Category: Insights

Comfort Foods Add Nostalgic Flavors, Operational Benefits

Operators tap into consumer demand for classic recipes with a modern spin

Customers have a soft spot in their hearts for comfort foods on restaurant menus. Classics like mac and cheese, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, roast meats, and home-baked goods recall happy memories and cast an aura of warmth and connection over the dining experience.

“People are turning to the food that conjures up the emotions of sitting around the dinner table with family,” says Curtis Hawk, Boar’s Head Brand culinary development chef. “Comfort foods are at the top of the list of trends on restaurant menus today.”

That’s why a growing number of chefs are riffing on nostalgic recipes by adding global flavors and ingredients. As Hawk puts it, “Modern spins on classic dishes are very high in demand right now.”

Crafting comfort foods

Operators elevating comfort food on restaurant menus will benefit from the versatility, appeal, and operational advantages of Boar’s Head® premium delicatessen products. Established in 1905, the iconic Boar’s Head Brand offers the highest quality delicatessen meats, cheeses, charcuterie, hummus, spreads, and condiments for crafting comfort food specialties that engage and excite customers and boost sales.

For example, take the Boar’s Head Bold® line of premium delicatessen meats, cheeses and condiments, which features authentic flavors from cultures around the world. Operators can use these products to explore comfort foods on restaurant menus in new ways that are exciting yet also familiar for guests.

“One of my favorite ways to create an international dish is to make a chicken salad using Boar’s Head Bold® Madrasala® Curry Chicken Breast,” says Hawk. “Another is using Boar’s Head Bold® Ichiban Teriyaki® Style Chicken Breast in a stir fry or shredded into a broth with ramen and fresh vegetables. These are great ways to add flavor to a dish while offering the convenience of a ready-to-eat item.”

In addition, Hawk suggests using Boar’s Head Bold® Chipotle Chicken Breast as a signature taco filling and mixing Boar’s Head Bold® PitCraft® Slow Smoked Turkey Breast into mac and cheese.

Offering lively, varied global flavors like Boar’s Head® delicatessen meats, cheeses and condiments is a must for engaging today’s food-savvy customers, particularly Gen Z patrons who have grown up with a greater exposure to ethnic cuisines than preceding generations.

To put the vibrant flavors of Boar’s Head® premium cheeses into play, top a French dip sandwich with Boar’s Head Bold® Horseradish Cheddar Cheese or serve a bowl of hot chili with shredded Boar’s Head Bold® 3 Pepper Colby Jack® Cheese. “These items share all of the emotions of comfort food while creating a whole new experience for guests,” Hawk says.

Another way to combine novelty and comfort is to highlight Boar’s Head® Hummus as a protein option, mayonnaise substitute on sandwiches, or novel dessert ingredient. An example of the latter is Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus Cookie Tarts, which feature the rich taste of Boar’s Head FallSpice® Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus. “It’s a great way to increase protein while indulging at the same time,” says Hawk.

Lessening labor

Boar’s Head® delicatessen meats, cheeses and condiments are labor savers, critical at a time when rising costs are squeezing restaurant margins. Building the menu with Boar’s Head Bold® meats, all of which are fully cooked and ready to use, lessens the high labor outlays and consistency issues of cooking proteins from scratch. Whole-muscle meats can be sliced, diced, cubed, chopped, pulled, shredded, or cut into medallions to fit virtually any recipe.

This versatility inspires innovative takes on time-honored recipes. “For example, we are taking our whole-muscle proteins and shredding them for use in pasta, tacos, pizzas, mac and cheese, and many more comfort foods,” says Hawk. “We have even tested using a box grater on pastrami to create new textures.”

“Comfort foods tend to be easier to execute, making labor challenges a little easier when it comes to finding highly technical cooks,” says Hawk. “Ingredients typically are much more straightforward, which impacts inventory management in a positive way.”

The business case

Still another selling point for comfort foods on restaurant menus is the way they fit shorter menus and simpler recipes, which help operators cope with the ongoing labor shortage and supply chain disruptions.

“There is less room for risk on a limited menu, so you need items that are consumer favorites,” says Hawk. “This screams comfort food and the trend of smaller menus absolutely plays right into this trend.”

The ultimate payoff for operators is in dollars and cents. “By putting their own spin on comfort foods, chefs can create vintage dishes that are good for margins,” says Hawk.

At a time of economic challenges and stiff competition, the appeal of comfort foods on restaurant menus is a powerful tool for menu makers. For more ideas about creating signature comfort food recipes with flavorful Boar’s Head® products, visit https://www.boarsheadfoodservice.com.

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Capitalizing on New Menu Opportunities

Operators are driving sales by tapping into new dining possibilities with ready-to-use foods.

In today’s fiercely competitive restaurant industry, operators need any edge they can get. Hence the case for expanding into new dayparts and eating occasions to engage more customers, drive incremental sales and stand out in the marketplace.

“It is extremely important to capitalize on all possible areas of opportunity,” says Curtis Hawk, culinary development chef at Boar’s Head Brand.

Exploring new avenues

In recent years, dayparts have been blurring together and consumer expectations have been evolving. In this changing landscape, menu makers are finding new business avenues to explore.

For example, an operator may start serving weekend or weekday brunch, set up a mid-afternoon cocktail hour or late-night snack selection or introduce a small-plates menu for patrons who enjoy sampling global flavors. “Increasing sales during non-peak hours can have a big impact in the long run,” says Hawk.

Fortunately, operators can get a head start on developing new menus by using high-quality, convenient, cost-efficient, and pre-prepared foods for their restaurants that are ready to plug into recipes. “Now, more than ever, chefs are looking to reduce labor and streamline operations to make up for rising costs,” says Hawk. “Fully cooked, ready-to-use proteins can not only save labor but also increase consistency.”

More operators are switching to convenience formats for products, including fully pre-prepared food for their restaurant menus. In fact, 32% of operators stated that fully prepared products are more appealing, according to the Datassential 2022 One Table Report.

