Lynn A. KuntzThe Hot Pot RSS

The Hot Pot is a goulash of news, opinions and advice about designing food products and other issues affecting our industry. Its moderator and sometimes contributor is Lynn A. Kuntz, editor of Food Product Design. A lifetime of food-industry experience, first in the trenches and currently via the written word, has shaped her knowledge base and her opinions―and she's not afraid to use either of them.

05/19/2009

Bringing Back Foodservice Bites

The recession is taking a bite out of the foodservice industry with consumers shifting their dollars to eating at home―or at least shifting to cheaper items and skipping the extras. Chef Charlie Baggs of Charlie Baggs Inc. offers some advice on how to build the business back up.

   -Lynn A. Kuntz


Casual dining vs. eating at home clash

What will get the consumer back in the restaurants spending like before? Create a value, provide convenience, good service and quality food are just the start.

The solution is right in front of our eyes: Authentic recipes with quality ingredients that are not easy to produce at home.

Customers are attempting to cook at home with a perception that it is cheaper and the quality can be elevated above restaurant quality. The current consumer is better informed that ever before. They learn from the Food Network about cooking techniques and authentic flavor combinations. Today’s market has created a new platform of customer that can shop for ingredients, cook the meal and clean up as they go. Serving in the home provides a value that the restaurant cannot compete with. A home-cooked meal fills the air with aroma, keeps the family in one place creating the bond and reduces the travel time and cost of fuel.

The problem is the consumers don’t know how to cook. So they are using piece-meal concepts or manufactured grocery products to create their own meals. While the consumer may not be able to perform basic cooking techniques they will try and learn from their mistakes.

These advantages are quite a hurdle to rise above. What is the problem?

We need to change the message that restaurant quality “rules” and is not easy to cook at home. A benefit relevant to consumers is the convenience of going out to eat. Time is money. It’s easier to clean up and takes less time to shop and get organized to cook at home.

Another approach: Product developers for foodservice have to start developing products that are better than the home-cooked meal. Keeping an eye on the grocery stores and the value-added products offered to consumers is critical to nailing the target market. Technology with prepared meals in the grocery is continuing to compete with restaurant quality.

The consumer is cooking more at home to save money and increase the perceived value. However, many are relying on manufactured products to reheat and create the home-cooked meal. It still makes it seem like they are taking care of their families. But, in fact the same manufactures are producing products for the grocery and the restaurants. Is there really a difference?

Another factor is innovation or originality. The new volcanic taco by Taco Bell is marketed to be intriguing and flavorful. It’s not something you will make at home, but may want to try out of curiosity. In addition, independent restaurants often do a better job of maintaining product integrity. They focus on a specialty product that provides quality and value and provide a neighborhood experience. This you cannot find at home. Specialized concepts with a limited menu offering that focuses on quality and value that cannot be competed with at home may be the answer.

What will bring the consumer back to the restaurant? Creating a new customer base with repeat business is critical for sustained growth and life of a restaurant concept.

   -Charlie Baggs

Comments

1

Marky 07/16/2009 21:38

In the winter season, when chilly temperatures and frigid winds prevail over the land, people like to eat food that instantly warms their bodies and lifts their spirits. For that, the hot pot is a delicious and hearty choice. Families or groups of friends sit around a table and eat from a steaming pot in the middle, cooking and drinking and chatting. Eating hot pot is not a passive activity: diners must select morsels of prepared raw food from plates scattered around the table, place them in the pot, wait for them to cook, fish them out of the soup, dip them in the preferred sauce, and then eat them hot, fresh, and tender.
2

JonSteel 07/01/2009 03:04

I still eat out, mostly because when I finish work the last thing I want to do is cook, I mostly cook on weekends when I have the time.
3

Rock Star 06/09/2009 11:35

Economic recession has changed the life style of people. They do not have enough money to spare. They love to cook in their homes. However, the article is very informative. Thanks.
4

andie 06/03/2009 11:47

when you make your own food you know exactly what goes into it and you know what you are really eating! its way more expensive to eat out these days any way!
5

Chinese Chick 06/02/2009 16:57

I still eat out, mostly because when I finish work the last thing I want to do is cook, I mostly cook on weekends when I have the time.
6

Jeff (Medical Transcription Outsourcing) 06/01/2009 23:25

Apart from the experience, I think it's because home cooking is just generally cheaper, and in today's world cheaper=better, especially after adding what Travis said (assurance of making the food healthy). I think if a restaurant can somehow recreate the experience of dining at home, while making it just as cheap and be able to convince the customers that the food is prepared with as much care as the customers themselves would do at home, then there would be more business.
7

bijubina 05/31/2009 03:48

Economic recession has changed the life style of people. They do not have enough money to spare. They love to cook in their homes. However, the article is very informative. Thanks.
8

Marsha12 05/29/2009 08:58

Thanks for sharing this nice article :)
Me and my husband always like to cook at home. I think by this we get more intimate and of course we can cut the cost of our monthly food expenditure at a great extent.
9

Cheap Auto Insurance Texas 05/21/2009 02:45

Me too, I preferred to cook and eat foods at home to make sure it's CLEAN :-)
10

Travis Van Slooten (hoodia prime ) 05/19/2009 17:22

Yes, I even preferred to cook and eat foods at home coz you can have the assurance of making the food healthy and clean and it can be a good contribution to a healthy living. You can also save money and spend it for a much more necessary.

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