Foodservice has come back to a large degree since the Covid lockdowns, with some exceptions.
“Hotels, convention centers, and sports venues have not fully returned, mainly due to labor shortages,” says Jin Ju Wilder, director of marketing and business development at Vesta Foodservice BB #:125924 in Los Angeles, CA.
“Also, business and institutional customers have not yet required a full return to the office, and it’s not clear if they ever will, so that segment has also not fully recovered.”
Even segments that have returned are facing steep challenges and need their suppliers to help them survive.
“The restaurant business is still in recovery mode and struggling to make ends meet,” says John Bishop, national buyer for produce specialty companies at Fresh Start Foods Canada Ltd. BB #:190774 in Milton, ON.
“They’re frustrated, with prices rising on all sides—and watching every penny,” he adds, noting that they also have less staff, especially for prep, either due to labor shortages or cost-cutting measures, and are looking for more value-added produce to incorporate into recipes.
One of the top solutions is mirepoix, a mix of chopped vegetables that can be tailored to a customer’s needs. Bishop says it’s incredibly popular and versatile. “The options are endless.”
Salinas, CA-based Markon Cooperative, Inc., {{BB #:123315}} has expanded its array of prewashed and precut items, such as Ready-Set-Serve chopped collard greens that hold up well for delivery, along with trimmed leeks, avocado pulp and halves, jumbo onions, and prewashed and trimmed romaine.
Deena Ensworth, director of culinary innovations at Markon, believes the “value-added space will continue to grow in 2023 and beyond as operators look for solutions that positively affect their bottom line.”
Foodservice menus are also substituting items not widely used in the past, incorporating stable greens like endive or escarole and basics like carrots and turnips.
“They want more price-point-conscious types of vegetables, just to make sure the plate stays full,” adds Bishop. And for foodservice operators downsizing protein portions, they’re filling the rest of the plate with less expensive items like extra fries or mashed potatoes, he says, “rather than experimenting with French beans like they would have in the past.”
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the January/February 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue. https://apps.bluebookservices.com/BBOS/LearningCenter/BP/January%202023/eBook/index.html
Foodservice has come back to a large degree since the Covid lockdowns, with some exceptions.
“Hotels, convention centers, and sports venues have not fully returned, mainly due to labor shortages,” says Jin Ju Wilder, director of marketing and business development at Vesta Foodservice BB #:125924 in Los Angeles, CA.
“Also, business and institutional customers have not yet required a full return to the office, and it’s not clear if they ever will, so that segment has also not fully recovered.”
Even segments that have returned are facing steep challenges and need their suppliers to help them survive.
“The restaurant business is still in recovery mode and struggling to make ends meet,” says John Bishop, national buyer for produce specialty companies at Fresh Start Foods Canada Ltd. BB #:190774 in Milton, ON.
“They’re frustrated, with prices rising on all sides—and watching every penny,” he adds, noting that they also have less staff, especially for prep, either due to labor shortages or cost-cutting measures, and are looking for more value-added produce to incorporate into recipes.
One of the top solutions is mirepoix, a mix of chopped vegetables that can be tailored to a customer’s needs. Bishop says it’s incredibly popular and versatile. “The options are endless.”
Salinas, CA-based Markon Cooperative, Inc., {{BB #:123315}} has expanded its array of prewashed and precut items, such as Ready-Set-Serve chopped collard greens that hold up well for delivery, along with trimmed leeks, avocado pulp and halves, jumbo onions, and prewashed and trimmed romaine.
Deena Ensworth, director of culinary innovations at Markon, believes the “value-added space will continue to grow in 2023 and beyond as operators look for solutions that positively affect their bottom line.”
Foodservice menus are also substituting items not widely used in the past, incorporating stable greens like endive or escarole and basics like carrots and turnips.
“They want more price-point-conscious types of vegetables, just to make sure the plate stays full,” adds Bishop. And for foodservice operators downsizing protein portions, they’re filling the rest of the plate with less expensive items like extra fries or mashed potatoes, he says, “rather than experimenting with French beans like they would have in the past.”
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the January/February 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue. https://apps.bluebookservices.com/BBOS/LearningCenter/BP/January%202023/eBook/index.html
