Minimising Your Stock, Maximise your Offering!
Many operators are dealing with extra pressure on their back-of-house resources, and it has become more important than ever to have product solutions that are easy to prepare and reduce complexity in the kitchen. Meanwhile, 67% of consumers still want something new to try when eating out. So it’s vital that restaurants ensure that stock and staffing challenges don’t hold them back fromcreating interesting stand-out menus!
We’ve put together some simple ideas on how you can maximise your offering whilst minimising the need for extra dish ingredients and added BOH complexity. It’s as easy as looking at some key core products that spark consumer interest while acting as flexible bases for various dishes.
Get creative
Research shows that consumers want choice when it comes to eating out of home, with 73% of consumers saying they want to try new menu offerings.2 This shows just how important it is for operators to invest in recipe innovation. But don’t worry – it doesn’t have to be too complicated it just needs to offer something ‘new’.
Putting new dishes on your menu doesn’t need to involve high investment, you can achieve this by using one core product, such as wings, tenders or goujons, in multiple dishes or in different flavour combinations. This is easily done through the use of sauce, dressings or seasonings. By using one product that your staff know how to cook, you’ll avoid the need for additional training or equipment, helping to keep things simple and streamlined.
This is also a great opportunity to try out new flavours with your customers by testing new menu items and keeping the items which perform well!
Grow profits through add-ons and upselling!
With 28% of operators now having customisable menus,3 giving consumers the option to personalise their orders is becoming the norm. Having a core product and different add-on sauces for a premium cost, adds value to the consumer and is a simple streamlined way for you to increase profits with minimum effort.
There are lots of ways operators can get creative without any additional complexity. Simply pair your dishes with exciting and premium condiments. You could try a peri peri or truffle mayo, or test out new flavours such as Sicilian lemon mayo!
Why not try adding wing-specific limited time offers by having different flavours available at different times? A significant 35% of customers are more likely to try a new flavour or item if it is only available for a limited amount of time.4
Give your menu the Pecked Effect with Big Al’s Lightly Dusted Wings!
Research has shown chicken wing sales reached an all-time high in Ireland, with studies showing that 40% of consumers named chicken wings as one of their top 5 most popular dishes.5
Consumer’s love for chicken wings is only set to grow. For example, in the UK there is a dedicated chicken wing festival ‘Wing Fest,’ that’s already one of the most visited UK food festivals. This example highlights the popularity of wings and the huge opportunity for operators with chicken wings on their menu’s.
Not only are wings a firm-favourite on consumer minds, but they also act as the perfect versatile menu item for operators! Big Al’s Lightly Dusted Wings are the perfect menu solution, customisable, by changing the dressing with different sauces or glazes– menu options are endless!
Get Inspired!
We’ve put together a range of flavoursome recipe ideas that you can introduce to your menu, taking just one core ingredient and using it to create 6 delicious menu dishes!
Simply coat, glaze or toss Big Al’s Lightly Dusted chicken wings to create variety on your menu and keep customers excited and coming for more.
Honey glaze – go sweet and savoury with this sticky coating glaze that has quickly become popular among consumers.
Sweet chilli – with the rise in popularity of Asian flavours, try coating Big Al’s chicken wings in sweet chilli to transport consumers to new places.
Hot sauce – appeal to your more adventurous customers by spicing things up with hot sauce wings.
Korean BBQ – jump on the 2022 Korean cuisine craze and combine a classic BBQ with emerging Korean flavours to excite taste buds.
Lemon drizzle – mix it up with a zesty twist and serve up lemon-glazed wings for all the citrus lovers out there.
Salt & Chilli – already a hit with the consumer, this is the perfect coating for a dash of boldness without being too spicy.
Big Al’s Product solution
Quality You Can Trust – Big Al’s Lightly Dusted Chicken Wings are fully cooked to allow for a quick finish and are free from MSG & palm oil.
The Frozen Advantage – Get perfect results with Big Al’s Lightly Dusted Chicken Wings in minutes! Being cooked from frozen means you only cook what you need when you need to help reduce waste and keep costs down – it’s a win-win!
Sources:
- Inga de Jong (2022), “Kerry’s Global Taste Charts 2022: Consumers “insatiable” for new flavors and formats”, foodingredientsfirst.com
- Nnamaniand K. Deutch (2021), “2022 Restaurant Trends in the UK”, squareup.com
- Lumina Intelligence, Menu Tracker Tool, Spring Summer 2021
- J&J Snack Foods (2021), “Driving Sales with Seasonal LTOs”, restaurantbusinessonline.com
- Forecourt and Convenience Retailer (2019), “Chicken wings sales reach all-time high at Musgrave MarketPlace”, forecourtretailer.com
