From do-it-all kitchen gadgets to “goes on everything” spice blends, there are countless shortcuts that claim to help your back of house craft delicious flavors quickly and effectively. But what if we told you the answer to more efficient, cost-saving menu planning was already in your kitchen?
Create Back-of-House Efficiency
We understand the back-of-house can be chaotic –– cooking, cleaning, prepping, ordering and organizing, so taking every opportunity to help control the chaos is crucial. By streamlining the necessary ingredients featured across your menu and across dayparts, you can not only ensure that chaos is controlled but that each dish is delivered with optimal consistency.
Standardized procedures for kitchen operations contribute to a smoother, more efficient restaurant operation. Ensuring staff are confident in their roles and how each ingredient is prepared leads to better teamwork and predictability, which is crucial for planning and scaling your menu and business.1 This means that the more consistency there is in ingredients across your menu, the smoother your entire restaurant will operate.
Combat Food Waste and Save $$$
Cutting back on food waste is another way ingredient versatility can play a huge role in your operation. Take the time to review sales of your entire menu to determine which ingredients you can cut back on and which you can further incorporate throughout your menu. Cutting back menu items that contain rarely ordered ingredients not only consolidates your offerings to fan favorites but also helps reduce food waste, which in turn can help save you money.
According to the National Restaurant Association, many operators are tracking food waste as a waste prevention method, but there’s an opportunity to positively impact your bottom line. With food costs representing 28% to 35% of sales in restaurants, preventing pre-consumer food waste boosts profitability. For every dollar invested in food-waste reduction, restaurants could realize approximately $8 in cost savings.2
Unlock Menu Creativity & Consistency
Utilizing the same ingredients across your menu also allows for more consistency and improved quality. This encompasses everything from the freshness of ingredients to the presentation of dishes. Consistent quality control ensures that every plate served meets your operation’s standards and customer expectations, reducing the likelihood of complaints and negative reviews.1
Reviewing your menu for trends in item popularity is also a great way to find inspiration for new menu items or LTOs. Is guacamole your top-selling appetizer? Try adding guac to your next burger special for a Tex-Mex spin. Or if your customers always seem to be craving your breakfast tacos, try using the same salsa for something like shakshuka. The truth is, even just one ingredient can be stretched across the entire menu and the whole day.
We Can Help
MegaMex works to develop delicious Mexican flavors and products that can elevate the quality of your menu items and help ease any stress in your kitchens. Explore menu inspiration from our TRES COCINAS® Authentic Pepper Pastes, DOÑA MARIA® Mole and WHOLLY® Avocado lines to see how seamlessly MegaMex products can work across a full day’s menu.
TRES COCINAS® Authentic Pepper Pastes
Breakfast: California Benedict
Lunch: Chicken Torta Sandwich
Appetizer: Wings tossed with Guajillo & Tamarind Sauce
Dinner Entree: Glazed Pork Ribs
Dessert: Brownies
Breakfast: Mole Chilaquiles
Lunch: Chopped Chicken Salad with Mole Vinaigrette
Appetizer: Mole Cheesy Tots
Dinner Entree: Mole Roasted Pork Loin
Dessert: Churros with Mole Mocha Sauce
Breakfast: Avocado Toast
Lunch: Adobo de Guajillo Shrimp Tostadas
Appetizer: Avocado & Smoked Chicken Egg Roll with Verde Queso Dip
Dinner Entree: Grilled Red Snapper with Avocado & Tomatillo Salsa
Dessert: Tropical Green Avocado Smoothie
Looking for more innovation and menu inspiration? Partner with us, and we will help make it a little easier. All MegaMex Foods ingredients are authentically and thoughtfully crafted to save you time and labor without sacrificing quality.
1 Tripleseat 2024, “Why Consistency is Vital for Restaurant Operations”
2 National Restaurant Association 2024, “Working to Reduce Food Waste”