The Boar’s Head® line of premium delicatessen meats includes products that are made with whole-muscle cuts of turkey, chicken, ham and beef that are trimmed by hand, seasoned with spices from around the world and oven-roasted in some cases. Whole-muscle meats such as Boar’s Head Bold® Madrasala® Curry Chicken Breast and Bold Peppenero® Garlic Ham are ready to be sliced, diced, cubed, pulled, shredded or otherwise fashioned to fit virtually any recipe. All of these wholesale cooked meat options for menus can inspire culinary creativity and simplify menu development while easing labor concerns for kitchens that are busy and often understaffed.

“We have developed ways to shred Boar’s Head whole-muscle meats so chefs can produce high-quality ingredients for recipes in a fraction of the time,” says Hawk, citing examples such as spring rolls and street tacos.

That is far more cost-efficient than preparing meat and poultry from scratch—assuming you can find qualified individuals to do so. Hawk notes that although it is getting “slightly easier” to hire kitchen staff, “there has been a sharp decline of talent and skill. The lead line cook position, which can be the backbone of the restaurant, has become a tough position to fill.”

Banking on breakfast and brunch

“Breakfast has the highest profit margins of all the meal periods, and brunch is an opportunity to clear out some inventory with creative features,” says Hawk. He suggests the versatile Boar’s Head® All Natural* Chicken Sausage line, which includes flavors such as Honeycrisp Apple and Robust Italian, to elevate an omelet bar or a creative flatbread.

A prime way to make brunch stand out is to set up a Bloody Mary Bar with skewers of Boar’s Head® meats and cheeses—Naturally Smoked Bacon, Genoa Salami, Prosciutto di Parma, Traditional Pepperoni, Picante Provolone Cheese and Vermont Cheddar Cheese—as tasty, colorful garnishes.

“Weekend brunch is morphing into a seven-day affair,” says the 2022 Food and Beverage Report by Baum + Whiteman, a Brooklyn, New York-based restaurant consultancy. The consultants see breakfast and brunch popping up in novel ways, such as “an Irish bar pivots to breakfast” and “upscale brunch food is grafted onto dinner menus.”

With many people enjoying breakfast items made with foods associated with lunch and dinner, the door is wide open to use Boar’s Head® premium, menu-ready wholesale cooked meats, charcuterie and artisanal cheeses in creative menu applications.

Reaching out to snackers

Millions of consumers snack whenever the mood strikes—before, between and in lieu of meals. Snacking plays a variety of roles: a quick refueling stop, a moment of indulgence, a pleasant interlude in a busy day. Pre-prepared foods on a restaurant’s menu can make snack options easy to make at any hour.

“Consumers are looking to have flavor in all aspects of their day,” says Hawk. “They want items that taste good, make them feel like they are making healthy decisions and are reasonably priced.”

A distinctive snacking selection can be centered on a charcuterie board with slices of Boar’s Head® Italian Style Uncured Dry Sausage, Uncured Italian Salami and Chorizo Serrano. Or serve a platter of Bold PitCraft® Party Nachos, a melty medley featuring Bold PitCraft® Slow Smoked Turkey Breast combined with Bold® 3 Pepper Colby Jack® Cheese and zesty garnishes.

“And there is also a line of Boar’s Head® Dessert Hummus to take snacking to the next level of indulgence,” Hawk says, with flavors such Dark Chocolate and Apple Pie.

In a challenging economy, developing new lines of business can be crucial to success. Pre-prepared foods for restaurant menus can open new doors for reducing costs and meeting consumer needs. For more ideas about capitalizing on new menu opportunities with flavorful Boar’s Head® products, visit https://www.boarsheadfoodservice.com.

*No artificial ingredients, minimally processed.

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Optimizing A Labor-Lean Kitchen

Operators turn to high-quality prepared foods to address labor challenges

Give credit to the restaurant operators who took all the pandemic’s punches and stayed on their feet. However, reaching full recovery requires managing persistent challenges, none more pressing than the labor shortage.

Roughly 50% of operators in the full-service, quick-service and fast-casual segments say recruiting and retaining employees will be their top challenge this year, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry Report.

Now that dining rooms are abuzz with patrons again, hiring staff is more critical than ever. “Consumer demand for restaurant services has come back very rapidly,” says Caleb Taylor, culinary development chef at Boar’s Head. “And these consumers are returning with high expectations for menu innovation and unique presentation.”

Raising labor efficiency

Fortunately, there are proven ways for operators to get more for their labor dollars with menu design ideas for restaurant worker shortages. One is by increasing the use of versatile, convenient, high-quality prepared foods rather than spending time and effort on scratch cooking. Boar’s Head Brand offers a broad line of premium delicatessen meats, cheeses, charcuterie, hummus, spreads and condiments that can serve as labor-efficient springboards for culinary creativity.

All Boar’s Head® pre-cooked foods for restaurants are made with craftsmanship and ingredients of the highest quality. The Boar’s Head® premium deli meats line includes products that are made with whole-muscle cuts of turkey, chicken, ham and beef that are trimmed by hand, seasoned with top-caliber spices from around the world, and in some cases, oven roasted. Pre-cooked foods for restaurants are a huge step ahead of the laborious and time-consuming routine of cutting, seasoning and cooking meat and poultry in the kitchen.

Another menu design idea for restaurant worker shortages and a way to cut labor is to reduce the number of items on the menu and make recipes simpler to prepare. “In the past, a restaurant might have had two cooks preparing the meat portion of a dish,” says Taylor. “But now there are fewer steps in the process.” 

“Reducing our menus the way we did has made it a lot easier to run a restaurant,” says Rick Cardenas, president and chief operating officer of Darden Restaurants, in a Nation’s Restaurant News article about the labor crisis. “The managers spend a little less time on individual items and teaching people on these items that we didn’t produce very often.”

