The fresh meat industry has also been affected by the conflict in The Ukraine, which has reduced supplies of grain used for animal feed, so the fresh meat market is really volatile at the moment.
I’m not suggesting removing meat from your menus, as quality fresh meat can really drive your footfall, so here are my top tips to think about when it comes to maximising the margin you make from fresh meat on your menus.
1. Sweat your assets
With the current challenges within the industry, my first tip would be to consider how you can sweat your assets, and by this I mean using products that are multi-functional and can be utilised in more than one dish on your menu.
You can also review your existing menu and the meat options you already use, and get creative with the dishes you use them for. A great example of a really versatile product that gives you lots of dish options are chicken inner fillets (Farmstead Inner Fillets code 80019) which could be used for burgers, sandwiches or curries, and can be served naked, spiced, marinated, battered or bread crumbed.
2. Portion control
Margin can be lost if portions are not consistent. Make sure you have control over the portions of fresh meat you use in your dishes, knowing exactly what amount to use helps you cost accordingly, and ultimately help you secure more revenue. Examples of products that can really help here are calibrated whole and diced chicken breasts.
3. Keep your menus simple, but fresh and tasty
Extensive menus mean that you have to buy more products and deal with more stock which adds to your food costs. Offering a large fixed menu can also cost you margin if it means you are stocking more products that are impacted by seasonal increases and affected by market forces.
In the current climate less is more, so keep a tight rein on your inventory!
4. Premiumise your roasts
With roast dinners still being one of the most popular dining out experiences, make sure yours stand out compared to your competitors, but ensure you use great quality fresh roasting joints with premium accompaniments.
You can charge that little bit more and will also give your customers a really amazing dining experience, and a reason to return on a regular basis. I absolutely love the Farmstead Rolled rump joint for a perfect, premium roast joint.
5. Don’t underestimate the burger
You cannot go wrong with a great quality burger on your menu, and it’s rare to see any good menu without one these days.
And the reason for it?
Customers love them, they are easy to cook and serve, and are so versatile that they can easily be changed up with different toppings and sauces that reflect the changes in season, and allow you to ring the changes to your menu, keeping your customers interested.
If I had to pick just one burger from the Bidfood range (a very hard job to do!) I would go for our Farmstead Bistro burger, because it’s the perfect base for building your burger menu options.
So there you go, my top tips for navigating fresh meat during these turbulent times, which I hope will help you think a little differently about your menus, save on food costs, improve your margins and of course make your customers happy.
If you want to explore our Farmstead fresh meat range further click here.
To see more hints and tips from our Farmstead experts click here.
