Pasta for Delivery and Takeout: Family meal bundles and smart BOH setups for delivery and takeout
As restaurants continue to adapt to local and state requirements for safe restaurant service, pasta in family meals have emerged as a successful strategy. Here are a few chain restaurant operators who have released LTOs with pasta family meals, and are getting high marks from consumers according to Datassential.
Why it works: It’s convenient, guests recognize that pasta as a food for takeout or delivery “travels well,” and it makes for a meal that’s affordable for the family, but still profitable for the operator.
Setting up for success: When preparing pasta in a wide range of situations from ghost kitchens to takeout or a made-to-order station, efficiency is everything. You want to minimize waste and maximize speed of service. Here are the best practices we’ve learned:
Your goal should be to keep it simple and streamlined, while still providing choice, customization and differentiation. In our tests, a range of 5-8 pasta menu items was optimal. You’ll want a mix of short and long cuts – while short cuts like penne and rigatoni travel better, long cuts like spaghetti and linguine are customer favorites.
When building your menu, focus on SKU maximization and cross-utilization. With 4 base sauces: a meat sauce, a bechamel-based sauce, a tomato-based sauce, and a vegetable stock-velouté, you can offer a wide number of menu items and combinations. Mix that with 2-3 proteins, 3-5 seasonal veggies, and you’ll have a lot of room for creativity and customization. Visit the Barilla blog for a sample menu and more takeout-friendly ideas.
Consumer insight highlights
62% of consumers are “sticking to the familiar” with their eating habits and menu choices, and expect to continue that into the future
Tamper-proof seals on packaging was the #1 “most crucial” safety measure consumers wanted on their takeout/delivery purchase.
(source: Datassential, June 2020)