Ingredient versatility is key for foodservice operators

A new Technomic study commissioned by Tyson Foods reveals foodservice operators are looking to streamline the ingredients and menu components they order.

The study, titled “Fresh Meat Purchasing, Menuing and Influences Among Restaurant Operators,” sought to understand the dynamics of fresh beef and fresh pork menu product purchasing and new product decision-making among restaurants in the fast-casual and full-service restaurant spaces.

One hundred fifty chefs and other menu decision-makers participated in the survey. The scope of the research included independent operators, small chains and larger restaurant groups. Restaurants included fast-casual operations, as well as midscale, casual-dining and fine-dining operations within the full-service segment.

The study found that while beef is considered a high demand menu component, many operators view it as less profitable than other menu items due to calculating profitability based on percentage of total food cost. However, the higher menu price associated with beef generally translates to higher profit per plate than other items.

“Through this research, we found that highlighting fresh beef and pork’s versatility is extremely important, especially for independent restaurants,” says Ozlem Worpel, director of marketing, Tyson Fresh Meats. “We sincerely appreciate our foodservice partners’ transparency and look forward to further supporting them by sharing the profit potential we believe to be associated with beef and continuing to co-develop creative pork-based menu solutions to boost consumer demand for pork.”

Other key findings from the report include:

Fresh, all-natural and no antibiotics are key attributes that restaurants find to be most important when evaluating fresh beef and pork.
Operators are no longer able to store slow-moving products and are seeking to simplify menus across meals and dayparts.
Positioning a potential new menu idea as a limited time offering (LTO) is a favorable proposition for the operator and can provide a better chance of being added to the menu permanently.

Industry professionals who are interested in more information from the study can contact the team at https://tysonfreshmeats.com/get-in-touch.

Source: Midan Marketing

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