New4You inspired by Real American

Americana is a trend that is not going away, it’s no fad. Burgers are booming, BBQ is hotting up and Mexican food is getting bigger. According to Horizons’ latest Ones to Watch report, US themed outlets were among some of the fastest growing brands of the last three years in the UK*.

Looking further into this trend, the demand for regional cuisine is increasing with UK consumers as they want to know where in the world their food has taken inspiration from.

Offering regional American cuisine and incorporating the flavours and personalities of the different states and countries of South, Central and North America not only gives you the opportunity to differentiate your menu, it allows you to add a little of that all-important authenticity that is essential to today’s foodies.

*Horizons: Ones to Watch (2016)

Large cities in the States like New York, Chicago, Portland are the kings of the lunchtime deli bar. In particular Katz’s deli has been a greatly successful deli since 1888, adapting and changing to the consumer’s needs for over 100 years. But one thing that hasn’t changed about the deli, they care about their food – curing their meats for 30 days to make their pastrami.

If you have a lunchtime food offering, adding New York-inspired touches to your Friday menus could help you take advantage of that time of the week where consumers are looking for more indulgent options to celebrate the end of the working or school week.

You could even take inspiration directly from Katz’s and cook up larger joints and slice them right there on the counter for a bit of theatre. After all, the smell of cooking meats, sweet cakes and freshly brewed coffee should help to tempt customers to pay more for that #FridayTreat.

American-inspired breakfasts often incorporate the sweet and salty taste profile that has become popular with our consumers. Originally the thought of adding savoury bacon on top of a sweet pancake or waffle was madness, now it’s the norm and seen as a delicious indulgent breakfast option. We’ve got the mixes and the ingredients you need to add these types of pancakes and waffles onto your breakfast menus.

Take a look at our breakfast recipes for even more ideas and inspiration!

In the states when you have a starter, you go big! Sharing platters are popular in the Southern states and you can see why. Offering different options of sharing platters allows people to try lots of your food at once. Serve them on trays with greaseproof paper to give that truly American feel. Go to pages 56 and 57 of the e-zine to see our Catering Equipment options.

Take a look at some of our American-inspired sharing platter options and give them a go, or make up your own. You could even simply do a sharing platter of just a big pile of wings. The perfect way to encourage your customers to ‘go big or go bigger’.

What’s great about American cuisine is the diversity you find from region to region. Mexico brings the freshness of salsa and guacamole in big eats like tacos and burritos, while the southern states all provide their own twists on BBQ as we’ve seen from the flavour map on pages 4 and 5 of the e-zine.

You’ve then got the burgers that are all across America and just get bigger and bigger. Burgers are a great way to add regional American twists on your menus by adapting the toppers and fillers. Lastly we’ve looked into the Italian American food that is popular in many large cities across northern America. Think sloppy meatball subs, cheesy mac’n’cheese and delicious chilli.

Side options can be more than just fries. Loading your fries with lots of toppings is a great way to add extra margin onto your side menu. We’ve provided a few ideas for you on the next page but the sky is the limit. We’ve also looked at alternative potato sides as well as some exciting vegetable options. Our personal favourite, the jalapeño spice mix tempura vegetables.

Desserts are big in the USA. They’re big, they’re bold and they’re tasty. We’ve recently launched a range of desserts from Sweet Street who specialise is American desserts including the favourite pecan pie. We’ve also got classics like the Mississippi mud pie from Sidoli and some more innovative creations such as a peanut butter stack. But don’t forget the Mexican classic churros. Delicious served with a chocolate sauce on the side and perfect with a Black + White coffee.

Whether you are considering revamping your street food menu or sit-down menu we’ve got some great options to help you serve your real American feasts. Our new festival style packaging-to-go range offers an interesting design with a retro American feel and a great choice of formats for your takeaway options.

From Catering Equipment we have a wide range of table top options perfect for setting an all American scene in your restaurant. On-trend mess tins and enamel cups are available along with more cost effective options such as the plastic oval baskets that are synonymous with American BBQ joints. The choice is yours.