Restaurant menus need regular makeovers.
Updating your menu at least annually — some industry leaders advocate for quarterly — keeps the dining experience fresh for diners and engaging for workers. A menu refresh lets you eliminate items that don’t perform well and respond to trends with new flavors.
But while regular menu changes may be a good idea, they’re not always easy to execute. A kitchen is often designed and equipped with its menu in mind, outfitted with just the right equipment in the perfect amount of space to efficiently produce the menu as it once was.
Retrofitting an existing space to accommodate new menu items with potentially new production methods is challenging but offers a window to make improvements that save time and money.
That’s where the BBS Thin from AyrKing can come in. Designed to fit in as little as 14” of linear space, the BBS Thin was created especially to help restaurants that want to improve their breading without sacrificing space.
We’ve got four ideas for boosting your fried foods program. And three ways the BBS Thin can be a tool to help shake up your menu without shaking up your kitchen.
Elevating your fried foods program — and revenue
1. Make fried pickles more profitable
Improve the prep process for something you’re already making, like fried pickles or other appetizers or side dishes.
For many restaurants breading and frying smaller dishes, hand-sifting has been the standard approach. But the process is time-consuming and wasteful, resulting in increased labor and excess waste.
Processes or equipment that increase efficiency, improve consistency and reduce waste can improve margins on these small but mighty menu players.
2. Give your menu a boost
Add a new appealing item. Introduce higher-margin foods like fried appetizers — think zucchini chips, cheese curds or fried green tomatoes — or beloved comfort foods like chicken tenders.
But be mindful of disrupting your existing kitchen flow or placing heavy labor demands on staff.
3. Follow the trends
Sriracha. Gochujang. Tajin. Get on board with spicy seasoning trends without sacrificing the quality and consistency of your menu staples.
Introducing a second flavor profile to signature fried menu items like chicken tenders or shrimp can freshen up a menu. But it can also involve a lot of work — and a lot of waste — if not managed properly. And by “properly,” we mean at a separate station.
4. Make your food Instagram-ready
In an age of foodie social media, restaurateurs know that their food is going to end up being photographed. Is it ready? Every time?
Good, consistent food quality and appearance start with the prep process. Hand-breaded items are particularly vulnerable to inconsistencies since breading can become lumpy if not properly sifted, resulting in an inferior final product.
How the BBS Thin helps make it a reality
If you can move a trash can, you make room for the BBS Thin to increase efficiency, improve food quality and save money.
Shift a table a little this way or a piece of equipment a little that way, and you’ve made space for the BBS Thin, which can fit in as little as 14” of linear space. This small piece of equipment can support menu changes while also improving the function of your kitchen in these three ways:
1. Reduce labor costs
While you’re making your food and menu as appealing as possible, it’s also critical to bear in mind the impact of labor on your restaurant’s overall operation. And with the ongoing labor shortage in restaurants, this issue is one of critical importance for almost all operators.
As this busy fish fry restaurant experienced, an efficient piece of equipment is worth its weight in labor expenses.
2. Reduce waste
Get more life from your breading and other ingredients. Particularly in an era when supply chain limitations have disrupted menus and increased prices, make your food dollars go further by reducing waste.
Hand breading often leads to excessive amount of waste. Busy workers throw out a batch of breading rather than hand sifting it for re-use.
Automated sifting makes the process fast and easy — and gets more life from ingredients than even well executed hand sifting.
3. Improve food appearance and consistency
Breading that hasn’t been sifted well enough or frequently enough is often full of dough balls. That clumpy, lumpy breading clings to the fresh proteins and other foods. When fried, the final product quality suffers, along with your customers’ experience and your reputation.
Discover how the BBS Thin from the food prep specialists at AyrKing can bring newfound excitement to your menu and relief to your bottom line.
