supply chain<\/a> challenges will continue for months. To ease the pressure, restaurants can call on quarterly or limited-time menus.<\/p>\nMenu flexibility lessons learned early in the pandemic are still valuable, according to Gordon Food Service Business Solutions Specialist Eric Schamp. In today\u2019s climate, he advises operators to build a menu around two pain points\u2014staffing capabilities and product availability.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnow which menu items you can execute consistently with the team you have available,\u201d Schamp said. \u201cAnd do an analysis on which ingredients you can obtain consistently at an acceptable price point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prepare for menu pivots<\/h3>\n
Confidence is key to menu creation, whether it\u2019s a full menu, a quarterly menu or a limited menu. It\u2019s hard on everyone when you must change the menu overnight.<\/p>\n
Restaurants typically update menus once a year, often in the spring. Over the past two years, menus pivoted more frequently based on everything from capacity limits to takeout needs and beyond. <\/p>\n
The need to be nimble hasn\u2019t changed. For success, Schamp recommends choosing from three menu practices:<\/p>\n
1. Plan quarterly or limited-time menus<\/h3>\n
These menus focus on seasonal flavours and products. Examples include a Valentine\u2019s menu, in-season fruits and vegetables, a summer barbecue menu, a warm fall soup menu, etc. Limited-time menus\u2014cold summer beverages, pumpkin spice in the fall or sharing plates for the holidays\u2014get customers excited at the same time they help operators capitalize on ingredient availability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are easy to execute with single-sheet paper menus or QR code digital menus,\u201d Schamp said. \u201cYou can easily print up these separate menus or quickly update your digital menu to meet capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Create a stand-by menu<\/h3>\n
Limited menus also can come into play when restaurants need stress relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s say the manager sees that the kitchen is not going to be able to keep up with the volume on Friday night, so they pull their menu off the floor and put in this other limited menu that helps the kitchen and the restaurant get back on track,\u201d Schamp said. \u201cMaybe they roll with that menu the rest of the evening, and then the next day they start with their normal menu.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Act like a startup restaurant<\/h3>\n
Many new restaurants struggle to adjust their ambitions with reality. In today’s tough business climate, Schamp points out that Gordon Food Service is available to help operators plan their menu.<\/p>\n
He described a concept kitchen experience with a restaurant planning to open near Indianapolis. \u201cWe created a menu for them, but as we looked at all of the things they wanted to do, we scaled it back before they opened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan was to go with a scaled-back menu for a couple of weeks before trying the main menu. However, labour, equipment and supply concerns have them still making tweaks. The smaller startup menu was a good plan. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt led them to discover what they can and can\u2019t execute consistently. Using that smaller menu really helped them understand their business,\u201d Schamp said.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Flexibility helps restaurants navigate labour, supply-chain challenges. Experts predict labour shortages and supply chain challenges will continue for months. To ease the pressure, restaurants can call on quarterly or limited-time menus. Menu flexibility lessons learned early in the pandemic are still valuable, according to Gordon Food Service Business Solutions Specialist Eric Schamp. In today\u2019s climate, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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