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Lessons Learned at the National Restaurant Association Show
Sore feet, lots of food, and a whole bunch of new ideas. That is how one attendee describes the 2007 NRA show. What an event. It is by far the largest conglomeration of new products, ideas, and trends ever assembled under one roof. The show is all about the hospitality industry. Everything you ever needed to run a restaurant, catering business, or even a hotel, is available there. There are things that you didn’t even know existed. The Show is also about the people. People talking, listening, and connecting with other people. Here are some of my observations from the 2007 NRA Show:
1. Even when some of the world’s finest coffee purveyors using the finest espresso making equipment are offering their product for free, Starbucks addicts will still wait in line for their familiar fix. And pay for it. (What do you have on your menu that’s highly addictive?)
2. Only at the NRA Show can you get cinnamon pretzels, cream-cheese pretzels, jalepeno-cheese pretzels and a classic hot pretzel within 10 feet of each other. (What ordinary item do you serve that can be updated like that?)
3. Clamato blended with Budweiser, chile powder, hot sauce and salt is actually pretty tasty. The Clamato spokesperson claims Mexican-Americans have been drinking Clamato this way for years.
4. A California company, Spectrum Plastics, makes a bag that fits around any carryout container and theoretically lets you carry it without creating that inevitable puddle of sauce at the bottom of your bag.
5. Chinet is trying to go green with its compostable diningware.
One of the hottest menu trends right now is bite-sized desserts. A number of restaurants throughout the country are offering a trio of small, bite-size desserts as an option for customers who like to share and sample a variety of desserts after a wonderful meal. There is also definitely a movement toward chefs cooking with locally grown and organic produce, as evidenced by some of the educational seminars available. There are some very distinct advantages towards using locally grown foods, such as stronger support of local agriculture, knowing where the food comes from, having the opportunity to see how it’s produced, and most importantly, being able to maximize the flavor of that ingredient in your dishes.
Another trend has to do with bottled water. Tap water may be the choice for many people but there is no denying the popularity of bottled water on the tables at fine dining spots. The number of choices has increased well beyond sparkling and non-sparkling. Be sure you get your share of this high-margin item whether it’s offered inside or from your take-out menu. Post-show news: Watch San Francisco where legislators are trying to ban bottled water for “green” reasons, that is lessening the proliferation of plastic bottles.
Other menu trends include: specialty sandwiches, Asian appetizers, espresso/specialty coffees, wholegrain bread, Mediterranean cuisine, pan-seared items, fresh herbs, Latin American cuisine, exotic mushrooms and grilled items. It’s not too hard to find all those things on local menus, depending on how exotic you need to go for your mushrooms.
On products, there was an increased emphasis on ethnic cuisine and foreign food. Beverage companies are offering tastes of Brazil and Bavaria, India and Indonesia, North Africa and New Zealand, among other countries. Tabasco also has an Asian-inspired hot sauce. Barramundi, the fresh water fish from Northern Australia, and a versatile and succulent, sweet and mild tasting fish favored by some of Chicago’s premier chefs, had a strong presence at the Show. Another huge category of new products provides more options for diners with food allergies, such as a peanut-butter alternative of soy butter that can be used in Thai sauces and recipes that call for peanut butter; a non-dairy, cream substitute made from cashew and almonds that can be used in sauces, pastry, confections and frozen desserts; and a cheese and pine nut-free pesto.
The NRA Show is a definite must-see for anybody who is in the hospitality business. Check it out in 2008.
Cash in on the Mini Dessert Trend
As a foodservice operator you know that add-ons like appetizers, beverages, and desserts are the most profitable of your menu items, but can also be the most challenging to sell. Getting the dessert order at the end of a meal can oft times be the most difficult as research shows over 80% of consumers report being too full1 and over 60% indicate that restaurant portions are too large.2
So how can you capture the high profit potential desserts offer while overcoming the number one objection: “I’d love to, but I’m just too full.”? Enter the number one hottest menu item in America: bite-sized desserts.3 Offering guests the option to add just a few bite-sized add-ons to their after-dinner coffee order or a sampler platter of mini treats to share at the end of a meal answers their desire for sensible indulgence while offering tremendous incremental sales and profits for the operator.
Adding mini-dessert offerings also provides opportunity to capitalize on the expanding demand for snack, late night, and take out occasions brought on by the ever-increasing numbers of time-pressed, convenience-driven consumers.
McCain Foods® newly expanded line of Sweet Classics™ Desserts By the Bite offers 5 enticing varieties of crave-able mini desserts that are ideal for creating popular, versatile & profitable offerings sure to bring satisfaction for patron and operator alike.
Discover how you can cash in on the mini dessert trend with McCain’s FREE “Mini Course. Major Profits.” Dessert Guide. To order your FREE Dessert Guide, call 1-800-767-7377 or visit www.mccainsweetclassics.com
1. NPD Consumer Research Study, Mini Desserts 2005
2. Restaurants & Institutions, March 15, 2007
3. National Restaurant Association, What’s Hot & What’s Not Chef Survey, 2006
Unilever Foodsolutions Report on Boomers in the United States
The Boomer of today is ready to take over. They are done playing by everyone else’s rules and are ready to start making their own set of rules, a set of rules they can break at any time. Plans are being made that put the focus back on them. They do not care that they are getting older; they see this as the prime of their life. But, hiding behind all the optimism are the constraintsa of a financial reality that is not as rosy as many would think.
So, in their new world, Boomers have to balance the ambition of their aspirations with the constraints of their bank accounts. It is in this reality that the Boomer looks to assert itself as the dominant generation of the 21st century.
