April marks the beginning of Q2 for food businesses and a chance to reassess targets, shift focuses or doubling efforts on what has been working in Q1. Hospitality and catering is continuing to reinvent itself, with an increased willingness from brands across the food sector to try something new.
The winning food businesses are those who are able to not only identify the right time to make a change, but act on it. We’ve selected three pieces that look at how food companies approach reinvention and where success is being found.
A Fresh Take On The Familiar Works Wonders At Bill’s
Credit: Hospitality & Catering News
Hospitality & Catering News reports on how Bill’s has achieved its growth. From it you can gain some insights into how low-key reinvention, in this case, upgrading the designs on their dining establishments, can lead to valuable rewards.
The Bill’s chain of restaurants has been a staple to many for a number of years. But rather than rest on their laurels, Bill’s has managed to increase their market share and sales by tapping into what customers love about the brand and what they need, namely “healthy and indulgent seasonal food” in “a welcoming and vibrant environment that transcends all dining times”.
Read full article: A Fresh Take On The Familiar Works Wonders At Bill’s
Using Virtual Kitchens To Meet New Takeaway Demands
For the uninitiated, virtual kitchens are those that aren’t connected to a dining room or restaurant. They are sometimes known as ‘dark kitchens’ or commercial kitchens and they are becoming a low overhead, effective way of getting takeaway and delivery foods to market in the volumes needed.
The Caterer looks at how big brands, like Deliveroo, and London local food businesses, such as Texas Joe’s, are using virtual kitchens to succeed. By reinventing how they are serving customers, where their chefs work and by better managing their output, they are paving a new way forward for food brands everywhere.
Read full article: Using Virtual Kitchens To Meet New Takeaway Demands
Menus & Dealing With The Pressure Of “Reinventing”
Credit: Food Service Equipment Journal
Using reinvention to achieve new success is a great idea, but coming by that success isn’t without its hurdles. Riding a trend is certainly about execution and timing, however, a food business also needs to be able to deal with the pressures of making worthwhile changes. It is a risk after all.
Based on a Menu Innovation discussion from The Casual Dining Show, Food Service Equipment Journal reports on what various chain kitchen bosses said about menu reinvention. You’ll find valuable insight on asking the right big questions, how to trial new ideas and making mistakes that you can learn from.
Read full article: THE BIG DISCUSSION: Menu innovation for multi-site restaurants
Ready To Take Risks In Q2 (And Beyond)?
There’s no time like the present when it comes to reinventing. Consider the scale of your changes and beta test new ideas to minimise your risk. Use what others have done before to give you a guiding path but never be afraid of making mistakes. Trial and error is an important part of trying something new in a food business, as it is in creating a new recipe.