Leeann Chin adds low-cal stir-fry dishes

Leeann Chin Inc. this month launched a low-calorie menu, joining in on a trend of restaurant chains offering healthier options in a push to attract new customers.
The Bloomington-based chain's new AsiaFit menu includes six stir-fry entrees, each with fewer than 400 calories. The company spent six months developing the new offerings, which feature either chicken or shrimp along with fresh vegetables and light sauces.

Customers can choose to receive eight ounces of a single Asia Fit entree or a combination plate that includes three-ounce portions of two different entrees, brown rice and one side dish. Either option costs $5.59.

"This is the single biggest initiative in the restaurant industry today," Leeann Chin owner Lorne Goldberg said in an email. "If you deliver low calories with real flavor, you set yourself apart from the competition. And you can acquire new guests who would not ordinarily dine with you."

Leeann Chin is backing the rollout with a local media campaign that includes ads on nine local radio stations and 13 billboards, as well as marketing wraps on 12 delivery trucks via Maple Grove-based All-Over Media. The company worked with Minneapolis marketing firm Wingnut on product development and advertising.

In addition to Leeann Chin, casual-dining chains like Chili's and Applebee's also have rolled out more low-calorie meals this year. Those offerings can help to mitigate the co-called "veto factor" for some health-conscious consumers, particularly moms who otherwise might opt to take their families elsewhere for a meal.