Nourish Volume 9 | Innovations & Adaptations - Performance Foodservice, Springfield by Performance Foodservice

nourish September - December 2020

Innovations & Adaptations Vol.9

INNOVATIONS ADAPTATIONS

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SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMERS WITH COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS BEYOND FOOD. OUR CURRENT CLIMATE Mid-August gave operators a feeling of “business as usual in the era of COVID-19”, where two thirds of independent restaurant operators feel confident that they will survive the pandemic, but are worried nonetheless. (Datasentials, August 6) 65% of operators are worried (up 7% from May’s polling), 8% are very nervous and 27% are optimistic. Takeout is still carrying the industry as a top revenue source, indoor/outdoor seating has risen but profits continue to erode with the costs incurred by tents & tables, etc. Now as the season begins to wind down, what will the next landscape look like as temperatures drop and outdoor seating becomes less-than desirable?

Performance Edge Materials Available on SharePoint! 4 | Performance

Edge - Innovations & Adaptations

The most recent spikes in US COVID-19 cases have left 56% of operators reporting recent sales declines. Still most business owners believe that there will be a return of some normalcy in about six months. Current polling has tracked the Independent restaurant operator’s “asks and needs for their Broad-liner” over the past three months. Though not much has changed in what those “asks” are, the relevance has. 1. The top “ask” is still for stronger communication over supply chain issues, procurement and deliveries. 2. Continually looking for convenience and laborsaving items as well as items with smaller pack sizes. 3. Help with guest satisfaction and customer engagement, social media marketing tactics. 4. To-go ideas and more family style meals. 5. Cost-effective menu items

Success Stories of Changes Independent Operators have cited their most effective changes since the beginning of the re-entry phases. • 90% of operators find that their updated food/safety procedures have entrusted more customers to return to their establishments. • 86% of operators say that new online ordering and pre-pay functionality has helped them successfully grown sales. • 76% believe that social media engagement and direct marketing have kept their operations relevant in the market. • 74% have increased their outdoor seating capacity. • 74% have added unique and innovative offerings to their limited menu to attract the returning customer.

Contact Michael Schmitt to learn more.

The “three word devil: Third Party Delivery Some operators are able to increase their pricing enough to absorb the exorbitant costs of working with Grubhub, Uber & Doordash. Our market tends to be more price sensitive so this may not be an option for most operators. When it comes to the polling, it’s a split decision: 34% use as little as possible, 33% say it’s essential, 38% find no change in their use for sales growth. Most Recent Consumer Dining Priorities 47% of consumers are not eating out. 34% are nervous but will patron those they trust, and 20% are not concerned. So now what? Customers continue to need our help more than ever. Operations are experiencing recent sales declines (late August over late July) and lack successful ways of tracking sales. This makes it harder to plan, budget and control labor and food costs. Finding solutions for further processed, shelf stable or frozen items could help with stabilizing prime costs. Conversations about their social media plan and menu changes are critical to their business’s sustainability into the “next” future.

Content is the champion What are the interests of their followers? What stories can the operator’s business carry? What content historically attracts their followers? Which employees are creative enough to bring content ideas to the table? Let’s not forget to create a process and follow it. Human behavior to respond is achieved by following a process. Menu What is the goal of the next menu change? Are you adding items from your previously reduced menu or are you still reducing the size of your “regular” menu? What are the drivers on your current menu? How do your menu items hold up in a to-go container? Are you posting pictures of your menu items in the to-go containers? How are you leveraging family meals or meal kits for bigger sales? Are you asking your customers for input on social media? Remember, everyone has an opinion.

digital engagement With any marketing plan, what is the purpose? Is it engagement or is it an offer? What is the content driving followers to do? Perhaps this includes going to a website, placing an order, making a reservation, or becoming a part of their virtual community. Is the operator responding to the follower’s reaction or are they losing that opportunity to further engage them? If you are promoting an offer, is it strong enough to create a sharable reaction? What type of success do you expect from your engagement? Are you looking to increase your customer base by 20% or are you expecting to increase the repeat business from your current customers by 25%?

Performance Edge Materials Available on SharePoint! 6|

Performance Edge - Innovations & Adaptations

Operations Implementing new processes in a state of slower business allows us time to hone and tune them so that when we are back to normal operating levels, we are “leaner” and “meaner” than before.

1 2 3 4 5

Reducing food cost by implementing better processes for ordering, receiving, prep, portion control and customer orders will save an operator on average 4-5% of their food cost. Spreadsheeting (another full-time job) will usually save them only 1.5%. Utilizing their own staff to build an effective “content team” for social media posting, then creating a process for managing stories daily will personalize their digital presence resulting in more interesting engagement and follower growth.

To put a “bow” on this Operators are nervous but do feel they can pull out of this current climate. Measuring business week-to-week is important. Making further menu changes and beginning to add some new ideas is increasing their reach to returning customers. Ensuring food/safety, growing their social media engagement and stronger take-out processes are essential to business survival for most of our market. Chefs, managers and owners need to build better processes and change the former “bad behaviors” of their employees creating better systems to help with profitability, labor and marketing.

Adopting better ways of collecting and using data through new technology will help operators learn how they make money, enabling them to make better business decisions. Reviewing (short-term contracted) fixed expenses such as credit card processing could save them significant money as our “new-norm” includes most sales coming from digital processing. This is now a good time to figure how much an operator needs to make to stay afloat. Repositioning their business model based on current expenses and not “industry standards” will help operators figure out what they need to pass on to the customer. (maybe it is the time to pass on credit card fees?)

Contact Michael Schmitt to learn more.

GET TO KNOW

Erica McKay

Director of Procurement, Performance Foodservice – Springfield WHAT HAS GAINED/MAINTAINED SUCCESS FOR YOU IN THE INDUSTRY? Always try to be better than your best. Be timely and responsive. When you don’t know, say “I will find out”

WHAT’S ONE THING THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT WORKING AT PERFORMANCE FOODSERVICE? How much of a family atmosphere we have and how strong the team ethic is!