The Boar’s Head® advantage 

When he hosts visiting chefs at the company’s culinary lab, Taylor demonstrates the versatility and labor efficiency of Boar’s Head® premium whole-muscle deli meats, which are ready to be pulled, chopped, sliced, diced, shredded or otherwise fabricated to fit any recipe application.

For instance, take Boar’s Head Bold® Chipotle Chicken Breast, part of the Boar’s Head Bold® line of premium deli meats and cheeses with global flavor profiles. “You could get essentially the same results if you wanted to braise and pull chicken breasts on your own in the kitchen,” says Taylor. “But by using Boar’s Head®, look at the time and work I save and the flavor and consistency I get.”

There are innumerable ways to accelerate and enhance menu development with minimal labor outlay, using Boar’s Head pre-cooked foods for restaurants. Think of the multifaceted culinary explorations possible with Boar’s Head Bold® Peppenero® Garlic Ham. Crafted with a hand-coated spice blend of habanero chili peppers, garlic, ginger and green onion, it combines the robust flavors of Asia and Mexico in one ready-to-use product.

“Back when I was a hotel chef, if I had known the neat things you can do with Boar’s Head® meats, I would have used them when I had labor struggles,” says Taylor.

Innovative menu statements

Boar’s Head® Hummus features the same craftsmanship as the rest of the brand portfolio. It is made from chickpeas, steamed until fork tender, blended with premium ingredients ranging from roasted red peppers to kalamata olive tapenade to apples, and flavored with sea salt, olive oil, tahini and spices.

Serving Boar’s Head® Hummus as a dip is just the beginning of its versatility. It also shines as a sandwich spread, pasta sauce and pizza topping. What’s more, a sweet hummus variation such as Boar’s Head® Apple Pie Dessert Hummus can serve as a ready-made feature ingredient in treats like Apple Pie Hummus Cheesecake Bites.

Furthermore, hummus is an ideal platform for developing plant-based menu items, a growing trend among healthy eaters. “One of the most fun things we’ve done is mix our Boar’s Head® Hummus, which is made with very clean, high-quality premium ingredients, with simple additions like grains and vegetables to make patties for sliders,” says Taylor.

For more ideas about pre-cooked foods for restaurants, winning customers, and saving labor with flavorful Boar’s Head® products, visit https://boarsheadfoodservice.com. 

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Winning Customers with Craftsmanship

To be competitive, operators need to send an ingredient message emphasizing quality, not shortcuts.

A menu made with craftsmanship and premium-brand ingredients sends a clear message to consumers: the restaurant operator is committed to quality and a memorable dining experience. Learn more about lunch and dinner menu ideas for restaurants that offer the quality ingredients that customers are looking for.

For generations, operators have communicated that message to consumers by highlighting Boar’s Head® products on their menus. From its founding in 1905 to this day, the family-owned company has been known for master craftsmanship in premium delicatessen meats, cheeses, charcuterie, hummus, spreads and condiments.

Boar’s Head Brand’s standards for quality have never wavered and it continues to use the highest level of craftsmanship to create products of superior quality, freshness and taste. For example, many Boar’s Head® menu items and premium deli meats are made with whole-muscle proteins that are trimmed by hand, seasoned with top-caliber spices from around the world and prepared in much the same way a chef does in the restaurant. Similar craftsmanship is evident in Boar’s Head Hummus, made from chickpeas steamed until fork tender, blended with premium ingredients ranging from roasted artichokes to dark chocolate and flavored with sea salt, olive oil, tahini and savory spices.

The point is, the guiding principle of the Boar’s Head® menu items product portfolio is quality, not shortcuts. Using Boar’s Head fully cooked, whole-muscle meats simplifies menu planning and execution for busy restaurants. And the time and labor saved by using Boar’s Head products as a platform for menu development can free operators to focus on other vital aspects of business, such as hospitality, marketing and training.

Meeting higher expectations

Today, with dining demand skyrocketing and competition mounting, operators must show what they stand for. The right lunch and dinner menu ideas for restaurants can highlight quality ingredients and keep customers interested.

“Customers have extremely high expectations for quality,” says Caleb Taylor, culinary development chef at Boar’s Head Brand. “It’s essential to have an exciting and innovative menu and to be consistent in your execution.”

However, creating a menu that is engaging yet operationally practical is no easy task for operators struggling to hire enough staffers. To stretch their labor budgets, many are shortening menus, simplifying recipes and cooking with high-quality, ready-to-use ingredients. “You’re seeing more products with quality, innovation and uniqueness in use,” says Taylor. “Look at the varied flavors in the Boar’s Head Bold® line that are great for chefs to use.”

Bold expressions for flavor cravers

The Boar’s Head Bold® line of premium deli meats and cheeses, with flavor profiles inspired by culinary destinations around the world, appeals to the many flavor-craving consumers today. This is a great lunch and dinner menu idea for restaurants that are looking to emphasize quality.

It is important to note that Boar’s Head Bold® meats, like other Boar’s Head whole-muscle, fully cooked and seasoned deli meats, can be sliced, diced, chunked, shaved or pulled as the chef desires for maximum versatility in menu applications. When the innate craftsmanship of such products comes into play with the chef’s talents and inspirations, the path is paved for unique signature menu items.

For example, take Boar’s Head Bold® PitCraft® Slow Smoked Turkey Breast, smoked over mesquite wood chips and seasoned with an authentic dry rub that includes Mexican chilies. As a ready-to-use springboard for smoked meat and barbecue applications, it saves substantial labor and time and ensures consistency. “Because it’s whole muscle, it pulls apart easily,” says Taylor. “It’s a great convenience product and the flavor satisfies barbecue lovers from different parts of the country.”

