The cost of goods has risen to unprecedented levels. Further complicating matters for restaurant operators is the fact that foot traffic has slowly but surely started to subside as a result of inflation. This leaves chefs and operators in a precarious position.
“Creative solutions to remedy rising food costs remain one of the biggest challenges for chefs,” says Tanya Smith, director of marketing with Basic American Foods. “Using versatile SKUs that can work across any daypart and menu part will help stretch an operator’s dollars further, ensuring margins are good, time and labor are efficient, and staff and diners are happy.”
Smith offers hashbrowns as a great solution for chefs looking to walk a tightrope between controlling costs and creating dishes diners will love—and want to order over and over again. A recent Datassential report found that 81 percent of consumers either love or like hashbrowns. Here’s a look at a few ways chefs can capitalize on the fan favorite item.
Hashbrowns will always be the ultimate comfort food breakfast or brunch side. Served on their own, hashbrowns can be a perfectly profitable menu item. But the lovable item can also be used to elevate any number of dishes, from Spicy Chicken Sandwiches to Shredded Potato Tacos, and beyond.
“Hashbrowns can take on all kinds of toppings, mix-ins, and work well in really any daypart,” says Paul Rockwell, corporate chef with Basic American Foods. “They can be incorporated into a sandwich, served as the base for a bowl, or work well in a stack. Hashbrowns really appeal to a large range of diners.”
The Basic American Foods’ website contains a host of other menu ideas, including innovative new side recipes like Buffalo Bacon Browns that chefs and operators can use to broaden the SKU’s versatility.
While hashbrowns are an item that consumers love seeing in a wide array of applications, making them from scratch can be a challenge, as it requires a lot of prep. Even some refrigerated or frozen solutions can take up space in walk-in coolers or freezers, or slow down throughput by taking too long to grill.
Basic American Foods offers operators a solution in their hashbrowns, Smith says. “We’ve found that our hashbrowns have a ‘3x’ value proposition for operators,” Smith says. “They grill up three times faster, have three times more yield, and take up three times less space—all of that boosts the bottom line.” Operators can take a 15-second “Rock Your Hashbrowns” quiz and use BAF’s profit calculator to see how affordable menuing hashbrowns can be.
“Basic American Foods Hashbrowns ship, store, and refresh easily,” Rockwell adds. “They also cook up predictably, consistently and beautifully every time. Add to this the gorgeous presentation and delicious taste, and it’s clear why they are the superior hashbrown.”
With chefs needing to create profitable builds that generate foot traffic, Basic American Foods Hashbrowns offer a solution by providing a fan-favorite, craveable menu item in an operator-centric format. In other words, both the diner and the operator win with Basic American Foods.
“Customers are clamoring for customization and craveability on breakfast menus,” Smith says. “Hashbrowns are the perfect base for letting diners personalize and build their own hashbrown breakfast bowls. Offer a variety of delicious toppings that you already have back of the house and your diners will love that you’re catering to their tastes.”
“Hashbrowns can be used on a flatbread, in a breakfast taco, or any number of dishes that can be customized in numerous ways,” Rockwell says. “Our hashbrowns are so adaptable, the possibilities are nearly endless.”
For a free sample, visit the Rock Your Hashbrowns website.