Ingredients are OBVIOUSLY a crucial part of any food business. This is not a piece of advice, it is a fact! You need ingredients to be able to cook any dish. You already know this, so why have I selected this as the topic for today's discussion?
Your Customer.
What does the customer have to do with your ingredients? Well, a lot! This week for the remaining 5 days left in the week, we will look at the top 5 practices in relation to ingredients that you should implement today to boost customer engagement and unlock opportunities for your business, and I challenge you to incorporate these practices and review the difference between your initial practice and this:
1) EXPOSE YOUR INGREDIENTS IN YOUR MENU
I always like to look at a menu when I consult, it is how I expose the transparency of the kitchen. I sit with a menu and I ask the client to count how many questions I ask about the menu. "What's Gargancelli?"
"What's the sauce made out of?"
"is it vegan/ vegetarian?" "Where's the Lobster from?"
"How's the meat cooked?"
"Is it spicy?"
"What goes well as a side?"
"is it local?"
"it is sustainable..."
Some restaurants are usually great at exposing the ingredients in the menu. Compare the difference between:
OPTION A
LOBSTER: Lobster tail - served with a portion of fries.
&
OPTION B
LOBSTER: Canadian lobster tail, seared in brown butter, parsley and garlic - served with a portion of rosemary salted fries
Imagine for a second, you were looking at 2 different menus from 2 different dinner events, which would you go for, assuming this is all the information you had about the events? I am willing to bet you chose the option B. Most people would say the best lobster tails come from the North Pacific Ocean; the Canadian lobster tail, assuming this to be unanimous with everyone. Now, with option B, not only have you disclosed a location of your ingredient, you have practically informed me that you have sourced the best, you have gone further to inform me about the cooking process of the lobster, as well as the side. Now I know what flavours to expect, and if this flavour combo is right up my street, you have my attention already. People tend to google your menu ahead of time, do not let obscurity within your menu cost you potential customers.
Plan wisely, consider what the customer might need to know, or will find useful knowing, include that in the menu.
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