From Carolina BBQ to Texas pit-smoked meat. Coastal fried seafood and Southern fried chicken, few cuisines offer more traffic-boosting power than southern comfort foods. Crafting a few signature menu items with southern flare can help drive traffic, boost loyalty, and generate buzz on social media. Here are three winning menu additions you should consider.

A “Proper” Southern Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is already the #1 type of chicken served at restaurants* offered as bone-in, tenders, strips, and filets, but is your fried chicken truly “southern fried”?

True southern fried chicken is made with breading that contains a set of spices and wheat blend that does set it apart. House Autry’s Chicken Breader is the recipe that defines that flavor.

The company’s 200-year heritage of serving restaurant operators from its North Carolina mill can’t be duplicated in defining a proper fried chicken. As proof, top southern-based restaurant chains count on House Autry^® to make their chicken true “southern fried chicken”. House Autry frequently tweaks its secret recipe to offer chains their own signature flavor. 

The company’s flavor experts frequently work with a chain’s culinary team to craft a formula that’s right for them, and train staff on breading and double-breading techniques for added crispiness that defines southern fried chicken. With so many applications of your proper southern fried chicken flavor, the consistency of the flavor across your units and the traffic it can generate, you should ask for a free sample and get started now.

A “Proper” Southern Breakfast

The uptick on breakfast occasions continues to grow as Americans are being called back to the workplace. Chains such as First Watch, Eggs Up Grill, and Biscuitville have staked their claim to the daypart, while other chains have brought breakfast and weekend brunches back from the days of COVID.

The National Restaurant Association asked members what items were driving traffic to their breakfast business.

Many southern chains who count on breakfast use House Autry’s Biscuit Mix, Stone Ground Grits as well as its Pancake and Waffle Mix to make their breakfast authentically southern. Biscuits are a centerpiece of southern-style biscuits and gravy and the top carrier for savory handhelds such as sausage and country ham biscuits. Consistent and authentic, these mixes reduce labor, save time, and assure the best in southern breakfast fare. Want to try one of House Autry’s mixes, just request a sample.

“Proper” Low-Country Fried Seafood

Did you know that 37%* of southern-centric restaurants' menus include fried shrimp? Did you know that Calabash, NC is known for its “Calabash-Style” seafood, with a lighter breading compared to other locations along the south’s eastern coastal regions?

Calabash-style also comes with warm hushpuppies and cold coleslaw. House Autry has played a role in the story of southern fried seafood for generations by defining the flavor with its seafood breadings and hushpuppy mix.

Add a “Southern Fried” seafood item on your regular menu, or as a summer LTO, or as a weekend special and watch your dine-in traffic grow.

Adding items with a southern heritage are true traffic builders for your menu. If you would like further insights into why southern cuisine is trending, download House Autry’s 2025 Southern Flavor Trends Guide, download the company’s foodservice products brochure or contact a House Autry sales representative now.

*Datassential, 2025