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In the competitive world of restaurants, bars, and family entertainment centers, operators are constantly seeking innovative ways to attract customers and enhance their overall experience. One such strategy gaining popularity is the inclusion of a high-quality frozen beverage offer.
People of all ages are drawn to refreshing and indulgent frozen treats, making them an attractive option for customers seeking a cool, thirst-quenching experience. By providing an enticing range of flavours and toppings, establishments can cater to a broad audience, including children (kid-friendly flavours and imaginative presentations) and adults (alcoholic frozen cocktails or boozy milkshakes). Satisfied customers are more likely to return and recommend the venue to others, resulting in enhanced loyalty and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
A good frozen beverage program can set an establishment apart from its competitors. By offering unique flavours, customizable options, and eye-catching presentations, operators can create a distinctive experience that stands out in customers' minds. .
Frozen beverages often have higher profit margins compared to other menu items, as they require relatively inexpensive ingredients and simple preparation methods. Additionally, upselling opportunities arise when customers opt for add-ons such as whipped cream, syrups, or fruit garnishes.
Don’t forget to promote, promote and promote! Strategically placing attractive signage or display boards showcasing frozen beverage options, piquing customer interest and encourage them to explore additional menu items. Consider creating a combo that pair frozen beverages with popular food items, enticing customers to increase their overall spend.
From attracting new customers and enhancing the overall dining experience to generating additional revenue and staying competitive, frozen beverages have become a valuable asset for businesses seeking to differentiate themselves in the market.
Blender Boyz line of slush and cappuccino mixes. A delicious blends of flavours and real ingredients:
409044 SLUSH CAPPUCCINO ICE FR VANILLA 3+1
409048 SLUSH CAPPUCINO ICE MOCHA 3+1
409797 SLUSH SLUSH BLUE RASPBERRY 5+1
409658 SLUSH SLUSH CHERRY 5+1
St. Patrick's Day is a time to celebrate Irish culture, heritage and traditions. Whether you’re Irish or not, it’s always fun to mark the occasion with some festive decorations and special menus for your restaurant. We have a variety of delicious ingredients and products that can help you create an unbeatable St. Patrick’s Day experience for your customers.
Nothing says “St. Patrick’s Day” like classic Irish fare. Traditional dishes such as corned beef and cabbage, fish & chips, shepherd's pie, bangers & mash, and colcannon are all popular favorites that you can easily feature on your menu for the day (or even for an extended period leading up to March 17). Save time and labour by considering some easy menu additions, such as Campbell's Bistro Beef & Vegetable soup or Shepherd’s Pie. Wow Factor Desserts has selected three cakes that will elevate your St. Patrick's Day sweet offerings, click here to view their recommendations.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started on your St. Patrick’s Day planning. Your Territory Manager will be happy to help you strategize and find more products:
191532 VERVE BISTRO BEEF SOUP 4/1.81KG
119213 CAMPBELL’S PIE SHEPHERD'S 4/2.27KG
225120 EUROPEAN FRESH CORN BEEF 2/2.25KG
105539 HILINER HADDOCK FLT BTTD LAGER 4OZ 1/4.54KG
134382 HILINER HADDOCK LOIN CF IQF 4OZ 1/4.54KG
134252 HILINER COD TENDER GUINNESS BTTD 2OZ 1/10LB
134254 HILINER COD GUINNESS BTTD 4OZ 1/10LB
137327 HILINER SHRIMP GUINNESS BTTD 27-33 CT 1/10LB
193700 MCCAIN POTATO CHIPPERS 1853 6/1.82KG
193012 CAVENDISH FRIES 3/8" S/C CLEAR COAT 6/2.04KG
222000 LEADBETTER LEAN GROUND BEEF 2/2.27KG
282586 LARGE WHITE POTATOES 50/1LB
St. Patrick's day decor doesn't have to be over-the-top - just a few simple touches can make all the difference! Hang green streamers and balloons from the ceiling and set out small pots of shamrocks on each table. You can also create a "Lucky Charm" wall full of pictures of four-leaf clovers, leprechauns, rainbows and other symbols of luck associated with Ireland, in addition to décor it can become a photo wall for your guests to snap pictures and share on social media.
Offer your customers classic Irish beverages such as Guinness beer or Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. Or get creative with classic cocktails like an Irish Mule or Shamrock Martini. Offering specialty drinks is sure to bring in more customers looking for something festive.
Don't forget to let your customers know about all the exciting things you have planned for St Patrick's Day. Use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to advertise your event and any special offers that you may be running during the celebration. Also consider creating flyers or email campaigns so that current customers know what's going on at your restaurant.
