What were some of the goals with the Summer Scoop in terms of addressing this, from easy preparation to versatility?
The main goal with Summer Scoop is to provide operators with on-trend products that deliver on taste and quality and can be easily integrated onto the operator's menu. At the same time, these products have also been developed to provide easier and faster preparation. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for back-of-house staff to bring exciting and flavorful dishes to their diners so they can continue to attract and retain them.
We all know there are hours of preparation that go into creating dishes—from chopping greens to preparing meats and more. For restaurant operators who are already dealing with less staff, these items can save hours of work so operators can ultimately save time and money while driving a profitable menu. We’ve also designed these items to be very versatile so operators can use them across a variety of dishes. Take the Cross Valley Farms Apple Pineapple Pico De Gallo, for instance. This is a simple yet exciting substitution that we have seen operators use across a variety of applications such as tacos, salsas, nachos or even as a burger topping. In addition to loving the flavor, they love the ease of not having to create a fresh pico from scratch.
What are some product highlights, and how do they help operators combat labor issues?
We received a lot of positive feedback the Chef’s Line Crispy Italian Tomato and Mozzarella Arancini. This product is made in Italy with Italian Carnaroli rice and then filled with tomato, mozzarella, and an authentic vegetable blend. Not many diners are familiar with arancini, and these offer a new global experience in a nice bite-sized option that operators can menu as an app or side dish. They also travel well for operators who are maintaining a robust off-premise operation.
The Patuxent Farms Biscuit Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks is one of my favorites. We made these with whole muscle breast chicken chunks and then coated them with a crunchy, biscuit-like breading for an upscale version of popcorn chicken. It’s simple to prep back-of-house and saves approximately three hours of labor compared to creating something similar from scratch. The biscuit breading is unexpected and brings a product like this to the next level. Operators can also customize the product with a wide variety of dips and sauces such as our Chef’s Line Nashville Hot Sauce.
Some of the more popular items that can be used across various applications are the Chef’s Line Alabama White Barbeque Sauce, the Cross Valley Farms Apple Pineapple Pico De Gallo, and the Chef’s Line Roasted Garlic & Herb Compound Butter. Sauces, salsa, and specialty butters are very labor-intensive items to make from scratch, so operators are really gravitating toward these items because they offer a little twist on the traditional and stand out on a menu but are also delicious and ready to go with little to no prep.