Dominance for the Boomer will come mainly from one source – sheer size. Following World War II, birth rates skyrocketed in 1946 and the boom continued through 1964 (Chart 1). Now settled between the ages of 43 and 61, Boomers currently make up approximately 27% of the U.S population, compared to only 18% of the population that is made up of the generations that preceded the Boomers, the Swing and WWII generations. The only generation that comes close to matching the size of the Boomers is the Millennials, a group made up of the Boomers’ children. With numbers like these, the Boomers have the size to shape the future of the U.S socio-economic landscape.
Foodservice is a key part of that socio-economic landscape as people aged 45-54 spend almost 6% of their income on food away from home, or over $3,000 per person, per year. The performance in the foodservice industry in future years will, in large part, be driven by the behavior and attitudes of the Boomer generation. So, all parties whose success is dependant on foodservice must learn as much as they can about the Boomer in order to meet and exceed this cohort’s high expectations. The following details key expectations that foodservice operators need to know in order to capture this essential demographic group.
The attitudinal drivers of the Boomer can be summarized in 12 key areas identified in the Unilever Shopper Vision study, “Boomer Shoppers Today and Tomorrow: Following the Money.”
Many of these (Chart 2) speak to the Boomer desire for self-actualization in the form of their relationships with others, their relationship with their environment, and their relationship with themselves. It’s a constant need to make everything better and the thought that they have the power to do it themselves. Complacency and status quo are not in their vocabulary.
Building on the self empowerment that drives Boomers, the Unilever study speaks to Boomer mindset that they are just getting started in life. The last thing that defines a Boomer is their age. Instead, they view this time in their life as the opportunity to do all that they could not when they were younger or had kids in the home.
While health and wellness and Boomers seem inextricably linked, it is interesting to note that the vitality Boomers seek is not superficial, it is more experiential. Looking at this data from Yankelovich (Chart 3), it shows that it is actually the Boomers kids that are most concerned about their appearance; Boomers simply want to have enough vigor to achieve the lofty goals they have set for themselves.
That vigor, however, will not be as easy to come by for the Boomer as it was fifteen years ago. Now, medical concerns are becoming more and more a part of the daily life of the Boomer. Chart 4 shows how health and diet concerns jump when you compare Echoes and Xers to Boomers and Matures. The other takeaway is that the health concerns for Boomers are only going to become more prominent in their lives as they reach age 65 and above. In particular, dietary concerns such as fat, cholesterol, calcium, and fiber will become a fact of everyday life.
Up until now, this report has focused on the positive outlook that the Boomer has for their future. But, the reality of it all is that it costs money to live and there is a great deal of uncertainty about the source of money going forward (Chart 5). The Boomer woman, in particular, is going to need to plan further down the line since life expectancy for women is greater than it is for men.
So, if we are to summarize what it means to be a Boomer in today’s society, these are the bottom line:
1. Integrity is important.
2. Rule breaking is acceptable and encouraged.
3. They are always looking for new ways to win.
4. Forever Young!
Keeping these four factors in mind going forward, the foodservice operator can expect to see Boomers reward them by walking through their front door, aspirations in tow.
In Honor Of National Hot Dog Month, Some Answers To Those Dogging Questions
July is National Hot Dog Month and a perfect time to highlight one of America’s favorite foods.
Hot dogs, also known as frankfurters, franks or wieners can be made from beef, pork or poultry (turkey or chicken) or a combination of two or more of these meats. Seasonings include coriander, garlic, ground mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper in proprietary blends that give each hot dog its characteristic flavor. Hot dogs come in different sizes (6, 7, 10 or 12 inches) as well as different counts per pound (4:1 means 4 hot dogs per lb, for example). Sometimes extenders (starches, flour, powdered meat proteins and vegetable proteins) are added to reduce costs. There are premium brands, such as Ball Park Franks®, that have no extenders. Be sure to check the label when comparing products with lower costs.
In 1959, the Detroit Tigers and Tiger Stadium were searching for the best hot dog to satisfy their demanding baseball fans. One premium hot dog was chosen because of its classic flavor and juicy texture – even after hours of grilling. Ball Park Franks were the hands-down favorite and continues to be a favorite with consumers everywhere. The makers of Ball Park Franks provided descriptions of some of their more popular varieties:
Beef Frank. This is a 7” plump, juicy frank naturally seasoned, hardwood smoked and no-char cook. Ideal for the roller grill.
Chi Town Frank is a 6” coarse ground beef frank with a hint of garlic and onion flavor.
Grillmaster Beef Frank. This 6” frank is coarser ground than regular Ball Park Franks with a bigger, bold Grillmaster taste.
Meat Frank. This is a plump, juicy beef, pork and turkey frank in a 6” variety.
To take your hot dogs from basic to bountiful—and turn it into a profit opportunity—consider setting up a hot dog bar where patrons can choose their own toppings. Or print a menu clip-on or table tent that tempts the taste buds with ideas for upscaling their dog. For some fun and variety try these hot dog toppers as special summer additions to your menu:
Grilled Garden Topping
Combine:
Chopped tomato
Black olive slices
Cucumber
Pickle relish
Whole grain mustard or Grey Poupon
Chopped avocado
Red onion
Alfalfa sprouts
Buffalo Blast Topping
Combine:
Chopped celery
Tabasco ® hot sauce
Bleu cheese dressing
Santa Fe Frank
Combine:
1 oz. Prepared black bean salsa
1/4 oz. Lettuce, shredded
1/2 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
See your sales representative for more delicious menu ideas and quality products.
Source: Sara Lee Foodservice
