Americans Embrace Global Cuisines
Cuisines Coming to AmericaGlobal cuisines have been gaining popularity and becoming a big part of American diets. According to Nation’s Restaurant Association, over 80 percent of consumers eat at least one ethnic cuisine per month; 17 percent eat seven or more on a monthly basis. This increase of interest has shown that consumers, especially millennials and the generation after, are more adventurous and willing to explore new foods and flavors.
Today, diners are beginning to understand more of what they eat and yearn for an authentic cultural experience. Read about these trendy ethnic foods and flavors that are capturing our collective imagination.
Trendy Ethnic Spices and Condiments:
Though Siriracha is a condiment that most diners are familiar with, the rise of ethnic spices and sides are giving menus an interesting twist. Chefs are dipping into flavorful ingredients such as Moroccan harissa, Indian chutneys and Argentine chimichurri to add flair to their culinary dishes. The bold flavors give a special touch that customers are looking for.
Southeast Asia:
The flavors of Malaysia and the Philippines are increasing in popularity. The unique tastes provide diners with a new and interesting twist. Pickled vegetables, lemongrass and star anise are among the hip menu options. Even traditional Filipino street food like pinoy barbecue – with soy sauce, lemon, garlic, sugar, pepper, banana ketchup, and rendang curry – is getting the attention of diners.
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Restaurant Social Media Marketing
Social media has become all the rage, so whether you like it or not, you need to create an online presence for your restaurant/bar! When searching for information about restaurants, people flock to a business’ social media accounts and look to see what people are saying about that business online. Certain platforms, specifically Instagram, are integral for your business because of the sheer amount of posts daily centered on food and beverages. This just confirms that your customers are probably talking about you and your restaurant whether you have a social media presence or not. Here are some tips to make your social media accounts better:
- At the very least, have a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account for your business
- Important information (hours, location, etc.) are updated and easily accessible on the profile
- Include a link to your website on all accounts
- Use engagement posts, not just promotional posts
By this, I mean you need to act as if you’re talking to someone who has just walked into your restaurant. Ask them a question or for an opinion on something about your restaurant and this will facilitate a conversation that provides you with the information you want, while also allowing for your customers to interact with each other.
- Make sure to take advantage of the live stream tool on each platform
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How to Keep Your Customers Coming Back to Your Restaurant
It’s great when you get new customers for the first time, but how do you create an attraction that keeps them coming back? Because we’re creatures of habit, you want your customer’s visit to your restaurant to become part of their routine.
Reliability:
Reliability among the food and drinks you serve is key to retaining your customer base. Not everyone is willing to explore with their food, so they often come back for their favorite item on your menu expecting it to taste just as good as it did the first time they ate it. Reliability across the board at your restaurant is important to the customer. Constantly changing your hours and prices, as well as the taste of your food, can put off a customer because they won’t know what to expect when they visit.
Loyalty Programs:
These are a great way to bring customers back to you multiple times in search of a reward. Incentives are instrumental in the way the human mind works. We do everything in search of some type of reward for ourselves. Just think--we search for friendships and relationships we feel benefit us and it’s the same for choosing where we invest our time. People won’t spend time at a restaurant that doesn’t provide them with good food or result in some sort of happy experience.
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Tips and Tricks: Deep Fried Seafood
Summer is a wonderful time of the year for seafood of all varieties, and chances are good your customers love a good fish fry. Versatile and using cheap ingredients, fast to execute and not requiring a high skill set, a deep fried seafood platter featuring fish, shrimp, scallops, or clams will give your customers something fun and crunchy to sink their teeth into. Bonus points for this method: cheaper white fish and frozen shrimp can be used as the coating of salt, fat, and a little lemon acid or tartar sauce create a ton of flavor, and cheaper fish tends to have a better, more sustainable frying texture to boot.
Here are some simple tips to make sure your frying station is safe, consistent, and producing amazing dishes for your customers:
Temperature makes a BIG difference. A frying thermometer is essential to keep your oil between 350-375 degrees before frying. High temps lead to an unattractive brown finish, and low temps will yield a greasy product.
Small batches work best. Overloading the fryer will mess up your base oil temperature, leading to a greasy finish.
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How to Manage Labor Costs for Your New Restaurant: 10 Tips to Balance Expenses & Productivity
Minimum wages are rising, and as the economy adds jobs good help is getting harder to find. With starting wages rising to between $9 and $12 per hour in many states, the cost to produce your menu keeps getting more expensive. Meanwhile, as the economy continues to improve, other industries are hiring potential candidates out from under you, making it increasingly difficult to staff your kitchens with qualified employees.
Some of those unskilled workers may become valuable—and skilled—employees with enough training and experience. But you have to spot the innate talent and convince them to stick around long enough. In the meantime, you still have a restaurant to run, and need to get more meals out with the same or less labor.
There are strategies that can help, experts say. While not all will deliver the results, you may be looking for, with some trial and error you’re bound to find some that work well in your operation. The goalis to use as little labor as you need, then try to make those employees as efficient as possible.
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What's Hot Culinary Forecast
A Healthier Twist on Traditional Meals:
With each new year comes fresh trends and concepts. In order to stay relevant and continue driving customers through your doors, keeping up with each culinary shift is a must. See below for 2017 Trend and Concept predictions.
Sustainable Seafood:
More and more consumers are interested in the environmental impact of the food selections on their menus, and seafood is now top of mind. As demand inflates, so does concern for a healthy seafood population. Diners want to understand everything, from the way food tastes to processes used at fisheries and whether it’s local or imported.
Consumers are more aware of negative repercussions of mismanaged business models and are ready to support companies that hold earth friendly practices as high as their earnings and profit.
View our guide for tips on locally sourcing your menu.
Vegetables:
When you think comfort food, vegetables are not the first thing to come to mind. However, 2019 made way for more vegetarian options like mashed cauliflower in place of potatoes, and vegetable crust rather than the original dough. Consumers are looking for healthier twists on traditional meals, and vegetable proteins are a popular and healthy option for making that shift.
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