The World Has Changed, So Should Your Menu
The world as we know it has changed, with the pandemic halting many businesses to a standstill, only now are we starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Its’s time for the foodservice sector to bounce back better and stronger than ever before, and to do this it is essential operators know and understand how to adapt.
With inevitable shifts in mindsets, consumers’ buying behaviours and purchasing decisions have changed – with safety, security and food traceability now high on their list of priorities. It is time for businesses to re-think, refine and simplify their operations. Whether you are consolidating your main menu or creating a new delivery menu, simplifying your operation by incorporating more refined menu offerings full of delicious, exciting, high-margin dishes that drive your value-for-money message is key.
That’s why we have put together the following top tips to guide you on how to maximise your menu, helping to support you all the way from the kitchen to the front-of-house.
Refine your menu
Make more with less! Refining your menu suggests concentrating on quality not quantity, use high-quality ingredients with healthy margins and focus on your hit staple dishes – what is it that your outlet does best? What is your outlet best known for? These are the dishes you can rely on when creating a reduced and refined menu. Consumers are wanting comforting food they know they trust, provide assurance by re-instating the classics such as burgers & fries. Dishes like these give you confidence knowing they are loved by consumers, but also the opportunity to add your own unique twist using sauces and toppings.
Simplify the process
Another important factor to consider when choosing the dishes to include on your refined menu is outlining which dishes are simple to prepare, ideally by a single person. The reason for this is because social distancing can be difficult to adhere to within a busy kitchen, therefore if just one single cook can prepare a whole meal in their own segregated workspace, this acts as a social distancing solution. For example, using convenient frozen pre-prepared products that only require opening and cooking can act as a great resolution to simplifying your kitchen practices.
Not only do low involvement products like these aid with social distancing, they also free up your valuable time to be used elsewhere. Furthermore, with the current climate and footfall of customers being very unpredictable, it is difficult to know how many dishes or amount of ingredients to prepare. Using low involvement products like our flame-grilled fully cooked rage, that can simply be opened and used when needed, can ease the pressure of prepping and result in less kitchen waste and more revenue.
Provide value
If consumers feel an outlet offers good value for money, it increases the likelihood that they will return again, and you can secure a position on their considerably reduced ‘go-to’ places to eat. Providing value could be as simple as offering good customer service, a friendly smile of arrival, or even discount vouchers for return visits. Calling out specific product benefits or quality features of dishes will also act as a subtle but effective way of presenting added value to the customer. For example, incorporating named cut burgers such as specifically outlining our Hereford burger on your menu can really make your burgers stand out and appear more transparent, trustworthy, and of a higher value to the consumer.
Use ‘Add-ons’
Add-on sections on menus work as a simple yet effective up-selling tool to drive more sales! Add-ons do not have to be additional products on your menu, they can simply be existing ingredients used across other dishes in a different way. For example, you could use Big Al’s delicious chicken goujons as a main dish in a wrap, as a side or in a kid’s meal. Make more with less, and think of easy-to-prepare, high-margin sides, add-ons or bundle options you can introduce to your menu to drive sales.
Top tip to drive add-on sales: Make sure you get your staff highlight complimenting add-ons available to customers when ordering their meal!
Food is no longer just about consumption; customers are looking for an experience they know they can trust. With over 30 years of expertise in the European Foodservice market, we understand both the challenges and opportunities that operators face every day. We offer a range of on-trend concepts that provide caterers with an opportunity to drive new revenue, and a solution to keep consumers engaged and returning.
Our range includes the core products that outlets need when consolidating their menu or branching out into delivery. No matter what foodservice channel or operational capabilities, we supply delicious frozen food solutions to suit that deliver on consistency, quality, and customer appeal.
GET YOUR FULL GUIDE TO MENU OPTIMISATION
Find out how to make your menu work harder than ever before
The effects of Covid-19 are still rippling through foodservice businesses globally, and as a result, your customer’s priorities have changed hugely.
Maximise your menu to make sure it’s doing all the hard work for you, operationally and for cost-efficiency.
