Menu engineering

Enhancing your business with inflation-fighting strategies

You cannot enter a strategy session in any business without addressing the current financial atmosphere. Entegra shares our operators’ financial concerns and we remain dedicated to bringing our best to every financial challenge and purchasing option — including when it comes to providing inflation-fighting strategies that our operators can use to better weather the current financial landscape.

Let’s be candid, though. Some of the best cost-saving techniques are the same mainstay, textbook techniques employed to keep a profitable business profitable. That being said, it can be easy to lose sight of these mainstay techniques.

To help you be better prepared for the challenges ahead, here are some of the key, inflation-fighting concepts to consider when thinking through the rest of the year’s menu planning and how you can reduce food costs.

Increase compliance. Simply put, assure you are fully taking advantage of the great savings that Entegra’s buying power offers you and your menu.

Consider waste control, using resources like Leanpath. Leanpath, a food waste prevention technology, is a formidable tool designed to create a learned environment of reduced waste in commercial kitchens. Measuring your kitchen’s waste through Leanpath helps your team visualize its impact and aids you in establishing the best, zero-waste practices.

On a more simplified level, just take a look through your kitchen’s trash once in a while and show your staff the impact of carelessness and poor freshness management within the operation. This can be very revealing even to the best-managed kitchens!

Increase inventory activities. Consider keeping a daily inventory to track your most costly ingredients, like proteins, speed scratch-value-added items and fresh perishables. This can reveal loss or waste, providing an immediate opportunity to address issues.

Analyze your menu. Assess your least profitable menu items and make logical adjustments, such as...

Using a slightly smaller portion of protein.

Switching to crave-able, plant-based items that are often available at a lower cost per portion.

Building up your center-of-plate items by placing them on a base, or socle, of legumes, crisp potatoes or savory rice.

Exploring tertiary cuts of protein for more flavor, greater cost savings and more unique menu items.

Using your POS to track menu changes.

Increasing the number of selections in your sharables and appetizers category, while reducing your number of costly entrees.

Delicious flavors can be presented in small portions, with a slightly higher profit margin. Consumers are apt to order several of these items at a time, to share or enjoy as a meal.

Use your resources. Entegra’s teams are made up of tenured and seasoned experts in the food industry. There’s no better time to ask for help and Entegra is here for you! We can help you...

Deploy a menu analysis project with the Entegra Culinary Team.

Dig into and use the real-time data from your POS system.

Take advantage of manufacturer offers as they arise.

The Entegra Culinary Team has generated countless menus and recipes to help operators deal with inflation. As Entegra Head of Culinary John Csukor says, “Constant innovation is the key to success! Never stop short of deliciousness!”

To learn more about Entegra's culinary services or the Entegra Performance Kitchen, visit our website or snap the QR code below.

www.EntegraPS.com/culinaryservices.html