A Chef's Perspective: Appeal to chefs through grinds
Casual-dining chains are responding to these cravings with more vibrant strategies for limited-time offerings and seasonal menus to compete with chef-driven neighborhood joints and super cool food trucks. To keep pace, non-traditional grocer-retailers are rotating products, especially frozen and refrigerated prepared foods, through their cases faster. Big CPGs are learning that smaller brands with a better sense of place, mission and purpose are acquiring shelf space and placement that has been “off limits” for generations of products.
Now take a deep breath and ask yourself if your company is being aggressive enough to compete in foodservice by supporting chefs with new and unique value-added offerings. A “Line of Grinds” might be good place to start, because with low investment in equipment and labor resources, you can add value to trim with unique cuts and grinds, seasonings and inclusions … in a hurry. In addition, interesting grinds are relatively risk-free because as consumer and chef preferences change (and they will again tomorrow) so can the flavor profiles you integrate into the Grinds.