Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants are looking for ways to make their kitchens more productive while also making their menus stand out in a crowded market. By bolstering efficiency, innovation, and consistency, restaurants can do just that. But how can a brand achieve all three of these goals at once?

First, restaurants can attract consumer attention by offering menu items that feature high-demand ingredients, such as avocados. Statista reports that American avocado consumption had already grown six-fold between 1985 and 2019, making it a strong choice.

Then, by offering thorough training throughout the organization, from line cooks to managers, restaurants can help boost the efficiency of back-of-house teams working with avocados, improve consistency, and drive culinary innovation. Additionally, because Avocados From Mexico has already crafted a six-part B2B training series on avocados, restaurants can reap these benefits without having to craft their own training programs.

“At Avocados from Mexico we have two pillars for foodservice: innovation and education, and you can’t innovate without education,” says David Spirito, senior director of culinary and foodservice at Avocados From Mexico. “This video series shows restaurants how they can get the most use out of a singular product.”

Here are descriptions of the six courses you shouldn’t miss.

1. Blooms, Sizing & Stages of Ripeness

In this course, restaurant operators will learn how they can work with avocados in each stage of the fruit’s life cycle.

“Too many times, we see restaurant operators using an avocado that’s too soft or hard for their purposes,” Spirito says. “For example, firmer avocados should be used for slices and dices, while softer ones should be used for guacamole.”

This lesson teaches restaurant staff about the bloom cycle of avocados, their sizes, and how each stage of ripeness can best be used on restaurant menus.

2. The Journey to Market

This lesson focuses on the journey the avocado takes starting in the grove, following it all the way to your operations. It takes a dive into avocado supply chain, food safety, and traceability.

3. Handling and Storage

Spirito says another major source of confusion about avocados is how they are best stored and handled in a kitchen. This lesson gives operators helpful pointers about how to properly store the fruit to speed up or slow down the ripening process in order to get the exact consistency needed for a restaurant’s avocado offerings.

4. Back of House Prep Tips             

One of the biggest challenges facing most restaurants is consistency—whether that’s across a chain or even from shift to shift. This course teaches restaurant staff the best ways to prep avocados so that each team member can execute menu items the right way every time.

“To impress guests, you have to make sure menus are innovative and that menu items are executed well,” Spirito says. “The challenge is making sure cooks are able to execute dishes consistently every time, so we wanted to offer a video that trains everyone on the best ways to work with avocados.”

This lesson covers tools, holding halves, prepping slices, prepping dices, holding mash, and bulk guacamole storage.

5. Why Avocados from Mexico

In order to properly work with an ingredient, cooks and chefs must understand where it comes from. This video explains the origins of avocados, demonstrates why avocados that originate in Mexico are unique, and gives background information on the Avocados From Mexico organization.

6. Partnering with Avocados From Mexico

The sixth and final lesson in the series focuses on how restaurants can partner with Avocados From Mexico as a resource, not only for produce, but also to educate staff and to help drive menu innovation.

“We’ve really set Avocados From Mexico apart as a product leader,” Spirito says. “While an avocado is not a tough food to use, we want to make sure the end patron has an exceptional experience, while helping restaurants to offer some premium menu appeal. We’re supplying those two needs by offering avocado education for free through this B2B training program. We hope restaurants will use it to build their brands and they see that they can rely on Avocados From Mexico as a strong industry partner.

To learn more about avocados, register for the courses on the Avocados from Mexico Education platform, AvoEasy.com.