NEED FOR SPEED IN FOOD SERVICE
Special feature on N. American Foodservice
Why speed and consistency are critical ingredients in foodservice
Words: Don Noah
Speed and consistency are critical ingredients in foodservice and delivering them is both an opportunity and a threat to operators. Choosing the right beverage platform, such as concentrates, could be a powerful solution to this challenge.
Speed and consistency. These two concepts are key ingredients to any successful food service operation in today’s world – full of online orders, drive-thrus with tracked times, and a steady stream of social- media-driven trends.
All these factors are causing stress and strain on an already burdened industry full of other problems… so why not reduce the complexity through a simpler beverage platform? After all, the beverage category is one of the most profitable areas on the entire menu board.
Many food service operators found themselves either saved, or endangered, by their drive-thru and food delivery abilities as the pandemic raged across the country.
As COVID thankfully recedes, we now find ourselves with a consumer base that expects the drive-thru and delivery model to remain as a pillar of everyday choice.
So why then hasn’t our beverage platform evolved as well? We see coffee and tea programs that demand high labor and time requirements to satisfy this idea of ‘artisanal’, but the reality of the situation is that suppliers, like Finlays, can take operational complexity and push it upstream to our facilities.
The human element is undeniable when creating food and beverage products for your customers.
But that same human element can be met with a concentrate that is produced by hand, but allows the operator to cut the preparation time in half, thereby driving more sales through your stores.
The partner to speed is consistency. You can’t have one without the other to be successful in this business. The same customer that demands a strong drive-thru and delivery experience and desires speed, also expects consistency. Would you spend your money at a store that has a lack of consistency for their beverage products? I certainly wouldn’t, when you consider the rising cost of products in this inflationary time!
Once again, the beverage concentrate is a powerful solution to the consistency issue many operators face. A beverage concentrate requires less labor, less skill, and less time to execute a consistent product, which will keep your customers coming back and stopping them from wondering what level of quality they will get today when visiting the store. Not only this, but a beverage concentrate allows the brand to increase ownership over the flavor profile, so for those that have retail offerings, their store products can better reflect what is offered under the same name at your local convenience or grocery store.
The ’Speed Need’ is only increasing in today’s world of food and beverage. Let’s make things easier for ourselves, and our customers, with some simple beverage concentrate solutions.
Don Noah
Sales Director, Food Services donald.noah@finlays.net
*Source: Finlays. “Cold Brew Consumer Preferences Survey.” Centiment, 2024. Data available upon request.
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