Delivered pizza was the big winner of delivered meals during the pandemic. It was the key to survival for pizza and Italian operators as others struggled to stay afloat. As America returns to normal, pizza operators need menu solutions that can maintain excitement and traffic to their restaurants. Red Gold has plenty of opportunities.

Hitting A Home Run With Red Sauce.

Like the success of the spicy chicken sandwich among fast food chains, a bit of cayenne powder in chicken breading sparked a feeding frenzy by consumers that made billions of dollars in revenue for operators nationwide. So, what menu innovation awaits pizza operators?

It starts by looking at your pantry and discerning what products on your shelves offer the biggest bang for the buck for multiple menu applications. What ingredients have the greatest cravable opportunity to drive traffic and sales? The answer is clear. It’s your red sauce.

A Technomic survey finds an 11% increase in menu mentions of “red sauce” on pizza menus.

A consumer survey by Datassential found that of all sauces offered by restaurants, marinara sauce is #1.

Among all sauces, consumers say marinara sauce is their most loved.

Leverage whatever red sauce that you are using as the base for menu innovation. Red Gold® offers a varied of fully prepared sauces under its own brand and Redpack® brand. From Fully Prepared Marinara, to Pizza and Spaghetti Sauces, the line includes rich, hearty flavors and ingredients to offer a heat and serve solution. You can order free samples from the Red Gold website.

While a deep fryer may not be at your disposal to enter the spicy chicken sandwich wars, there are plenty of options for a main menu or LTO superstar that’s ready to generate excitement with your customers. Here are some ideas to spark your exploration from Red Gold’s test kitchen.

How Spicy Should Your New Items Be?

Some operators are in a quandary over how hot to make menu items to appeal to the most customers. While Gen Z and Millennials love the heat, Boomers may object. There has been some research into the issue by Datassential who polled consumers on the preferred heat level of the restaurant food they eat and here are some results.

Only 18% of consumers object to any level of heat in their food.

While 18% of consumers object to any level of heat in their food, there is plenty of room for some heat in your menu. In fact, moderate to very spicy foods capture the greatest number of consumer preference at 44%. Take a look at spicing up a new menu item through your red sauce.

Marinara as a dipping sauce is an essential within the pizza segment. Consumers are more likely to pay an upcharge for delivered pizza with a marinara dipping cup.

During the pandemic, more than 85% of consumers wanted portion control for their sauces according to Datassential. While filling plastic ramekins and taping them closed for delivery worked during the early days of the COVID outbreak, operators needed a better solution.

Factory sealed portion control dipping cups save labor, time, mess and are better at reducing leaks during transport. Red Gold is a leader in portion control cups for marinara and other condiments. Success in a post-pandemic world means incremental enhancements of a pizza or Italian delivery program. Labor saving practices, such as Red Gold portion control can have a positive impact on rethinking your delivery and take out program. Order your free samples of portion control solutions from Red Gold.