Likewise, craftsmanship is built into Boar’s Head Bold® BourbonRidge® Uncured Smoked Ham, crafted with bourbon and smoked over charred oak barrel chips for zesty flavor. Taylor suggests nestling slices of Bold BourbonRidge® Uncured Ham and Boar’s Head® Blanc Grue® Gruyére Cheese between pieces of French toast for a twist on the classic Monte Cristo sandwich.

Versatility of hummus

The same quality, convenience and versatility is evident in other Boar’s Head® products. Consider Boar’s Head® Hummus, offered in flavors ranging from Traditional Hummus to Fire Roasted Artichoke & Spinach Hummus to Apple Pie Dessert Hummus and Dark Chocolate Dessert Hummus.

Taylor notes that the savory hummus flavors are versatile for pizza and flatbread toppings, pasta sauces, sandwich spreads and grain-based vegetarian patties. “Using hummus as a pasta sauce is very simple to execute,” says Taylor, citing Boar’s Head® Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Roasted Pine Nut Hummus as examples. “Just combine the hummus with a little of the pasta cooking water to create the perfect consistency.”

When it comes to sweet applications, Boar’s Head® Dessert Hummus flavors can star as unique pastry ingredients, ranging from Apple Pie Hummus Cheesecake Bites to Dark Chocolate Hummus Cannoli to Dark Chocolate Hummus Heart Sandwich Cookies.

In the ultra competitive post-pandemic restaurant industry, operators need any edge they can get. A menu that communicates craftsmanship and premium brands can be a vital advantage.

For more ideas about winning customers with lunch and dinner menu ideas for restaurants and the craftsmanship of Boar’s Head® menu items, visit https://boarshead.com/about/foodservice.

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The Power of Joining Forces with an Iconic Brand

Partnerships with quality brands like Boar’s Head offer benefits to food distributors and restaurants, creating great menu options.

Featuring premium-brand ingredients on a restaurant menu is a proven way to attract customers who seek higher quality and are willing to pay more for it. Such ingredients are instrumental in creating the memorable experiences that boost customer satisfaction and frequency.

Now, with traffic rebounding and competition increasing, restaurant operators who believe in quality would be wise to reach out to like-minded consumers by promoting strong, respected brands on their menus.

Boar’s Head Brand has achieved iconic status among food brands by engaging generations of consumers with its devotion to quality in premium deli meats, cheeses, dips and many other products, and by helping restaurant operators get the most out of their labor, culinary talent and merchandising efforts.

Reinforcing quality

Founded in 1905, Boar’s Head® has endured as a premium brand through the Great Depression, two world wars, sundry oil crises and economic recessions—events that might have shaken the foundation of other brands.    

“Historically, Boar’s Head® is a brand that has never compromised by cutting corners or cheapening itself,” says Lucien Ducrey, Managing Director, Food Solutions and International Business, Boar’s Head Brand. “The brand has always reinforced the importance of quality and making authentic products we are proud to serve to the next generation.”

To this day, many of the family-owned company’s premium products are made with whole-muscle proteins that are hand trimmed, seasoned with spices from around the world and oven roasted. That’s why joining forces with Boar’s Head Brand makes sense for restaurant and food distributor operators who wish to distinguish themselves.

An example is Woody’s Famous Salads in Tampa, Fla. Family-owned since 1972, Woody’s has promoted Boar’s Head® ingredients on its menu for decades.

“This brand is backed by quality,” says Adam Ward, Woody’s manager and grandson of founder Woody Gilbert. “All of our sandwiches are Boar’s Head, our Chef’s Salad has Boar’s Head deli meats, and we also use Boar’s Head® Blue Cheese and Deli Mustard.”

Teaming Up with Boar’s Head®

Joining forces with Boar’s Head Brand at your restaurant or food distribution company opens the door to premium deli meats and much more: outstanding cheeses, charcuterie, hummus, dips, spreads, condiments, dressings and pickles.

This selection satisfies many tastes and preferences. For instance, the growing number of people who crave authentic global flavors are drawn to the Boar’s Head Bold® line of deli meats. There are low-sodium offerings for those who seek them. In addition, Boar’s Head® brand products on restaurant menus contain no gluten, artificial flavors and colors, added MSG, fillers, byproducts and trans-fat from partially hydrogenated oils.

“This is a portfolio for operators who pride themselves on making recipes that are healthier without compromising flavor,” Ducrey says.

Culinary intelligence

In addition, those who join forces with the Boar’s Head® brand benefit from creative restaurant menu ideas by the company’s expert culinary team. An example is Bold Madrasala® Curry Chicken Pot Pie, which leverages the versatility and flavor of Boar’s Head Bold Madrasala® Curry Chicken Breast, a whole-muscle, fully cooked product seasoned with an aromatic blend of turmeric, garlic and red chili peppers.

“This is a favorite dish we make by combining the chicken breast with coconut milk, cilantro and flavors that play off curry spices,” says Caleb Taylor, Culinary Development Chef at Boar’s Head Brand.

Of course, an operator could cut, season and cook chicken from scratch to make chicken curry pot pies. But lacking the operational advantages of Boar’s Head Bold Madrasala® Curry Chicken Breast, it would require much more labor and skill and run the risk of inconsistent results, Taylor notes.

It is important to point out that featuring an iconic ingredient in a signature dish like the above adds excitement and justifies a premium menu price, while preserving the operator’s profit margin.

Telling the story

In the long, rich history of Boar’s Head®, there is much color and character to share. “The independent Boar’s Head® Brand Local Purveyors not only bring superior products to operators, they also make sure to tell them where they originate, how they are manufactured and how to use them in multiple ways,” says Ducrey. “Every single product in the portfolio has a story behind it. When an operator brings a story onto the menu, it adds value and enriches the consumer experience.”

Indeed, today’s consumers expect a lot more than just nourishment when they choose a restaurant. They delight in exploring authentic ingredients and discovering new flavors and dishes. These vivid experiences make a lasting impression and are a great reason for a distributor or restaurant to partner with the Boar’s Head brand for menu items.