St Patrick's Day is a great opportunity for restaurants to showcase their businesses and draw in new customers. By taking advantage of traditional Irish dishes, festive decorations, and marketing campaigns – you can take full advantage of this annual holiday celebration. Sláinte mhaith (Cheers)!
Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. To make it a success, have your menu mapped out and enough staff on hand to ensure that everything runs smoothly. But don’t forget about wooing your guests! Let’s take a look at how you can make Valentine’s Day a success at your restaurant.
The menu is arguably one of the most important elements on Valentine’s Day. You want to make sure that you have something special and unique for couples to share together. Start by creating a few set menu items that feature your best food and drinks. Consider offering a variety of price points so that there is something for every budget. Additionally, it may be helpful to offer “couple specials” such as two appetizers or entrees with a bottle of wine or champagne for one price.
Wow Factor Strawberry Champagne Cheesecake
Valentine’s Day calls for something extra special in the dessert category! Consider these carefully selected desserts from Wow Factor and Daboom – perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Daboom Molten
Finding labour can be difficult for restaurant owners during peak periods such as Valentine’s Day. It is important to take into account seasonal fluctuations and plan ahead by hiring extra staff before the big day arrives. Consider offering incentives such as bonuses or free meals to attract more applicants. If you are short on time and resources, contact local staffing agencies who may be able to help you find qualified candidates quickly and efficiently.
Make sure all staff members understand their roles beforehand and are prepared to handle any potential issues that might arise throughout the night. If possible, provide additional training sessions prior to the big day so everyone knows exactly what is expected of them.
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about food – it’s about creating an unforgettable experience for your guests. Think outside the box when it comes to creating a romantic atmosphere in your restaurant – from subtle decorations like candles or fresh flowers, to music or even a themed photo booth where couples can take photos together. You could also consider offering “extra touches” like complimentary champagne or desserts as part of their meal package - these small gestures can really add up and make a big difference in terms of customer satisfaction!
Valentine’s Day doesn't have to be overwhelming – if you plan ahead and pay attention to details, your customer satisfaction will be high, hopefully leading to repeat business.
Give your customers the pleasure of slow food in this fast-paced world. Simple, yet sublime with infinite variety, this staple of kitchens worldwide brings comfort in every bite. Slow and relaxed, evoking an island state of mind.
Stew defines you. Ethnically diverse using cost-effective (and local) ingredients, stew can warm up your menu this fall and winter while at the same time keep your budget cool.
Yes, the love is in every serving of stew. You can smell and taste the memories – home, family, friends, meals shared. As one-pot wonders, traditionally using simple ingredients, stew is undeniably greater than the sum of its parts and a part of every nationality.
Find a stew that tells customers your story and transports them to happiness.
Philman George, corporate chef for High Liner Foods, has a life full of stew. “Every Sunday, my mother, who hails from the Caribbean, would prepare a one-pot stew. The house would smell so good, with aromatics like thyme and ginger root.”
Now, Chef Phil loves dry stew, a traditional West African dish, an influence of his wife, who is from Sierra Leone.
“It consists of taking a mix of vegetables and spices and cooking this mixture with roasted chicken legs and thighs until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated. What’s left is a rich paste that sticks to the chicken,” he says. As a fish and seafood-focused chef, he has adapted this stewing method and created a dry fish stew.
“Great care is taken to ensure that the seafood retains all its natural tenderness. I season and sear the seafood in cast iron and set aside. The vegetables, stock and aromatics are stewed down and seafood is added at the end. It’s big time comfort food!”
Chef Phil prides himself on fun, ethnic and approachable food. His goal is to place craveable seafood on your menu and generate more profit through the “Heart of the House.”
“Every culture has their version of stew. In Canada, especially on the east coast, chowders are our seafood stew! High Liner has some delicious stew recipes using cod and PEI mussels.”
As he says, “Stews are the go-to bowl for winter and fall.”
“All ethnic stews can find a place on cold weather menus, when there is a focus on a single stew. There needs to be a story behind it – where the recipe comes from or a signature ingredient or cooking method the chef used to make it stand out,” says James Keppy, national culinary manager foodservice at Maple Leaf.
A favourite of his is a Mexican-Style Chicken Stew with chicken thighs, black beans, tomatoes and hot sauce, finished off with sour cream and tortilla chips.
Coaxing flavour and tenderness from underappreciated cuts is the real magic of stew, he says. “Using raw boneless, skinless chicken thighs and the pork cuts from the shoulder are cost-effective options for a great stew,” the chef reminds us.
