The restaurant business was not for the faint of heart. Making a profit has not been easy in recent years.of National Restaurant Association estimates that a 30% failure rate is the norm in the U.S. restaurant industry, with supply chain issues, rising costs and lingering problems due to the pandemic. it’s actually getting worse. so ILike everyone else, chefs and restaurant owners are looking for ways to reduce food costs through creative cooking and financially smart planning.
We spoke to industry experts about some of these techniques. These techniques usually don’t affect the experience, but I’ve found some techniques that you can use at home as well. Read on for clever ways restaurants cut corners and stretch their money. Any smart home cook knows these tips well.
Chef and author Allen BixbyI try to use what’s left over little by little. “Bread heels and extra slices turned into croutons. Chicken cut whole. [a whole bird] For the fryer, all the backs and trimmings were roasted to create the golden chicken stock that is the base for most of our homemade soups,” says Bixby. , if their product didn’t sell, grilled and chilled grilled he chicken on the menu he was making sandwiches. ”
“Some restaurants may choose to use frozen ingredients such as vegetables and ready-made dough to save preparation time and reduce food waste,” it said. Sherry Martin, chef and writer easy kitchen guide“These ingredients are as fresh and high quality as fresh produce, and can be a convenient option for busy restaurants.”
Fresh vegetables are great, but only if you use them before they go bad.
Par-baked means partially baked, an easy shortcut for restaurants that don’t focus on baked goods. “Guests can heat up baked bread in the oven without the hassle of being in the kitchen,” he said. Christine Prociv, Chief Commercial Officer, Retail La Brea Bakery“Restaurants who want to serve diners with artisan bread, even though they don’t have the space, time or staff to bake bread from scratch, are incorporating frozen half-baked bread into their menus. A good example of this is , artisanal dinner rolls and baguettes.By allowing us to bake exactly the amount we need, we reduce product waste and deliver freshly baked bread to our customers.”
Keep frozen half-baked rolls on hand so you don’t waste fresh. There are many brands to choose from these days.
Your grandmother must have done this. Cooking bacon means removing the fat, but don’t throw it in the trash or down the drain, says Bixby. I will explain.
Bixby also says a great way to train new chefs in a restaurant is to put them in charge of the specials, but with one limitation. “We let them make their own specials, provided they had to use ingredients they had on hand,” he told us. By being there, they’ve developed a unique following for certain items.”
Become your own sous chef and try out what’s going bad in your fridge.
Bigger restaurants and chains have had a lot of luck tracking what’s selling (and what’s not) and tweaking to get rid of what’s not selling, he says. Chef Jody Pemberton eat the palette.
She identifies the worst-selling products and phases them out. “We can’t afford to store stationary ingredients because it’s not only wasted, but we miss the opportunity to focus on what really sells.”
Martin echoes this, saying, “Some restaurants may streamline their menus by serving fewer dishes. It makes it easier to serve.” Translation: If no one eats tofu, stop buying it.
Tanya Edwards is a seasoned food and health journalist who has held roles as editor-in-chief at Yahoo Health and director of programming at the Food Network.Read more about Tanya