Read the latest foodservice news from Red Gold, plus trends and insights important to your business.
Gridiron greatness on your menu means retooling your appetizers for upsell wins with eat-in or takeout customers this fall. With the help of Datassentials, Red Gold brings you some of the fastest-growing menu items to consider for your game plan.
Checking the stats on more than 99,000 appetizer menu mentions over the past four years, sliders are the clear winner as they’ve risen on menus by 33%. Meatballs are in second place with 31% growth over the same period. Add extra flavor by covering these with Redpack's Marinara Sauce. Hummus, Ceviche and queso are in the top five with queso up 22%. Winning appetizer sauce flavors are led by aioli, up 48%.
Looking for fried appetizers that can be perceived as healthier? Try fried cauliflower (up a resounding 77% in the past four years), fried pickles are up 46%. While wings are down on appetizer menus by nearly 10% you can add some excitement to your wings by using branded bourbons. This unique dish is up 67% followed by lemon pepper, Thai, Parmesan and Asian wing flavors. Make a special aoli with Red Gold Ketchup to drizzle on your fried appetizer. Click here for more recipes!
Samplers are prefect for takeout. Chips and salsa score big, up 51%. Even different variations on fries are strong, up 8%. Samplers that are centered around queso are up 6%.
The biggest losers going into football season are potato skins, down 16%, followed by clams, poppers, quesadillas and fried cheese, down 9%.
Now, huddle your team and develop your game plan for some big game day appetizer wins this season. Don’t forget the alcohol where you can leverage appetizers already on your menu to craft your signature toppings for your bloody marys and other cocktails. Take advantage of the limited time offer using Sacramento Tomato Juice or Bloody Mary Mix and Skewdats!