A new year means a new collection of trending flavors among consumers. With more visitors enjoying fresh prepared food that convenience stores have to offer, you can increase profits with offerings featuring hot culinary items that are drawing visitors into restaurants this year. Here are some ways to put the What’s Hot 2017 Culinary Forecast to work in your c-store.
- Ancient Grains - Consumers are embracing whole grain and gluten-free ancient grains like quinoa and sorghum. Use them as the foundation for customizable bowls featuring roasted veggies and protein.
- Ethnic Breakfast - Breakfasts inspired by ethnic flavors are drawing in the crowds no matter the time of day. Offer breakfast burritos featuring chorizo or a spicy shakshuka.
- African Flavors - Dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend, works well as a rub for roasting meat in-house. Or offer chermoula, a blend of North African spices similar to pesto, for customers to drizzle atop a grain bowl or spread on a sandwich.
- Whole Grains - Especially in food geared towards children, whole grains are growing in popularity. Build healthy, child-friendly options with whole-grain pizza, flatbreads and sandwiches.
- Ethnic Spices - For visitors seeking spice, sambal is the new sriracha. This Indonesian condiment is made from chilis, so let customers customize your fresh- prepared items with this add-on.
- Bacon - Still a perennial favorite, bacon works across your menu from dawn ’til dusk. Add it to breakfast burritos, flatbreads and sandwiches or top your hearty grain bowl with it.
A foodservice program that promises fresh and fast food is only as successful as the equipment used to prepare it. Offering a wide array of fresh prepared food means investing in equipment that can adapt quickly to a variety of recipes, while staying on top of culinary trends.
Luckily, Ovention promises just that, as Joe Dunaway, marketing & sales manager of Jack Flash Stores in Illinois, discovered.
Before upgrading to an Ovention® Matchbox® 1718 Oven, Dunaway was posed with a serious production problem—how to meet customer demand yet keep employees safe while using more equipment. For Jack Flash convenience stores, the solution was the Ovention® Matchbox® and its Precision Impingement® technology, paired with its programmability.
“Our staff learned how [to] program recipes—the ease of it blew us away—and they were ready to cook in no time at all.” The Matchbox® 1718 Oven’s digital display gives you access to 1,000 pre-programmed cook settings, allowing you to stage each item to its individual specifications. Heat stays locked within the oven with no need for ventilation, which means reduced energy costs for you. Freshly prepare your customers’ on-trend favorites easily, with Ovention.
This post is sponsored by Ovention