Cross-utilization of versatile seafood can simplify inventory, reduce costs, and appeal to more customers.
Seafood ingredients that multitask
In an industry rife with climbing labor costs and falling employee retention, rising rents and shrinking margins, operators are always in search of new ways to run their restaurants more efficiently and more profitably.
While it’s by no means a new concept, cross-utilization — using a single ingredient in an additional or different way in two or more menu items — can go a long way toward saving operators time and money, and creating a wider range of menu ideas that appeal to a broader array of customers.
Yet, despite these proven benefits, few restaurant operators are making seafood multitask across menu sections and meal occasions. According to the latest seafood menu research from Datassential, just 22 percent of restaurant operators currently cross-utilize fish or shellfish on their menus.
But with proper planning and the right high-quality seafood — think products such as peeled and pre-seasoned premium shrimp and versatile seafood stuffing — menu developers can easily reap the many benefits of cross-utilization.
Seafood Success Stories
Bonefish Grill, a division of Tampa, Fla.-based Bloomin’ Brands Inc., is an example of a large chain that is taking full advantage of cross-utilizing seafood. Its newly rolled out brunch menu features dishes such as seasonal Avocado Toast, Seafood Johnny Cakes, Eggs and Crab Cake Rancheros, and a Triple-Decker "BLT" Club, layered with choice of lobster or Ahi tuna, along with bacon, lettuce and tomato — all of which feature in-house ingredients.
“We merged consumer screening information with our own thoughts, and built around what we perceived as ‘voids’ in a seafood house brunch experience,” Executive Chef Justin Fields told Nation’s Restaurant News. “We got creative in this space by emphasizing cross-utilization of our in-house ingredients, to develop eight to 10 offerings that spoke to these key drivers.”
Earlier this year Bonefish Grill earned Nation’s Restaurant News’ MenuMasters Award for best line extension.
Some independent operators, such as Tiger Fork, a contemporary Hong Kong street food restaurant in Washington, D.C., are also finding success with cross-utilization. The restaurant recently added congee cart service to its breakfast and brunch menu. The congee itself, a traditional Hong Kong breakfast porridge, is prepared in the restaurant’s kitchen and then served and customized tableside. Diners can choose add-in proteins such as shrimp, confit chicken and pork, and toppings such as sesame oil, bean sprouts and peanuts, which are almost entirely existing ingredients on the menu used in a multitude of other dishes.
The congee cart has reduced the amount of labor needed in the kitchen during brunch, and cut food costs, Glenn Hanbury, Tiger Fork’s general manager, recently shared with Restaurant Hospitality.
The cross-utilization of seafood can be a profitable possibility for any restaurant. Get started by considering these three easy steps:
Follow these steps; then stock your kitchen with versatile, high-quality seafood products, and you can easily give diners the delicious and different dishes they demand, while efficiently and profitably running your restaurants.