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU WERE EVER GIVEN? WHO WAS IT FROM? “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” From a fortune cookie!

WHAT’S THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE EVER HAD? Anything that came from Grandma’s kitchen

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY? I’ve been in procurement for 20 years (Nonfoods & Jan/San for 13 and Foodservice focused for 7)

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST FOOD YOU’VE EVER EATEN? I tried camel once – there was a restaurant in NYC doing Hump Day Burgers. I didn’t like it!

WHAT PIQUED YOUR INTEREST ABOUT YOUR ROLE?

WHAT WOULD WE MOST LIKELY FIND YOU DOING ON THE WEEKEND?

Moving into management and being able to share my knowledge with others

Spending time with my husband & kids, catching up on chores, and binging Netflix

8 | Meet

Erica McKay | Smarter Flavor Innovation

Smarter Flavor Innovation Today’s tighter menus need SKUs that work harder By Flavor & The Menu on August 3, 2020 Restaurant brands are having to take a long look at their menus, optimizing them for efficiency and profitability. As the industry adjusts to a new normal, solving labor, safety and other back-of-house issues is a top priority. At the same time, honing a competitive edge has never been more important—and that, as always, comes down to a singular, craveable flavor experience. The challenge, then, is finding workable solutions while still providing culinary excellence. “Chefs essentially are now working with less labor and need scratch-quality products that can help them create trend-forward menu items without any loss of integrity,” says Leccese. “They don’t lose that integrity of ingredient with us. Our ability to source locally grown produce year-round for all of our products gives restaurants scratchquality ingredients.” He points to Haliburton’s Toasted Chipotle Salsa. “We don’t start with tomato paste or smoke flavors,” he says. “We source fresh-picked tomatoes, authentic dried chiles, then develop flavors through fire roasting, to help create signature menu items. We’re using the same produce that they’re using for their handcrafted dishes—we are just doing the labor for them.”

MAXIMIZING FLAVOR Flavor building includes strategic use of high impact ingredients. Haliburton can help. Mike Leccese, Director of Culinary and R&D, Haliburton International Foods, Inc., a specialty foods processor, and the culinary team specialize in creating customized, hand-crafted quality SKUs for multiple menu items—from Ready-To-Eat roasted vegetables to sauces, soups, IQF grains and legumes.

5 WAYS WITH CERTIFIED READY-TO-EAT CHIMICHURRI 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Marinade barbecue ribs then brush on after grilling Spoon over grilled flatbread with pistachio-crusted tofu topped with pickled radish Drizzle atop honey-roasted carrots Drizzle over grilled flank steak & rice bowl Mix with aïoli and toss with hot and salty shoestring fries

Flank Steak Panzanella Salad Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 1 pt Peak Grape Tomato #419221 1 ½ cup Peak Cucumber, chunks #951884 ½ cup Peak Red Onion, Sliced #907425 8 oz Little Leaf Farms Spring Mix #529376 12 oz Belgioso Fresh Mozzarella Cilliegine #966721 1 ½ cups West Creek Garlic Crouton #321335 2 T Roma Basil Pesto #318036 ¾ cup Piancone Mediterranean Dressing #258792 20 oz Hormel Fire Braised Flank Steak #588236

Preparation Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Wash and cut tomatoes in half. Wash, remove ends, and large dice cucumbers. Peel and slice red onions. Slice flank steak across the grain and set aside. In large mixing bowl combine tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, mozzarella, pesto and dressing, mix well. 6. Toss in croutons and mix to coat, add more dressing if too dry. 7. Place spring greens in clear container, portion tomato , mozz, bread salad on top, lay slices of flank steak on top of tomato salad.

10 | Steak

Panzanella Salad Recipe

surge in meals to go brings packaging challenges and innovation Operators share how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dealing with availability, sustainability and other issues as packaging demand grows. By Patricia Cobe on Jul. 22, 2020

12 | Surge

In Meals To Go Brings Packaging Challenges & Innovation

When colleges, schools and workplaces shut down early this spring, foodservice operations either came to an abrupt halt or were scaled way back. The dining halls and cafeterias that remained open quickly transitioned to takeout and/or delivery exclusively, and foodservice packaging needs changed drastically. “The education market quickly became almost nonexistent,” says Natha Dempsey, president of the Food Packaging Institute (FPI), a trade association for the industry. “As a result, some manufacturers decreased packaging production.” That shift left some foodservice operators scrambling. To complicate the situation, the packaging supply chain suffered a few kinks. At the start of lockdowns in the U.S., areas of Europe and Asia had already been shut down for weeks, and problems developed over importing materials for containers and disposables. Further delays were caused by reduced labor overseas and transportation snags. Manufacturers in the states were not closing production facilities, but there were many pinch points, Dempsey says. “Along with disruptions in transportation and shipping, with offices and stores like Target closed, there was very little recycling of paper and corrugated cardboard,” she says. The packaging industry relies on these materials to make containers and boxes.

Communication and flexibility are key Through it all, operators who embraced flexibility and maintained close ties with vendors were able to get the packaging they needed. “For a while, paper bags were in short supply but we found an alternate source,” says Lynn Browning, head of retail excellence for Sodexo. “We also ordered more than we needed of certain items and held them in our warehouses. For example, we purchased 300 cases of compostable salad bowls instead of 100 to keep a constant flow.”

Browning also maintains continuous communication with managers at each Sodexo location to stay on top of demand. “We’re expecting big orders from the C&U sector starting in August and through the fall,” she says. “We’re going into unchartered territory but takeout and delivery are going to continue to be the focus.” Andrew Greene, chef and sector purchasing manager for Chartwells Higher Education, agrees. “We anticipate there will be an increased demand for takeout/graband-go and are prepared to work with our third-party commissary partners as well as internal commissary solutions to help meet any consumer demand with delicious offerings,” he says. Greene has also aimed to be a good steward of packaging supply during the pandemic. “Since the onset of COVID-19 we have been working together with Foodbuy—our internal partner/purchasing arm—to secure disposables and anything else required as we shift to accommodate new service styles,” he says. “Communication has been key to help reduce the bullwhip effect and earmark the right amount of supply, ensuring it is available where it is needed.” Disposable manufacturers are largely keeping up, Greene adds. Chartwells does its part to “help level off demand shocks,” he says. “We have been working transparently with our partners since March to understand and secure the needed materials and working arm and arm with Foodbuy and our distribution partners, building in some flexibility to help us all be successful this fall.”

