Boston Market's sales up after adding ribs to menu

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) -- Boston Market Corp. says adding St. Louis-style ribs to its menu has helped boost sales.

The Golden, Colo.-based chain has been known for its rotisserie chicken, but it added ribs to all its restaurants in April after testing the idea in certain locations. Since then, sales have grown.

CEO George Michel said Thursday that the fast-casual chain's sales for April and May were up 16 percent from the comparable period last year. It didn't release dollar figures. Boston Market says ribs accounted for more than 18 percent of all customer orders in that time.

The company says that since the ribs launch, customers on average are spending $12 for an order of ribs, compared with less than $10 for chicken, turkey or meatloaf.