“We know consumers are willing to pay for something that is memorable,” says Ducrey. “They’re willing to drive more miles to get a unique dish or sandwich made with the quality they want.”

For more information about attracting consumers to restaurants with the iconic Boar’s Head Brand partnership, visit https://boarshead.com/about/foodservice.

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Exploring New Paths to Recovery

Onsite operators address new realities of post pandemic life.

In pre-Covid days, communal dining in packed college and university dining halls and corporate cafeterias was the rule.

Of course, things are different now. The path to recovery leads through innovative dining formats and technologies that address the new realities of post-pandemic life. One of those is the need to supplement, if not replace, traditional high-volume foodservice facilities with venues that are less crowded, more convenient and arguably safer.

C&U lessons learned

“Retail dining had already been growing on campuses pre-Covid,” noted a June 2021 article in Food Management. With the pandemic highlighting the safety and efficiency benefits of spreading foodservice across multiple distribution points, such decentralized dining options are poised to assume a greater share of C&U dining volume from large residential dining halls.

For example, the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, New York, transformed Gracie’s, its largest all-you-care-to-eat dining hall, into an à la carte retail food court this year. “In the fall of 2019, Gracie’s was serving about 2,000 to 2,500 meals a day,” says Don LaFlam, RIT executive director of dining, in an RIT university news article. “In the fall of 2020, they were serving about 650 meals a day. Those extra meals were being absorbed into our retail operations across the campus. It became pretty apparent our students wanted that type of spending.” Now, at the updated Gracie’s, students pay à la carte for the items they order rather than a set all-you-care-to-eat price.

An AI-powered technology platform makes picking up food fast and safe at Market Next, a touchless, cashier-free, 24-hour retail outlet in a retrofitted campus convenience store at the University of Houston (Texas), according to a university news article. The school opened it last fall along with Chartwells Higher Education, its foodservice provider, and Standard Cognition, a tech company. Students simply walk into Market Next, take snacks, beverages, sandwiches or microwavable items and walk out. A system of ceiling-mounted cameras and proprietary artificial intelligence and machine-vision software handles payment automatically, the article explains.

Corporate dining adjusts

For America’s corporations, the all in-person workplace “is no longer the norm,” reports the PwC US Pulse Survey Next in Work. According to the survey, in fall 2021, 33% of corporate executives plan to have a mixed model of in-person, hybrid and fully remote work, 19% will have all in-person, 18% will have a mixture of in-person and hybrid and 18% will be all hybrid.

Those findings signal the need for innovative formats to serve offices with limited or fluctuating headcounts that do not justify a full-scale cafeteria. One solution is True Eats, a hybrid foodservice and market concept by Aramark. With a customizable footprint of 650 sq. ft. to 1,250 sq. ft., it offers freshly prepared food, a 24/7 market and kiosk ordering, plus it “can service up to 1,500 employees and is operated by as few as two staff members,” per a company blog post.

Another flexible tech solution is Cloud Café, billed as “a personalized digital cafeteria for your company” by its developer, ZeroCater, a corporate catering and snack company. Cloud Café “enables employees to choose their own daily meals from thousands of individually boxed menu items provided by top-rated culinary partners” and gives companies “unmatched flexibility by letting each employee pay for all, some or none of their meals.”

Gaining control

Against this backdrop, operators are grappling with a need unchanged since day one of the pandemic—controlling labor and food costs. Many have already reduced kitchen teams, simplified menus and moved to ready-to-use premium proteins.

A leading example of the latter is the Boar’s Head Bold® line of fully cooked, whole-muscle meats, which helps operators rein in costs while satisfying the demand for global and regional American flavors. These seasoned, premium meats can be shaved, diced, cubed, chopped, pulled, shredded and otherwise fashioned any number of ways. Thus Boar’s Head Bold premium meats are versatile building blocks for signature dishes across all dayparts and meal occasions.

For example, showcase the enticing flavors of a Bold Ichiban Teriyaki Style Chicken Bowl. It features Boar’s Head Bold® Ichiban Teriyaki® Style Chicken cut in julienne shapes and served over fragrant basmati rice with fresh vegetables and chiles and a teriyaki drizzle.

Or menu flavorful and satisfying Ham, Apple and Brie Grilled Cheese sandwiches, made with Boar’s Head Bold BourbonRidge® Uncured Smoked Ham, creamy French brie and crisp, green apple slices.

Replacing laborious scratch cooking with ready-to-use Boar’s Head® meats in this way gives operators a major productivity win and eases their labor cost pressures.

To receive a sample of Boar’s Head® products, visit boarsheadfoodservice.com/takeflavorfurther. Find product information, menu inspiration and recipes, and more at boarshead.com/products/bold.

©2021 Boar’s Head Brand

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Operators Seize Virtual Brand Opportunities

Growing trend is propelled by digital-driven, delivery-only practices.

Virtual brands is a developing trend that has gained momentum since the pandemic impacted the restaurant business more than 18 months ago. Defined as delivery-only food offerings prepared in unused restaurant-kitchen space, virtual brands relies on digital-ordering platforms and third-party delivery partners.

Just how large this segment is today is unclear. However, ghost kitchens—sometimes used synonymously with virtual brands—could become a $1 trillion global market by 2030, according to a Euromonitor International projection published in The Washington Post last year.

Today, this expanding practice is reaping incremental sales for operators large and small. Denny’s Corp. already has The Burger Den, its first virtual concept introduced earlier this year, operating in more than 1,100 locations. Also embracing the trend are a plethora of independent operators and multi-unit restaurant groups.

The wide consumer acceptance of mobile-ordering apps, the versatility of labor-saving, ready-to-use food products for creating on-trend menus and the low cost of investment for virtual brands all factor into making this an increasingly attractive idea for operators.