The sustainability challenge Now that supply has pretty much caught up with demand, other issues have emerged. Grab-and-go and takeout were already on the rise before the coronavirus crisis, and priorities such as compostable packaging and zero waste were top of mind for many noncommercial operators.

14 | Surge

In Meals To Go Brings Packaging Challenges & Innovation

Sustainability is still a priority, but packaging safety and performance are gaining importance in the current environment. “Sustainability is an important part of our culture, and we are always looking for ways to find more sustainable options,” Greene says. “Our goal is to be more sustainable but the primary concern here is making sure our associates and guests are safe.” Initiatives such as tamperproof packaging and singleuse utensils in sanitary wrappers are more essential than ever to the foodservice program. That said, “sustainability is personally a passion of mine, and we are doing everything we can to implement sustainable options where we can,” says Greene. Sodexo is on the same page. The company’s Simply To Go program, which offers grab-and-go meals to B&I and college dining locations, uses branded compostable packaging. “Our menus are focusing on foods that fit the packaging and make for easy grab and go,” says Browning. “Tamperproof packaging is a very big trend going forward,” says FPI’s Dempsey, “but performance is everything. The industry is putting more innovation around performance to get food as close to restaurant quality as possible.” Sodexo is already innovating around contactless beverage dispensing, meal ordering and payment. “We began rolling out our app called Bite, and now it’s almost everywhere Sodexo has accounts,” says Browning. Customers not only can view menus and nutrition information through Bite, they now can order and pay for carryout and delivery through the app and take advantage of promotions, she says. Everyone in foodservice is collaborating to come up with the best solutions, Dempsey says: “I’m optimistic that we’ll see lots of packaging innovation come out of COVID-19.”

TEN TOP TAKEOUT

Innovations

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UNCONVENTIONAL TAKEOUT FOODS

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when appraising your potential takeout options. Most items in your restaurant’s pantry that would otherwise spoil—eggs, bulk meats, cheeses, condiments, etc.—can be repurposed into unconventional takeout options, such as charcuterie boards, BYO omelettes, dough, sides a la carte, signature sauces, and more.

CREATIVE CORONAVIRUS SPECIALS

Speak to your customers’ current experience with specials and promotions tailored to the lockdown. Everyone needs a bit of levity right now, and specials like Quarantine Kits, Lockdown Lunches, Social Distancing Desserts, and Stay Home Hors D’oeuvres will help distinguish your takeout. Some restaurants have taken it a step further by including toilet paper and other essential supplies with their orders.

HEAT-AND-EAT DISHES

Not all dishes work well for takeout. Some meals can’t be easily packaged, and certain foods will lose their heat or texture in transit. Restaurants have adapted to the problem by creating heat-and-eat dishes. These dishes can be frozen or refrigerated, prepared en-masse ahead of time, and sold via delivery or carryout. They’re a great workaround for restaurants who never considered takeout when planning their menu.

MEAL KITS

Other restaurants have taken the heat-and-eat option a step further. They’re deconstructing their favorite dishes, packaging the ingredients with instructions, and delivering them as meal kits to their hungry customers. Not only are meal kits a fun divergence from typical takeout fare, they’re generally more cost-effective for the average family looking to feed four to five people.

FOOD SUBSCRIPTIONS

The subscription service model represents all-new terrain for restaurants. Prior to COVID-19, purchasing a meal subscription from your favorite restaurant did not even exist as a concept. Now, it’s become the latest innovation in a yearslong shift away from tradition restaurant sales towards takeout. Customers sign up for a plan with their favorite restaurant, and their meals are delivered or picked up at a predetermined time. Subscriptions provide business with steady, reliable income.

16 | Ten Top Takeout Innovations

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WHOLESALE INGREDIENTS

With mere hours to collect themselves after the closure orders were sent out, many restaurants are reckoning with what to do with surplus inventory. To move the inventory before it spoils, several restaurants have started selling their ingredients in bulk, either to other business or directly to the consumers, sometimes right from the store.

HASHTAG MOVEMENTS

At this point, you’ve probably seen them on social media: #TakeoutTuesday #TakeoutTakeover #CarryoutWednesday #TheGreatAmericanTakeout. Participating in national hashtag campaigns can amplify your brand and help you reach new audiences. Make sure you also tag your location (city or district, not physical address) so that local customers can easily find you while browsing.

MEAL DONATION

Meal donations are becoming more popular as people reckon with how to best support local communities and their favorite restaurants. Some kitchens have switched over completely to a donation model, where every meal purchased goes to medical first responders, out-of-work food service employees at-risk communities, and anyone else on the frontlines fighting against COVID-19. Other restaurants have used a “Buy two meals, we donate one” promotion to help give back.

CARRYOUT COCKTAILS

Alcoholic drinks are a high-margin menu item and generally represent anywhere from 20–30 percent of a restaurant’s sales. In light of this, many states have lifted their laws on alcohol delivery, allowing restaurants to serve sealed drinks to go. Restaurants have responded in varied and creative ways with Cocktail Kits, Take Home Margarita Mix, Whiskey Tasters, and Blood Mary Makings.

