Boosting Foodservice Sales Through Menu Innovation
By Mike Baker, EVP, Foodservice Sales, CORE Foodservice and Anthony Marolla, Director of Culinary, CORE Foodservice
To drive growth, loyalty, and ROI in our continued challenging economic environment, foodservice operators need to dial into new and trending menu concepts, new product options, and staff training more than ever before. Consumers are looking for enjoyable dining experiences and turning to operators to provide them with new variety at accessible prices. Even when consumers are tightening their wallets, they are reluctant to compromise on quality and flavor. Consideration of the guest’s entire experience, from menu variety to food delivery, is critical.
With such headwinds, how do operators and brands measure what matters and effectively navigate to success? The answer is menu innovation.
While most operators are familiar with the product sales capabilities provided by foodservice partners, a complementary solution that can deliver immense support and measurable ROI is CORE Foodservice’s menu innovation, executed by our experienced culinary team.
Anthony Marolla, CORE’s Director of Culinary and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, empowers our team of 11 culinarians and 75 local selling chefs with ongoing professional development. With diverse culinary backgrounds and specialized skill sets, they support our partners across North America.
“Whether it’s a restaurant, convenience store, school, hospital, or military cafeteria, CORE works directly with operators and brands to help develop a cost-effective menu that reflects industry trends and consumer desires.”
Beyond introducing operators to our clients’ new products, our culinary team demonstrates how to combine several high-performing products from the biggest and best brands in the industry to develop a complete menu concept. Take the following products, for example:
- Four-ounce chicken breast
- New-to-market sauce
- Spicy cheese shreds
- Crispy, peppery topping
- Brioche bun
Rather than individually presenting each product, our chefs combine them to provide operators with a fresh sandwich concept. Then, they train the facility or chain’s chefs to ensure they understand the proper times, temperatures, and product ratios necessary to execute the dish consistently and cost-effectively.
Our culinarians reference industry trends and Acosta Group’s consumer insights to develop strategies and recipe concepts for every segment. With extensive culinary backgrounds, our team is able to utilize our clients’ products in various ways to adapt to consumers’ varied needs, wants, likes, and dislikes.
We strive to measure what matters so our partners earn the greatest return on their investment. So how do our partners recognize ROI in their foodservice operations?
- Utilize CORE’s culinary team – either in client kitchens or at one of CORE’s 50+ test kitchens across North America – to develop new menu concepts ensuring the use of high-quality, seasonal products.
- Implement trending menu offerings developed by CORE specifically for the client’s consumer base.
- Allow CORE’s team to train staff to ensure consistent execution of menu offerings resulting in less product waste and higher profitability.
- Relying on CORE’s team for marketing ideas removes the burden from staff and equips clients with insightful tactics that drive traffic.
Learn more about how CORE Foodservice and The Culinary Edge help operators tackle the challenges of today’s culinary landscape.