Driving incremental sales

Flexibility is one of the strong attractions of these digital-driven, delivery-only ventures. For example, a restaurant may launch a virtual brand to reap incremental sales in slower business dayparts. Denny’s says that 70% of The Burger Den’s transactions occur in the dinner and late-night dayparts. Additionally, launching a virtual brand enables a restaurant to exploit an underserved niche for certain items in the marketplace or showcase menu items that it does well.

Delivery-only ventures have given Hooters, the Atlanta-based sports-bar chain, a welcome boost. The virtual Hootie’s Burger Bar brand arose from a suggestion by a Hooters’ delivery service partner (DSP) prior to the advent of the pandemic. “They came to us and said, ‘Hey, we’d love to do this idea with you, based on our research,’” says Sal Melilli, CEO of Hooters, speaking on the Nation’s Restaurant News Extra Helping podcast. “And they came up with the idea about the need for burgers.”

Additional spinoffs followed—Hootie’s Bait and Tackle, which features the chain’s seafood items, and Hootie’s Chicken Tenders. “They are all within the same kitchen and the same SKUs,” says Melilli. “It has been a really nice marketing piece to partner with the DSPs to expand into these.”

Bringing bold flavor home

Of course, delivery and takeout were already growing briskly before 2020. However, that is the year millions of new mobile-app users got hooked on the convenience and variety of digital-driven delivery. Now, even as they flock back to restaurants for the full dine-in experience, they still demand quick, easy, craveable food at their doorsteps when the mood strikes. Thus the moment is ripe for virtual brand brainstorms.

Exciting, bold, global flavors play a critical role in this discussion. Consumers are now eagerly resuming the flavor explorations interrupted by the pandemic, both through delivery orders and by dining on the premises. Restaurant operators tapping the virtual brand space should not stint on flavor excitement. “Global flavors were in high demand prior to COVID and they will continue to be as we resume some sense of normalcy,” says Chef Greg Ische of Boar’s Head Brand®. He notes that consumers expect considerably more now than they did during the days of dining restrictions, when familiar, comforting fare like rotisserie chicken and pizza were the mainstays.

The Boar’s Head Bold® line helps operators satisfy the demand for premium products and global flavors. For example, Boar’s Head Bold® Ichiban Teriyaki-Style® Chicken Breast is ready to serve just as it is or featured in recipes, with its savory teriyaki-style glaze, notes of ginger and garlic and a hint of brown sugar.

Another distinctive example, Boar’s Head Bold® Aloha Sunshine® Pineapple Roasted Turkey Breast, is coated with pineapple and hibiscus and lightly charred for a sweet, savory traditional luau flavor.

Creating riffs

While featuring boldly flavored menu items is key to driving sales, controlling costs is imperative in getting a virtual brand venture off the ground. Operators who reduce labor cost by replacing scratch cooking with convenient prepared foods will be in a good strategic position. The time and labor hours they save by using seasoned and fully cooked Boar’s Head products can be used to create new riffs on global recipes. These premium meats can be fabricated many ways—sliced, shaved, diced, cubed, chopped, pulled, shredded and cut into medallions—to fit a vast array of menu ideas. With them, operators are a step ahead in efficiency and consistency. They also reduce inventory, labor and space needs, all vital for virtual brand success. 

For a sample of Boar’s Head® products, visit boarsheadfoodservice.com/takeflavorfurther. Find product information, menu inspiration and recipes at boarshead.com/products/bold.

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How to Keep Menus Lean

Operators plot recovery course with streamlined menus, ready-to-use proteins.

As America eases into summer, pandemic recovery is well underway. New coronavirus cases have fallen. More than half of the population has been at least partially vaccinated. In restaurants around the nation, dining room restrictions have ended and social distancing and mask wearing rules have been dropped, encouraging an influx of much-needed patrons.

Operators still face challenges, however. One of the most acute: staffing. The May 12 edition of Black Box Intelligence’s weekly Restaurant Industry Performance Pulse noted that “while the industry has added close to 650,000 new jobs since the beginning of the year, there are still about 1.7 million pre-pandemic restaurant jobs that have not yet returned.”

In fact, a lack of labor is hindering the reopening of many restaurants, according to an April 2021 National Restaurant Association COVID-19 operator survey. “This is a large contributor to why more than half of full service operators and 42% of limited service operators polled are unable to open at the maximum-allowed capacity and grow back their business—they do not have enough employees to staff the restaurant,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of NRA’s Research & Knowledge Group, in a mid-May statement announcing the results.

The streamlined menu

In this climate, controlling costs—particularly labor—is imperative for survival. “The financial pressures of cost of goods, increased labor and operational expenses, utility price hikes, and rising packaging costs were all amplified by the pandemic,” says Chef Greg Ische of Boar’s Head Brand.

As a result, operators are likely to keep menus short, recipes uncomplicated and plate presentations simple. They will cross-utilize ingredients as much as possible. Increasingly, they will turn to ready-to-use food products, such as fully cooked proteins, to reduce scratch cooking.

Foods that are seasoned, fully cooked and ready to plug into a recipe offer major streamlining advantages. Whole-muscle proteins such as turkey, chicken, ham and beef—which typically require significant time, labor and cooking skill to prepare from scratch in house—are notable examples.

The positive results that some restaurants have achieved by simplifying operations “mean streamlined menus will likely be the norm in 2022, at chains as well as independent restaurants,” Nation’s Restaurant News reports. “In the face of rising costs and an extremely tight labor market, many operators plan to keep their menus lean.”

The versatility advantage.

Operators get a head start in streamlining the menu, enhancing consistency and creating appealing new items when they begin with Boar’s Head Bold® meats. These seasoned, fully cooked, whole-muscle premium products can be used in many different forms—sliced, shaved, diced, cubed, chopped, pulled, shredded and cut into medallions. They are versatile building blocks for signature dishes across industry segments, dayparts and meal occasions—from breakfast and lunch through dinner and snack time.

Ready-to-use proteins like these are versatile across menu applications as well, allowing operators to keep inventory costs in check and deliver clear benefits over scratch cooking, Ische adds.