Definitely not a thing of the past, a stew session using ingredients and flavours which do not regularly play together or crossing ethnic boundaries will create a unique stew that tells your story. If you do it right, it may even transport the ingredients to a new, undiscovered place.
Plant-based proteins will continue to drive menus. Maple Leaf’s au naturel! line of products and their Lightlife Plant Based Burger and Grounds deserve a place on your stew menu. Good for you, your customers and the planet – and distinctly on-trend.
“Maple Leaf also offers turkey breasts, pulled pork and beef, and sausages (Oktoberfest, Mediterranean, Andouille and Spanish Chorizo) for non-traditional twists to a stew,” adds Chef James.
With infinite protein, vegetable and spice combinations, there is a stew that is right for you and your customers. You will run out time before you run out of ideas!
Your time-starved kitchen deserves a break. Stew, a hands-free, budget-saving option that tastes even better the next day is the perfect solution. Don’t you worry about a thing, because in a stew, everything is going to be alright!
Stews can showcase delicious locally available ingredients throughout the fall and winter months. Creatively choose seasonal options and design a stew around them, maybe a specific farm-focused flavour profile.
Customers increasingly crave food transparency, even for their fruits and veggies. Why not choose your veggies and fruit first? For instance, the humble rutabaga (not the same as turnip) soars out of obscurity in a spice-drenched Tagine.
Fruits deserve a spot in the pot, too. Apples, peaches, pears and plums add sweetness and a native flavour. How about Rhubarb Koresh, for instance? A fruit stew is a new approach to the dessert menu in the colder months.
Using seasonal vegetables and fruits in stew makes sense – and cents – cost-effective, locally sourced, with a twist on the flavours of home. Keep customers coming back for seconds and thirds.
TRY THIS RECIPE:
Written by Cherie Thompson
Here comes summer and, once pandemic numbers are under control and dining opens up widely, it will be time to get your grill on. Customers are raring to get back to outdoor dining, and nothing entices more than the smells wafting from a BBQ grill.
This year’s BBQ hot trends include flat plate grilling, high-end buns, layering, non-meat (plant-based innovations) grilling, and sauces and spices that take old favourites and present them in new and exciting ways.
There’s nothing like cooking over live fire to really ignite the taste buds. If you have that option at your operation, you’ll be able to bring out the flavour in any number of grill dishes — from vegetarian to meat and fish.
Burgers are here to stay, even with more Canadians choosing plant-based options.
Nearly four in 10 Canadians eat at least one burger a week, and men eat even more burgers than women, according to data from Weston Bakeries, which studies burger-lovers’ habits.
Here’s what really turns on burger lovers looking for a premium burger experience:
The patty (63%)
The bun (21%)
Toppings (6%)
Seasonings/spices (5%)
Condiments and cheese (3% each)
For many Canadians, a burger is naked without cheese. Not surprisingly, cheddar is the cheese champion at 47%, followed by mozzarella at 35%, Swiss at 33%, and Monterey Jack at 25%. Sliced is chosen by 63% and shredded by 17%.
Meat-topped burgers are trending… and going beyond bacon. Beef burgers are getting piled high with pulled pork, ham and beef brisket for a really meaty experience. They’re marketed as an indulgent, and ultra-savoury meat-on-meat combination.
Most Canadians like it simple and classic when it comes to buns, however new and exciting formulations are adding abundant new bun-opportunities. Here’s what Canadians traditionally look for:
Sesame seed buns (31%)
Cheese buns (22%)
Garlic bread buns (19%)
Onion buns (18%)
Whole wheat and multigrain buns (16% each)
Innovation is certainly coming to buns. According to Technomic, which collects data from the Top 500 restaurant chains, the fastest growing buns are potato buns, sesame seed buns, and brioche. Even ciabatta buns are beginning to have their moment on the grill.
Beef still reigns as burger king followed by chicken, fish and turkey. Eight out of 10 prefer a grilled beef patty. But new grill contenders are ready to take their place. Think seafood skewers and grilled fish.
Salt and pepper remain the most popular burger seasonings, however garlic salt, Worcestershire, peppercorn, and Cajun flavours are all gaining in popularity.
Diners love barbecue, and that’s helping to propel burnt, charred and toasted flavours, Technomic reports. Smoky flavours are no longer limited to just meats and cheese but are also being paired with contrasting flavours such as sweet and spicy to add complexity. The espelette pepper, originating from the Basque region of France, helps deliver that smoky, sweet and mildly hot flavour that makes plancha-grilled food an exciting new trend.
The fastest growing condiments are chipotle aioli, garlic mayonnaise, honey, marmalade and jam, especially savoury flavours like bacon jam and pepper marmalade.
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