CARVING STATION Certified Angus Beef® brand cuts bring dependable quality to your carving station. These six alternatives add new flavor and serving possibilities.
CENTRAL SOMETHING NEW SIX ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUR NEXT CARVING STATION
TRI-TIP
EYE OF ROUND ROAST
COULOTTE
SUPC 8461978
SUPC 8757122
SUPC 4968905
Smoke for rich, beefy flavor. Slice against the grain, changing direction where it turns. Add points to baked beans.
An economical option for happy hour and roast beef dip sandwiches. Season simply, then slice paper thin for service.
Also called picanha. A Brazilian steakhouse favorite for center-of-theplate service or a fajita carving station.
BRISKET
SIRLOIN FLAP
BALL TIP ROAST
SUPC 8142051
SUPC 1274390
SUPC 8754939
Serve point and flat with honey mustard and rolls, or Texas-style on Kaiser buns. Use remaining points in beans or stew.
Pair with Jamaican jerk or tamarind marinade for Caribbean, Tex-Mex or fajita stations. Use remaining beef in soups and salads.
Braise or roast, then slice thin for sandwiches. Use remaining beef in salads and appetizers, including roll-ups and empanadas.
TRIED & TRUE
Familiar Favorites For Traditional Carving Stations
Ribeye Roast
Top Round
SUPC 8142002 Brunches And Banquet Buffets SUPC 8142101 Whole Strip Loin Holiday Carving With Horseradish
SUPC 8141988 Large Buffets And Beef On Wick Special Order Steamship Round Ask Your Specialist For The Current SUPC
Clod Heart
SUPC 0808697 Brined, Smoked Or Slow Roasted SUPC 8142309 Tenderloin Roast High-End Stations With Béarnaise
IN THE WEEDS MENU STRATEGY
with Paul “Norm Abram” Neesen Good ideas for your kitchen and your menu
HALLOWEEN & HARVEST
OCTOBER 2026 / ISSUE 18
Fall favorites, fresh ideas Start with the fall flavors folks already love. A little surprise can turn a familiar dish into a limited-time offer (LTO) they’ll come back for.
Paul Neesen Director of Business Specialist Central Plains
“
A little comfort. A little kick. Something worth coming back for.
61%
54%
77%
Interested in limitededition fall items
Associate fall with restaurant specials
Interested in seasonal flavor LTOs
The flavors folks come back for Butternut squash leads savory fall flavor indexing, followed by stuffing, cranberry sauce and oven-roasted turkey. Pumpkin spice, apple, pecan and cinnamon bring the comfort. Aged cheeses, mustard and gravy round out the savory side.
Apples have a place at the table Apple pie earns 80% Love or Like It. Seasonal fruit follows at 77%, with seasonal vegetables at 70%. Apple pie, cinnamon apple and caramel apple all land in the top six preferences.
Make those ingredients work twice
Put apples to work in dessert, slaw or chutney. Use squash in soup and on the side. Keep the ingredient list short and useful. at the heart of food and service
IN THE WEEDS MENU STRATEGY
with Paul “Norm Abram” Neesen Good ideas for your kitchen and your menu
HALLOWEEN & HARVEST
OCTOBER 2026 / ISSUE 18
A little heat for your fall menu Familiar food, with a little extra something.
What’s heating up on menus
For the specials board
FOUR-YEAR GROWTH IN MENU PRESENCE
Harvest after dark
Chili crisp
+435%
Mike’s Hot Honey
+256%
Set out a cozy bowl of butternut squash soup, then offer chili crisp for guests who like a little kick.
Hot honey
+248%
Sweet heat comfort
Chamoy
+156%
Tajín
+134%
Turkey, apple slaw, mustard and a drizzle of hot honey make a familiar sandwich feel right for fall.
Mango habanero
+118%
A wickedly good finish
Try a fast-growing flavor as a special. Check what sells and what each serving earns before adding more.
Warm apple crisp with cinnamon and caramel gives servers an easy answer to “What’s good for dessert?”
When pumpkins give way to turkey Give Halloween its moment, then have turkey, stuffing and cranberry ready for November. Thanksgiving, Halloween and Oktoberfest lead interest in specials. Day of the Dead and MidAutumn Festival are gaining traction with younger guests.
Holiday flavors are showing up early. Major-chain fall LTO launches peaked in November 2024 but moved to September in 2025. Nearly 40 peppermint LTOs arrived in November 2025. Candy cane and gingerbread are arriving earlier, too.
Watch what sells, what it earns, how long it takes and what ends up in the bin. at the heart of food and service