Wide-roaming flavor profiles

New menu items are even more enticing to customers when they incorporate on-trend flavors. The Boar’s Head Bold® line of premium meats, for example, encompasses global and regional American flavor profiles—everything from Japanese, Indian, Mexican and Jamaican to Hawaiian, Cajun and Texas BBQ. In the hands of an imaginative chef, they are the centerpiece of exciting dishes requiring minimal labor.

Take these Asian-inspired loaded french fries—a versatile recipe with global flair that Ische recently developed in the Boar’s Head Culinary Lab. It showcases Boar’s Head Bold® Ichiban Teriyaki® Style Chicken tossed with crispy fries and scallions and then topped with kimchi and Korean chili aioli. “It’s a delicious combination and easy to execute,” Ische says.

Another appealing option: Turkey BBQ Flatbread, made with new Boar’s Head Bold® PitCraft™ Slow Smoked Turkey Breast, which is seasoned with a dry rub of brown sugar, guajillo chili peppers and paprika, then slow-smoked over mesquite wood. It offers a flavorful journey reminiscent of authentic Texas barbecue.

For help streamlining your menu utilizing ready-to-use, premium proteins, as well as recipes and product information for the Boar’s Head Bold® line, visit boarsheadfoodservice.com/takeflavorfurther.

menu the best

Drive Sales with Global Flavors.

Operators make up for core-business shortfall by diversifying.

The past year has taught restaurant operators many lessons. Chief among them is the importance of having additional revenue streams to keep their business afloat when its core operations—namely onsite dining—are interrupted.

Making up the dollars lost when the dining room is closed or seating is restricted is a tall order, to be sure. Many operators have managed through these challenges with off-premises foodservice programs and revenue-producing sidelines. Examples such as chef-curated meal kits, family-feeding meal bundles, weekly or monthly meal subscriptions and bottled cocktails to-go not only produce revenue for operators; they also offer convenient, comforting dining solutions for consumers tired of cooking and staying at home.

“Changing habits and disrupted lifestyles jumbled consumers’ value equation in 2020,” Technomic acknowledged in announcing its trends predictions for 2021. Among other things, Technomic anticipated that operators will continue to “address convenience through a variety of initiatives, including multi-occasion solutions such as large-format, prepared and bottled beverages, and multi-daypart meal bundles to drive patronage.”

From meal kits to cocktails: Convenience to-go

And indeed, they are.

Socalo, a southern Californian/Mexican casual eatery in Santa Monica, California, is among the operations offering meal kits suitable for two or more people. Customers can order online, in person or by phone for takeout, curbside pickup or delivery. Socalo’s family meal kit offerings include enchilada, taco, vegetarian taco, lamb birria, and quesadilla kits and are priced by volume.

Subscription plans and home delivery services also have proved popular. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit’s Barbecue at Home lineup, for example, includes curated meat boxes, everyday meal bundles and monthly subscriptions at various price points. Chef’s Special Box subscribers receive 5 to 7 pounds of various meats, two sides and four individual desserts each month for $99.99. The higher-end Value Box, meanwhile, features a mix of proteins to feed the whole family, plus four sides and 12 individual desserts, for $280 each month.

Selling cocktails to-go, allowed in some form in more than 30 states and Washington, D.C., is also helping struggling operators survive. In addition to monthly meal plan and wine subscriptions, New York City-based Hearth offers bottled cocktails for home, including a Spiced Hot Toddy Kit featuring a combination of rye whiskey, honey, nutmeg and lemon to mix with hot water. The kit is available in one-drink ($11) and two-drink ($20) varieties.

Hearth also sells sundry goods online, including “Hearth for Home” pasta kits; heat-and-eat soups and French bread pizzas; ready-to-bake sweets; and more. Similarly, the RPM Italian Chef Curated Market at RPM Italian in Washington, D.C., offers the restaurant’s housemade pastas and signature sauces, fresh produce, pantry items like truffle oil and wines, and cocktails for prepaid pickup.

Tapping global “Bold” flavors

Whether devising appealing food packages for consumers at home or revising menus as widespread indoor dining returns, operators know exciting global flavors are a must.

“People are just itching to go out and experience the food that they haven’t had for so long,” says Chef Greg Ische of Boar’s Head Brand. “They’re through with the takeout rotisserie chicken and pizza they’ve been eating for a year. Flavor will be in high demand.”

Going beyond the norm is indeed expected. Technomic research shows that even as Italian, Mexican, and Chinese food remain consumers’ “top three perennial global favorites,” they’re seeking clever twists on classic offerings. Think non-pasta cacio e pepe dishes and Chinese roujiamo sandwiches, for example.

Also stay tuned for “new umami applications” produced with nontraditional fruit vinegars, new mushrooms such as candy cap and enokitake, tomato jam, tamari sauce, and even trendy umami components—kosho, seaweed and gochujang—in cocktails, Technomic adds.

The Boar’s Head Brand® advantage

Struggling operators can satisfy consumer expectations, yet control labor and equipment costs, by turning to ready-to-use premium proteins. Available in an array of global and regional American flavor profiles, the Boar’s Head Bold® line of fully cooked, whole-muscle meats simplifies menu planning and execution for busy kitchen staff.

“Restaurant margins are [already] getting squeezed,” Ische says. “Using Boar’s Head products eliminates a lot of headaches”—both operational and culinary—because they’re “cooked perfectly and consistently every time.” The superior herbs and spices used in the Boar’s Head Bold® line also make virtually everything “taste fantastic,” he adds.

Take Boar’s Head Bold® Pitcraft® Slow Smoked Turkey Breast, for example. Seasoned with a dry rub of paprika, brown sugar and Mexican guajillo peppers, then slow smoked with mesquite wood chips. The turkey is versatile enough for handheld favorites like this Turkey & Sweet Onion Panini and Slow Smoked Turkey Tacos.