WINE PAIRINGS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

According to The New York Times, wine sales are up 66 percent since the beginning of quarantine. To meet this demand, restaurants have been selling wine by the case, pairing wines with their favorite dishes, and offering wine subscriptions that deliver monthly or bimonthly. Moving backstocks of wine is an easy injection of cash into your takeout program.

southwest shrimp lettuce wraps Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 8 each Boston Lettuce #951880 16 each Baywinds Shrimp 31-40 CKPD/T OFF

#573834

2 cups Cedars Black Bean Salad #243623 Âź cup Simplot Roastworks Flame Roasted Corn

#882778

Âź cup Tulkof Chipotle Aioli #311583 1/8 cup Peak Cilantro #855549 2 Peak Lime, one cut into wedges

#259124

TT Salt and Pepper

Preparation Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Wash and trim lettuce, separate leaves. Thaw shrimp and cut in half if desired. Thaw corn and mix with shrimp, bean salad, aioli, juice of one lime, and a little salt and pepper. Mix well. To serve lay out 2 lettuce leaves in clear container, fill with even amounts of salad. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedge.

18 | Southwest

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Uncover the true cost of linen napkins

Uncover the True Cost of Linen Napkins

How much your linen napkins really cost? Linen vs.do Disposable Napkins Many people assume using real linenCost is more eco-friendly and cost effective Uncover the True of Linen Napkins How much do your linen napkins really cost? thanpeople usingassume disposable napkins. and But,costresearch provides otherwise. Many using real linen is Napkins more eco-friendly effective than Linen vs.premium Disposable

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THE NAPKIN ITSELF

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That’s 930 gallons of water used daily — or 340,000 gallons yearly — per restaurant to wash linens.

Cleanliness The type of detergent, temperature of the water, and what your If you’re not working a third-party certified hygienic commercial launderer, napkins are beingwith washed with affect sanitary your napkins are.2 That’s half theall water inhow an Olympic Swimming Pool! there’s a potential risk for cross-contamination with your linens. Protect your customer’s health with premium, disposable napkins! The type 2of detergent, temperature of the water, and what your 1 Q1 Consulting Institute of Food Science & Technology napkins are being washed with all affect how sanitary your napkins are.2 Cleanliness

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20 The | Linens Reusable Napkinsof the water, and what your type of vs. detergent, temperature

Hoffmaster Group, Inc.® • 2920 N. Main St. • Oshkosh, WI 54901 • www.hoffmaster.com • HI009455

napkins are being washed with all affect how sanitary your napkins are.2

5 Reasons to Reconsider Reusable Napkins

If you’re not working with a thirdparty certified hygienic commerical launderer, there’s potential risk for cross-contamination with your linens. The type of detergent, temperature of the water, and what your napkins are being washed will all affect how sanitary your napkins are. Protect your customer’s health with Premium Disposable Napkins!

TOUCHPOINTS BEFORE USE Before you put a napkin to your mouth, ask yourself where it’s been and how long it’s been used.

LAUNDERING CONDITIONS Do you know how clean your napkins really are? The water temperature, detergent and items your napkins are washed with all determine the true cleanliness of your linens. With premium disposable napkins, you never have to worry about cleanliness.

ABSORBENCY Materials like polyester and blended fibers do not absorb liquids as well as durable disposables.

STORAGE AFTER USE Dirty linens are often stored with items that can create a bacteria-harboring environment. Items with food particles and debris from dining tables Used uniforms Used guest towels Throw any worries away along with your used disposable napkin!

PATRON PERCEPTION AND BRAND IMAGE The top consumer trend post-COVID is a food-safety-first mentality. Patrons will no longer choose a restaurant based on what’s “the best”, but rather, “the safest”. High-end disposables maintain premium appearance while providing more convenience and cleanliness.

GET TO KNOW

Randy Sullivan

Non-Foods/Beverage Category Manager, Performance Foodservice - Springfield WHAT PIQUED YOUR INTEREST ABOUT YOUR ROLE?

WHAT HAS MAINTAINED SUCCESS FOR YOU IN THE INDUSTRY?

I was an auditor for a large hotel right out of college and part of that job was procurement but on a small scale. I hated the accounting part but loved the purchasing aspect, so I took a chance and left auditing and started my new career in procurement 6 years ago. It was the best decision I ever made! I moved into the specialist role less than a year ago. Purchasing non-foods and having great relationships with our vendors/partners over the years was the perfect skill set to have when becoming a specialist.

I am very competitive. My wife calls me stubborn, but in a positive way. I believe this drive is what has maintained success for me. Learning from my successes and failures only helps me improve on the next goal or project and helps maintain that competitive edge. Every quarter I write down 4 major goals that I hope to achieve. At the end of the quarter I look back at my goals to see what has been accomplished. I believe the little things like that lead to success because it means you truly are passionate about your role. Sue Clavette, one of our Category Managers shared the advice to “Make it your own” and this is something that has always stuck with me since I started with PFG.

Q ANY INTERESTING STORIES TO TELL?

I was with PFG for less than a week when my wife went into labor with our son. I remember sitting at the hospital all night stressing, not because I was having a kid but because I had to call out my first week. Perfect timing, who calls out their first week? Luckily, Mike Beynor (Director at the time) is one of the greatest people you could work with and understood the situation. He knew that I was nervous about it, told me to enjoy the experience and that he will see me the next week. Thanks Mike!

22 | Meet

Randy Sullivan

WHAT’S ONE THING THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT WORKING AT PERFORMANCE FOODSERVICE? The family culture. I really enjoy the teams I have been able to work with, especially the Procurement and Specialist team. Anytime I need help with something, there is never a shortage of volunteers. The culture at PFG is exactly what you need to keep the drive going.

n WHAT’S ONE THING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?

a I used to run marathons, 15 to be exact. This includes the Paris and Barcelona Marathons. It all started when I was in college in Providence, R.I. hanging with a few friends and for some reason we started talking about the Providence Marathon coming to town the next week. I had no idea how long a marathon was I thought it was just a short race, so of course I had to open my mouth “running is easy I could win that”. My friends dared me to run it with no training and I did, 26.2 miles! Talk about painful...but I finished and I remember coming down the final stretch to the finish line and all my friends and family were cheering me on because they could not believe that I actually just finished a full marathon with no training. The cheering and excitement from them got me hooked so I ran 14 more marathons, with proper training of course. Oh, did I mention I don’t know how to cook, ironic huh? Thank god for my wife.

WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE MEAL? Just put a Filet Mignon in front of me and I will be happy!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB TO A BUNCH OF FIVE-YEAROLDS? Well, I have a 5-year-old, so this is easy! Basically, whenever we go out to eat at a restaurant, I point out the napkins, takeout containers, etc. and tell him Daddy is in charge of these!

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST FOOD YOU’VE EVER EATEN? The weirdest food I think I’ve ever eaten would have to be chicken feet. A few years back I had Dim Sum for the first time and there was a plate of what appeared to be raw chicken feet. I don’t think I would eat that again.

Just Salad Introduces â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cleaning Captainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Role

The position, introduced at units in early July, is responsible for maintaining strict cleaning protocols Holly Petre | Jul 14, 2020

24 | Just

Salad Introduces "Cleaning Captain" Role

Just Salad, a fast-casual salad chain based in New York City, has unveiled and implemented a new safety position in response to the coronavirus pandemic – cleaning captain. As part of the job, the cleaning captain alternates between cleaning the customer-facing areas (such as door handles and tables) and back-of-house areas (such as kitchens and interior doors) in 20- to 30-minute increments. “The conversation with our managers was that we don’t want this to be a fad in the industry, we want this to be an actual position where we take ownership and pride in making sure our stores are safe for the guests and all of the team members who work in our stores,” said Apolinar Chavez, chief operating officer at Just Salad. High-traffic areas are the main priority for the cleaning captain, and the first target of each 20- to 30-minute cycle is the door handle, the most-used customer touchpoint. The captain then moves on to the dining room, which includes the five biggest contact areas, according to Chavez: the doors, the entrance to the beginning of the ordering process, the dressing station, the point-of-sale/register area, and the pickup area shelving. After that cycle is complete, the captain must go to the back, sanitize themselves, wash their hands, change gloves and towels before sanitizing the back of the store. That includes the refrigeration, assembly stations and other “backline” areas that customers don’t touch. “Creating the cleaning captain position allowed our employees to take the ownership and have the feeling that they’re keeping everybody safe,” said Chavez.

The role was given to current employees and, in most cases, to the line member at the location with the highest seniority. They’ve been working in their new roles since July 6. Any employees re-entering the staff following layoffs or furloughs have to re-train, including a walkthrough of cleaning-captain training so they “understand cleaning and sanitizing procedures,” according to Chavez. Chavez explained that corporate leadership created a D1, or day one, committee to determine what customers and staff would need for the first day of reopening. The committee included one or two members from each department, and they worked to determine both what the guest would want to see and what team members would need to feel safe. Chavez said there could be a future role in corporate opening up to lead these efforts and ensure safety but, for now, his team is heading up operations and sanitization. Other than this role, Just Salad’s safety measures include mandatory masks to enter stores, triplewashing produce, routine wellness checks – including temperature checks – before shifts, and free hand sanitizer for customers. The chain has also continued and expanded its contactless ordering and payment system put in place before the pandemic began.

GREEK STYLE BENTO BOX Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 1 ¼ cup Cedars Original Hummus #243599 1 cup Cedars Teboule #497601 1 pt Peak Grape Tomato #419221 1 each Peak Cucumber, cut into 2” long wedges

#951884

¾ cup Northeast Kalamata Pitted Olives

#247038

8 oz Athenos Feta Cheese Chunk #982216 12 each Kontos 2” Grilled Cocktail Pita

Preparation Instructions 1.

26 | Greek

Arrange all ingredients into multi-compartment container.

Style Bento Box Recipe

#504762

Restaurant

Marketing Tips to Drive Revenue During COVID-19

28 | 21

Restaurant Marketing Tips

This period has been incredibly challenging for so many, and we want to support you in every way possible. Here are some ideas to help you engage with customers online, boost awareness around your takeout and delivery offerings, and keep your business going strong during this unprecedented time.

THE BASICS 1. Over-Communicate. Tell your customers that you’re open for takeout and delivery on social media, over email, and on your website (anywhere customers might look!). Share your hours, open locations, special offerings and deals, delivery platforms, safety measures, and how every order is helping you keep your business running (from paying employees, to keeping the lights on). Take a look at Gott’s Roadside for some great examples of communications around COVID-19. And check out these videos and resources from Restaurant Playbooks for tips on offering safe takeout and delivery service and communicating food safety to your customers.

use themselves, to donate to delivery workers and local hospitals, or to save for a future holiday. Here’s a great example of a website devoted entirely to supporting local restaurants in the California Bay Area through gift cards. 5. Check in with your Delivery Partners to see if they are already offering support and promos. Some delivery platforms (DoorDash, for example) are already offering free delivery. You can opt in and promote this perk on your website and social media channels. Some also have a “first time free” program, which allows customers to try your restaurant with free delivery.

WAYS TO ADD TO YOUR MENU 6. Give the People What They Want. Research the most searched for dishes in your area to make sure you’re cooking all the dishes that your customers are craving. Check out the Grub Hub “Year in Food” Report to see what’s popular in your area. In times like these, comfort food is king.

2. Share Your New Menu. Show your customers what you have available for delivery and pick-up, and appeal to their cravings (everyone gets sick of cooking pasta at home after a while!). Check out this post from Bareburger for an example.

7. Offer Meal-Kits and Family Meals. Have some menu favorites that your customers can’t get enough of? Offer them in larger orders to limit the number of times customers need to leave their homes and give them plenty of food to last the week. Hopdoddy recently launched a Quarantined Together Meal Kit, and it looks amazing.

3. Put a Sign on your Door. Located in an area with some foot traffic? When customers leave their homes for some much needed fresh air, they might walk by your restaurant and peek inside. Put a sign on your door to let them know you’re open for delivery and pick-up, and call out the delivery apps you’re partnered with so people know where to look for you. If you can, post your latest menu on the door as well.

8. Double as a general store. Grocery store shelves are dwindling, and customers are looking for staple items to cook at home. Sell essentials like olive oil, spices, sauces and even Impossible Burger (see next idea!) to help your customers stock up. And as of last week, you can even sell your Impossible Burger inventory directly to consumers to cook at home. Here’s a great example from Prairie in San Francisco.

