Quest Nutrition is dropping two new high-protein SKUs this month — Dill Pickle Original Style Protein Chips and a Salted Caramel Protein Milkshake — with the chip flavor marking the brand's first addition to its Original Style chip line in more than 10 years. Parent company Simply Good Foods Co. is positioning both items as incremental velocity drivers for the grab-and-go snack sets that anchor c-store inside sales.
The Dill Pickle chip is the lead story. Quest's Original Style chip platform has carried the same flavor roster for over a decade, and dill pickle ranks consistently among the top trending savory snack profiles across all retail channels — a dynamic that convenience operators have already seen play out in roller-grill seasoning, kettle chip fixtures, and bagged-snack shippers. Adding the variety now lets chain buyers slot it into summer planogram resets without disrupting existing shelf allocation.
The Salted Caramel Protein Milkshake rounds out the launch on the sweet side, targeting the dessert-inspired, high-protein daypart that has gained traction in c-store coolers alongside ready-to-drink protein shakes from competing brands. Dispensed-beverage and packaged-shake velocity data from NACS has shown that protein-forward RTD beverages outpace the broader cold-vault segment on a per-door basis at sites with a defined foodservice program — a tailwind Quest is leaning into.
For single-store operators and regional chains alike, the practical question is placement. The chip fits naturally into existing better-for-you snack bays or an endcap shipper; the milkshake competes in the same cooler real estate as other high-protein RTDs. Both SKUs carry the macro-transparent labeling — net carbs, protein grams front-panel — that loyalty members tracking nutrition increasingly scan for at the forecourt stop.
Simply Good Foods has not disclosed suggested retail pricing or initial distribution footprint for either item, but the company's existing Quest chip line has broad c-store penetration through DSD and direct-to-retailer programs. Buyers evaluating the new SKUs should expect the same supply chain infrastructure. Category managers looking to benchmark the launch against adjacent better-for-you moves in the channel can reference recent activity in protein snack innovation and broader inside-sales trend coverage.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
