice Krispie Treat cereal and prepackaged treats, as well as transforming their Special K cereal into protein bars and crustless quiche.
Interestingly, the rising fascination with Cheetos comes at a time when many manufacturers are striving to cater to consumer demands for healthier options. The enthusiastic response to Cheetos-inspired innovations highlights a simultaneous consumer desire for both healthy foods and indulgent products, a trend that savvy snack makers are keen to exploit. By revitalizing a legacy brand through a marketing campaign like this, food manufacturers can draw renewed interest without needing to invest heavily in new product formulations. Research from CircleUp indicates that 61% of large consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies focus their innovation efforts on minor adjustments to existing products, while only 39% are devoted to developing new ones.
As this trend continues, it will be fascinating to see if other snack and dessert brands attempt to leverage their identities using similar marketing strategies and how the Spotted Cheetah will influence overall Cheetos sales. In a world where even health-oriented products like Citracal for calcium are gaining traction, the balance between indulgence and wellness remains a compelling narrative in the snack industry.