9. Sell Impossible™ Burger directly to consumers to cook at home. Stock your new general store with Impossible Burger. On March 26, the US Food and Drug Administration issued temporary guidance to allow you to more easily sell your food inventory directly to consumers during the COVID-19 outbreak. We’re temporarily lifting our restrictions on selling foodservice products to consumers so you can take advantage of this change. That means you can sell Impossible Burger 5 lb bricks, 1/4 lb patties, and 1/3 lb patties directly to your guests – just print out and give them a copy of this PDF when you sell the product. The price is up to you. 10. Organize a CSA with your Suppliers. Work with your suppliers to put together CSA boxes of produce and other essentials so that customers can sign up for weekly deliveries of perishable items. 11. Add Beer and Wine to your To-Go Menu. Sometimes a burger just doesn’t taste the same without a beer. Offer some of your drink menu favorites for an even better to-go selection. Yummy example from Pi Co Pizza here.

SOCIAL MEDIA INITIATIVES 12. Take Audiences Behind-the-Scenes by Going Live on Instagram. You’re the expert. Connect with your customers by showing them how the magic happens behind the scenes, and highlighting the BOH employees that are working hard to facilitate takeout orders. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to catch our weekly live cooking shows! And check out East Village Pizza for more inspiration.

30 | 21

Restaurant Marketing Tips

13. Feature your Customers on Social Media. Are your customers posting about their takeout and delivery orders from your restaurant? Build community and increase business by reposting some of what they share on your own channels. Here’s an example from Crossroads Kitchen. Then ask your social media audience what they want to see via tweets and Instagram Story polls so that you can proactively create the recipes they’re hungry for. 14. Host a Social Media Sweepstakes. Build community and encourage more orders by offering prizes or meals to customers who tag you in their posts or stories. Great example here from Fatburger. 15. Share Recipes for Favorite Menu Items. Even if you’ve decided to close your kitchen entirely, you can still build awareness, goodwill and community by sharing a favorite recipe on social media. That will keep your customers thinking of you, and bring them rushing back when you reopen your doors. Check out this example from Saxon + Parole in NYC.

RELEVANT SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #SaveRestaurants: Leverage this hashtag in Instagram

Stories to appear in their highlight reel. #OpenforDelivery: DoorDash’s campaign hashtag helps encourage local restaurant support by promoting delivery. #DoYourPartChallenge: Celebrities are nominating others to participate in a #DoYourPartChallenge and donate meals. #SupportSmallBusiness: Unite with other small businesses, and help customers find you.\

DELIVERY ADD-ONS 16. Throw in a Thank You Card. Show your customers how grateful you are for their support with a simple thank you card in their takeout or delivery bag. 17. Include Coloring Book Pages. If you have any in stock that you typically use for dine-in customers, throw a few into delivery and takeout orders. A lot of kids are out of school, and their parents are eager to find new activities to fill the day. And who knows, some of your adult patrons might even try them!

CONTRIBUTE TO THOSE IN NEED 18. Provide meals for healthcare workers. Consider supporting your community by soliciting donations and providing meals to healthcare workers and others on the front lines of fighting this virus. Great example here from MIXT in San Francisco. Check out World Central Kitchen or your favorite local organization to get involved. 19. Deliver extra inventory to food banks. If you have excess inventory that is at risk of expiring or can’t be used with your shifting business model, donate it to local food banks, which are experiencing unprecedented demand as unemployment rates grow. Some cities have regional databases of local food banks, like this one for Los Angeles. And Feeding America has a nationwide network of food banks.

OTHER IDEAS 20. Consider Co-Branded Partnerships. Are there other local restaurants that you can partner up with to incentivize orders? Co-branded partnerships can help to extend reach by cross-pollinating content on multiple channels simultaneously. And they build a sense of community around local favorites. 21. Create Zoom Backgrounds of your Restaurant. Have customers who are working from home? Give them Zoom image backgrounds featuring your FOH to download and use during their conference calls (and not just during lunch!). Check out these examples from Dennys. We hope these tips provide helpful inspiration to you and your team. We also put together a collection of downloadable social media images that you can use on your channels to let customers know you’re available for delivery and takeout.

sweet potato salad Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 1 lb Simplot Roastworks Maple Sweet Potatoes

#61623

1 cup Simplot Roastworks Fiji Apple

#57777

½ cup Savor Caramelized Onion #561998 1 T Peak Chives, chopped #855552 ¼ cup Arcade Pepitas Raw #301377 ½ cup Ken’s Apple Cider Vinaigrette

#317907

Preparation Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4.

Thaw sweet potato and apples. In mixing bowl, combine, potato, apple, onion, chives, and cider vinaigrette and mix well. Place mixed salad on greens if desired. Garnish with lightly toasted pepitas.

32 | Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

Building a new mindset Solving the food waste issues of today will be the difference between operators surviving or shutting their doors in the future. By Benita Gingerella on Jan. 23, 2020

“

The moment you start measuring waste, people start to act differently.” —Andrew Shakman

34 | Building

A New Mindset

Last summer, food management company Sodexo announced a lofty goal: It would cut its food waste in half by 2025. One of the main ways it’s making that goal a reality is by slowly changing the way the company thinks about its day-to-day operations, says Nell Fry, senior manager for Sodexo’s Sustainability Office of Corporate Responsibility. “We’ve made food waste invisible because it’s been built into our systems. It’s built into our culinary training in a way that makes sense in certain aspects but maybe doesn’t in others,” she says. “Display plates are a really good example of something where you’re like, ‘Oh, this is worth doing; it’s marketing.’ But is it worth doing the way that we’re doing [it]?” Confronted with a warming climate and mounting pressure from consumers, operators are looking for ways to rethink what they throw away in their kitchens today to make sure they’re still operating tomorrow.

