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CATERING’S BACK!

MUCH MORE THAN A SIDE HUSTLE

One good thing to come out of the pandemic years is sky-rocketing off-premise sales. Although a steep learning curve for many, now that systems are in place, adding larger catering platforms for home parties and office events is an instinctive addition for many restaurants, especially fast-casual chains.

  • Customers became accustomed to ordering food delivery through lockdown. Today operators can keep those sales flowing by bringing their signature dishes in boxed or buffet styles to diners’ homes.
  • Corporate catering has matured alongside today’s more sophisticated, global palates. Food has become more important to company culture. With delivered experiences, businesses can welcome employees back into the office with team-building meal packages.
  • Do the research: determine which menu items hold up best to travel, are reordered most frequently, and generate social media shares for the most successful catering menus.
  • Bring the fun! Interactive meals such as taco bars, pizza parties, sandwich building blocks—these are the type of events that bring people together, whether it’s work or play.
  • Never forget the guest experience both on and off premise. Ensure that your dishes exceed expectations even when on-the-go!

Diners are increasingly hyper-focused on high-protein and plant-based foods. Alongside all of the new-fangled, lab-based, cell-cultured options out there is the humble bean. A staple food for millenia, beans are being re-examined as a healthy, versatile ingredient worthy of menu inclusion.

  • Retro and heirloom recipes—like Southern succotash, French cassoulet, and Cajun red beans and rice—fit the bill for those in search of authenticity.
  • Most world cuisines incorporate some type of bean in their classic dishes. Think feijoada in Brazil, black beans and rice with plantains in Puerto Rico, and garbanzo beans in Israel. Modern interpretations of these recipes are packed with produce and herbs.
  • The creamy texture of mung beans is proving an ideal substitute for those that are eliminating soy from their diets.