For chicken dishes, consider Boar’s Head Bold® Chipotle Chicken Breast. Inspired by the culinary delights of Baja, Mexico, this chicken is infused with smoky chipotle peppers and habanero chill powder, adding a flavorful kick to everything from this Caesar BLT Wrap to salads and nachos.

Restaurant dining is gradually returning to normal. In the meantime, operators should do all they can to make the food experiences they create for their customers as flavorful as possible.

For a sample of Boar’s Head® products, visit boarsheadfoodservice.com/takeflavorfurther. Find product information, menu inspiration and recipes at boarshead.com/products/bold.

menu the best

Operators Court Flavor Cravers with Global Sensations

Consumers reveal pent-up demand for on-site dining experiences.

The restaurant industry recovery can’t come soon enough for dining devotees and the operators who serve them.

Most adults across all generations say they aren’t eating at restaurants as often as they would like, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report. Eighty-five percent say going out to a restaurant is a better way to spend their time than cooking (and cleaning) at home. And nearly 8 in 10 say their favorite restaurant foods deliver flavor and taste sensations that just can’t be duplicated in the home kitchen. 

“There is an abundance of pent-up enthusiasm for going out to dine in a restaurant,” confirms Chef Greg Ische, at Boar’s Head Brand®. “Takeout has been the lifeboat of many operations, but nothing replaces the in-restaurant dining experience.”

Against this backdrop, consumers are more than ready to trade home cooking and carryout bags for in-restaurant dining and hospitality. Operators can win them back by reintroducing them to the exciting global flavors they were exploring before the pandemic disrupted their dining routines.

Eating globally

“Global flavors were in high demand prior to COVID, and they will [continue to be] desired flavors as we resume some sense of normalcy,” Ische says. “The easiest way to have a cultural experience without traveling is to dine out on different cuisines.”

Research from San Francisco-based hotel and restaurant consulting firm af&co and its partner agency, Carbonate, confirms this. According to Do the Hustle, their 2021 hospitality trends and insights report, Chinese-American will be the cuisine of the year, and regional Indian, Afro-Caribbean, Singapore/Malay and Jewish cuisines are all on the rise. “Some of these are rising particularly in specific regions of the country, and we expect them to take some years before they expand the local or state level,” the report notes. “Others have more national traction, and we expect to see them take hold and continue to grow.”

Baum + Whiteman, a Brooklyn, New York-based food and restaurant consultancy, also annually forecasts what will be hot in food and beverage in the year ahead. Its 2021 Trends Report cites dukkah, a “smoky-salty” Egyptian flavoring mix, jerk seasoning from Jamaica, and berbere, a “high-fragrance, high-heat blend” of chilies and spices from Ethiopia, among the “exotic ingredients from faraway places” that chefs will be leveraging in their dishes to satisfy pandemic-weary consumers’ desire for adventure (culinary and otherwise).

Premium ingredients with varied, authentic flavors attract flavor cravers. Chefs can tap into the flavors of India, for example, with Madrasala® Curry Chicken Breast, which features an aromatic blend of turmeric and garlic and the gentle heat of red peppers. Salsalito® Turkey Breast, meanwhile, captures the spirit of Southwestern cuisine with jalapeño peppers, onions, sundried tomatoes and cilantro. For unparalleled flavor, consider  BourbonRidge® Uncured Smoked Ham, which is crafted with bourbon and smoked with charred oak bourbon barrel chips.

Creative applications

Operators looking to win the business of these “flavor cravers” can also find inspiration in lesser-known but very worthy American regional cuisines. As reported in Datassential’s trend forecast issue of FoodBytes, Gullah, Sonoran, Appalachian and Cal-Mex are among the regional tastes appearing on more menus. Datassential also encourages operators to stretch the definition of “comfort food” beyond the familiar pizza, burgers, and mac and cheese. Offering “modern comfort,” it says, means using a wider variety of options—including global flavors.

Wherever operators look for inspiration, Boar’s Head Bold® meats have creative applications. “We’ve used Boar’s Head Bold® items in every type of menu application, from breakfast scrambles to pasta fillings,” Ische says.

To elevate a chicken pot pie without elevating your workload, substitute Boar’s Head Bold® Madrasala®  Curry Chicken Breast for standard chicken. Already fully cooked, Bold Madrasala®  Curry Chicken Breast “takes away much of the work,” Ische explains. “You’re just combining the mirepoix with the chicken breast and velouté sauce to make the pot-pie filling.”

Looking for other creative applications? To prepare an on-trend Asian-inspired noodle bowl, cut Ichiban Teriyaki® Style Chicken Breast into strips and combine with beef broth, soba noodles and vegetables. Or create a hearty Farmer’s Market Pasta by adding diced Bold BourbonRidge® Uncured Smoked Ham to al dente pasta with grilled asparagus, sugar snap peas and zucchini.

More versatility, less labor

Operators have a head start in developing appealing items like these when they use Boar’s Head Bold®  meats, which are fully cooked and ready-to-use—thereby sparing them the labor and consistency issues of scratch-cooked proteins. Better still, these whole-muscle meats “can be manipulated in any way an operator can use a cooked, whole protein,” Ische says. Think sliced, diced, cubed, chopped, pulled, shredded or cut into medallions.

Such versatility is especially important for operators who have had to reduce their kitchen teams, simplify their menus and use ingredients in multiple ways to minimize food and labor costs.

Having premium, fully cooked, ready-to-use meats like those in the Boar’s Head Bold® lineup on hand frees up chefs for other tasks. “I don’t worry that a cook will overcook the turkey breast or season it poorly,” Ische explains. Instead, “I can focus on all of the other things that I need to do.”

Want to attract flavor cravers back to your restaurant?  To receive a sample of Boar’s Head®  products, visit boarsheadfoodservice.com/takeflavorfurther. Find product information, menu inspiration and recipes, and more at boarshead.com/products/bold.

menu the best