Waste diners don’t see Consumer education and awareness will play a large role in how the future of food waste evolves. Today, many consumers focus on the waste they can see firsthand. Single-use plastics have been under intense scrutiny from consumers, leading operations such as Bon Appetit Management Co. to ban them outright. Less attention, however, is being placed on the food waste that’s occurring in the back of house, outside of consumers’ sight. According to Technomic’s 2019 College & University Consumer Trend Report, just over half (52%) of college students say they would like their school to reduce plastic waste by eliminating single-use plastics such as straws and cups, while only 43% of college students say they would like their schools to reduce food waste by offering more dishes that use all parts of the ingredients.

To bring more attention to food-specific waste, some in the foodservice industry are taking steps to bring consumers into the fold of what’s happening behind the scenes. Leanpath, a food waste tracking company that measures waste by weight in real time, has been installing front-ofhouse digital signage at operations that use its software. The signage broadcasts to customers how much food has been wasted so far that day. Educating guests isn’t all high-tech and datadriven, though. At Miller Union, an independent farm-to-table restaurant in Atlanta, co-owner and Executive Chef Steven Satterfield also tries to educate the public about food waste and why they should care. Last year, he partnered with guest chefs to host a zero-waste dinner in celebration of Miller Union’s 10th anniversary. The menu featured dishes that incorporated ingredients that would normally be thrown away. Going forward, he plans to continue to host public events to drive awareness and education of the impact food waste has on the industry and the world.

Attention to drive time frame Operational cost and ease are not necessarily the driving force behind waste-reduction efforts, either. How quickly consumers focus on what goes on in the kitchen will determine what the future of food waste looks like. If consumers keep pressuring companies to cut waste, whether it’s single-use plastics or actual food, Fry says, they’ll be forced to come up with solutions. “We’re already seeing this become an expectation,” says Fry, citing the attacks on single-use straws and cups. “Consumers are changing their behaviors and saying, ‘We don’t want to hear it—just do it.’ It’s going to become a baseline expectation. If it’s not legislated, consumers will demand it.” In step with the consumer mindset, current legislation also focuses on single-use plastics. A law in Vermont that will go into effect this summer bans retailers and restaurants from providing single-use carryout bags, straws and plastic stirrers, as well as cups, takeout or other food containers made from expanded polystyrene. California has also banned single-use straws and is looking to phase out single-use plastics by 2030. If the consumer mindset begins to shift toward eliminating food waste, regulations addressing how much food waste an operation produces could be next.

“

Consumers are changing their behaviors and saying, "We don’t want to hear it, just do it.’ It’s going to become a baseline expectation. If it’s not legislated, consumers will demand it.” —Nell Fry

36 | Building

A New Mindset

“

Fry also believes that, going forward, operators will have to look at what is going on beyond what they throw away. “I think as you have climate change impacting our supply chains, it’s going to cause a lot of volatility in cost,” she says. “In 10 years, I think it’s not going to just be about food waste on-site. I think it’s going to be a much bigger picture than that. Food waste is a system, and it’s going to be a lot more systems focused.” Looking toward the future, Leanpath CEO Andrew Shakman believes that the industry will move away from the term “zero waste” and will instead strive for a circular economy where all operations’ waste can be reused in some other way and not end up only in the landfill or compost bin. “What happens is one operation may have a byproduct that we want to call waste, and the goal is to design that so that it can become a feedstock for some other operation,” he says, suggesting that used cooking oil, for example, can be turned into biodiesel fuel.

Putting real data behind the problem Today’s foodservice operators make decisions based on data—and it’s no different when it comes to the ROI of waste. As food waste goals move forward, expect to see more operators looking to quantify the problem with a measurable, realistic solution. The first step in Sodexo’s path to reach wastereduction goals, for example, has been to identify what actually was being wasted. The food management company started installing products from Leanpath to gain insight into what was being wasted at each of its sites.

Before tossing out waste, employees place the discards on the Leanpath scale. The data recorded goes beyond the weight, estimating the value of the item wasted and its environmental impacts. From there, operators can use the data to see how much they are throwing away and come up with solutions to filter waste out of day-to-day operations. These data points show key performance indicators being met, allowing for program expansion. As Sodexo expands the use of Leanpath at additional sites (its goal is to deploy the software at 3,000 sites by this summer and at all of its sites by 2025), it will continue to identify waste-cutting opportunities on a case-by-case basis that are unique to the challenges of a particular operation.

Flavors T Surprising, seasonal flavor combinations enliven non-alc offerings By Flavor & The Menu July 28, 2020 As we head into cooler months, moving menus into warmer flavors is a natural part of the innovation cycle. With nonalcoholic beverages, that often means ramping up warm-drink favorites like pumpkin spice and hot chocolate. Revving up cold drinks with trending fall flavors serves up the spirit of the season and delivers exciting, unexpected and unique offerings. Trend-forward flavor innovation here answers the call by more consumers for non-alc drinks with grown-up sensibilitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; thoughtfully made with intriguing flavor play equal to those seen in the craft cocktail world. Assertive and enticing fall flavors can help create signature non-alc drinks that fit the season.

A Warming Trend These three ingredients are familiar enough to consumers that they set up a nice comfort zone for experimentation. Non-alc drinks that feature these flavors promise big personality.

38 | Flavors

To Fall For

To Fall For Cardamom Heady and aromatic with a touch of citrus, cardamom helps shift lemonades, iced teas and sodas into fall by adding lingering tones of warming spices. Cardamom Iced Tea: Earl grey + cardamom simple syrup + orange peel Cardamom-Orange Blossom Sparkling Lemonade: Club soda + fresh lemon juice + green cardamom simple syrup + orange blossom water + candied rosemary

Butterscotch Nostalgic and comforting, butterscotch is sweet and rich, fortifying non-alc offerings in a satisfying, indulgent way. Smoked Butterscotch Milk Tea: Cold milk + black tea + smoked butterscotch syrup + ice Sparkling Butterscotch-Cranberry Cider : Apple cider + club soda + cranberry bitters + a rim of butterscotch syrup/salt + green apple slice

