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.