Fig Honeyed and caramelized notes are the figâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trademark. Bringing them into non-alc beverages introduces depth and seasonal resonance. Countering with acid and herbaceous tones keeps the drinks balanced and refreshing. Fig & Balsamic Collins: Club soda + roasted fig syrup + balsamic vinegar + fresh fig slice Fig & Vanilla Soda: Club soda + fresh lemon juice + fig and vanilla simple syrup + thyme bitters + fresh fig slice

F O O D AND B EV ERAGE CO MPANIES EV O LVE, IN N OVATE & CO N T RIBU TE By Louis Biscotti on Apr 17, 2020 When the coronavirus hit the United States, the food and beverage industry found itself on the front lines of a war. What followed has been a massive transformation likely to have lasting consequences for the industry and the nation. Food and beverage â&#x20AC;&#x153;BCâ&#x20AC;? (before coronavirus), will not resemble the industry during or after. While fighting the uphill struggle to stay in business, food and beverage companies have innovated and adapted. Who could have imagined exclusive shopping hours for first responders or for those over 60, or one-way supermarket aisles, just weeks ago? Liquor companies making hand sanitizer?

40 | Food

& Beverage Companies Evolve

Companies delaying new product launches to keep up with demand? Or calls for combat pay by grocery clerks? Recent weeks have been a case study of an industry reinventing itself, as companies alter shifts to around-theclock, take new safety precautions, change product mixes, increase delivery options and redefine business as usual. Swift decisionmaking has been absolutely essential, and companies have stepped up to make some decisions that are both difficult and painful. There are gloom and doom, job losses, recession, depression and even death. Still, the industry has adapted at a rapid pace, responding with ideas and measures to protect employees and customers, and keep up with demand.

Innovation under Pressure While consumers emptied store shelves of sanitizing gel, local distilleries and bigger companies like Pernod-Ricard, Diageo and Anheuser-Busch re-directed their production lines to manufacture sanitizer, helping alleviate the shortage. States began allowing delivery of alcohol, because we all need a cocktail. Liquor stores saw demand soar. The crisis turned into a big time for some big brands, since consumers want comfort which often means trusted names. Facing fear, people flocked to the familiar. Campbell’s soup, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers and Prego pasta sauce saw double digit jumps in sales. Mondelez saw demand for Oreos, Ritz, Triscuits and others grow online as students stayed home. Snacks became not just food, but an activity. Empty shelves translated into opportunities for other brands, which could emerge as winners as well. Software maker BlueYonder reported that 87 percent of customers found products were out of stock. A survey by Shopkick found that 69 percent of customers bought brands new to them, when their favorites sold out. Big brands built sales while others may have built a new customer base for later. Many companies changed how they reached customers. Peapod, Instacart and other services were inundated as online ordering from supermarkets went on steroids. Chains with drive-throughs stayed open. McDonald’s, in a letter to customers, talked about “convenient and contactless” ways to buy food from drive-through to mobile order-and-pay. National chains like McDonald’s and Subway offered free delivery. Dunkin’ Donuts tapped Grubhub as more stores and companies found they could no longer rely on their old business models. Companies recognized they had to deliver - or see sales drop further.

Restaurants shifted to selling retail as their meal revenue dried up. Panera added some grocery items, once seating ended. Farmers began selling direct to consumers, although some simply dumped produce, creating images of a severed supply chain. Manufacturers stepped up to shift production for safety and medical equipment, while grocers started working around the clock to restock shelves, and big food companies shifted production to meet the needs of the public.

Employee Equation Stores and manufacturers took precautions to protect their workforce and customers. Who would have thought a few months ago that shopping in a supermarket could be seen as dangerous? Albertsons, Stop & Shop, Walmart, Publix, Kroger and many others put up plexiglass barriers at checkout counters. Kroger added partitions at its pharmacy and in-store Starbucks locations. Many retailers, including Costco, are also limiting the number of shoppers permitted through their doors at any one time, with monitors managing lines at six-foot intervals. Perdue Farms said it was installing partitions to separate workers. And Tyson Foods announced infrared body temperature scans to detect fevers. Will workers on assembly lines be separated by partitions or space in the future? Will restaurants have fewer chairs? A new normal could be very different than life BC.

Customers and Charity While companies struggled, big and small players stepped up with donations as demand grew. Private equity firm KKR & Co. set up a $50 million fund for healthcare workers, the poor, small businesses and their employees. Starbucks set aside $10 million for its workers. Target said it was donating 2 million KN95 respirator masks to healthcare providers. Meanwhile, Coca Cola approved $13.5 million in grants in North America, largely for food distribution, on top of smaller grants. PepsiCo pledged $45 million in global relief for areas affected by coronavirus, including $15.8 million in North America. Danone North America announced $1.5 million being donated to food banks and food rescue groups, among others. Amid rising coconut water sales, Vita Coco said it is donating $1 million to Feeding America and No Kid Hungry, according to Food Dive.

42 | Food

& Beverage Companies Evolve

Shopping hasn’t been, and may never be, the same, as stores got creative in protecting at-risk populations and first responders. Stop and Shop is offering special shopping hours to customers 60 and older, while Save Mart Cos. created special hours for first responders at its 205 stores. Walmart, Kroger, Hy-Vee and other supermarkets debuted one-way aisles and limited customers. BJ’s Wholesale Club is limiting shoppers and permitting households to send only one person at a time. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union wanted grocery store workers to be designated “extended first responders,” so they could be tested sooner and get more protective equipment, although that didn’t happen. Problems have persisted as a group representing Instacart gig workers said they would refuse orders until the service provider gives them hazard pay, safety gear, extended paid leave and a 10 percent default tip. Amazon has faced discontent from some workers, even as it hired thousands more. The Food Industry Association asked the federal government to supply grocery store workers with masks. That didn’t happen. The F&B industry’s response may be one of the biggest stories of any industry in history - with many successes alongside struggles and sorrow. When the country looks back, this will be seen as a time of tribulation, but also of innovation. Necessity is still the mother of invention. And as the crisis continues, expect more change before we settle into a new, but likely very different, normal.