Category: Hospitality

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Reimagining “All-You-Can-Eat” in a Post-Covid World

Reimagining “All-You-Can-Eat” in a Post-Covid World

The world is starting to open back up, and so, too, are our beloved restaurants and foodservice establishments.

We're all grateful for this, especially knowing that while it may take some time, things should pretty much return to normal -- eventually -- in a post-COVID world. There is one type of operation, though, that still might look a little different.

Buffets.

Many consumers have stated they wouldn't feel comfortable going back to such open settings that allow anyone and everyone to grab what they want whenever they want. The once-beloved tradition is simply not feasible in current times and may not make a true comeback for years to come. So, how are restaurants and hotels recreating the buffet experience?

PIVOTAL MOVES

While all-you-can-eat is often associated with buffets, it doesn't have to be. Some restaurants have been using this model forever, most notably Korean BBQ service. K-BBQ has gained popularity with the rising trend of Korean cuisine, and this model offers all-you-can-eat servings that are personal to the individual table. Consumers will order from a specialized menu, paying a flat rate and the dishes will be delivered to their table rather than going to a buffet.

This has been shown to be successful in K-BBQ settings and many restaurants are using the method to transition their services. By offering an “endless supply” of selected dishes, customers are able to still get the all-you-can-eat experience without the fear of cross-contamination.

This style of service also requires moving foods from the kitchen to the tableside while preserving safety, freshness, temperature, and quality. With the right food delivery system, operators can not only serve amazing foods but also reduce the potential for food waste by rationing serving sizes.

MOVING THE SOCIALLY DISTANCED LINE ALONG

No restaurant is escaping the transition of re-opening unscathed, and that's part of why many businesses are relying on disposable items so heavily for to-go orders and delivery services. Unfortunately, that's not exactly cost-efficient and adds an extra layer of labor to the daily list of tasks. One solution that vendors are finding success with for maintaining a somewhat buffet-style service is by mimicking cafeteria lines.

Consumers are encouraged to socially distance in lines, but they can experience an almost traditional buffet by moving through an assembly line. While in line, they can choose from pre-assembled plates from the menu or encounter staff-served options that don't require any consumer engagement with serving utensils.

Serving lines and foodservice solutions are a critical component of this type of service. Units that are easy to configure, provide visibility, ease-of-use, and are easy to clean can help make operations more efficient and profitable.

ORDER UP

In addition to utilizing Korean BBQ settings and Cafeteria line styles, buffet models can benefit from ordering directly from the table. This would include a tablet or mobile device that allows customers to quickly review the menu and place their orders. The virtual order is then sent directly to the kitchen to begin preparation and helps create a hybrid of ordering on the go while still enjoying the dine-in experience.

This solution may also assist in offsetting some labor costs, reducing the number of front-of-the-house staff needed on shift. Staff that are serving would focus more on seating customers and delivering orders rather than constantly taking orders and checking on tables.

STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST FOODSERVICE TRENDS

There's no single direct solution to getting back to normal, and the truth is that the current day foodservice is creating a new normal. With modern-day technology, adjusting to local mandates and re-imagining the industry's day-to-day setup is constantly changing.

Our goal at Lakeside is to keep you informed as well as provide you with serving stations, portable serving carts, serving lines, countertops that bring you innovative solutions for a post-COVID experience. The all-you-can-eat buffet tradition might look a little different from now on, but you can still create that sense of enjoyable engagement for consumers dining with you.

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3 Benefits of a Student-Run Coffee Program

3 Benefits of a Student-Run Coffee Program

Over the past decade, one of the biggest growth segments for coffee has been younger demographics, and this trend is expected to continue its upward climb.

As a result of coffee’s growing appeal and popularity amongst student-aged populations, many high schools across the country are considering or have already begun student-run coffee programs.

There are three important benefits to beginning this type of school nutrition service, so let’s walk through each of them now.

1. Would You Like Some Milk with Your Coffee?

Promoting milk-rich coffee drinks like lattes, café mochas, and cappuccinos can result in improved milk consumption among teens who might otherwise avoid drinking the white stuff. This can help schools meet federal and local guidelines on milk consumption.

Coffee drinks offered at school have to follow the same strict USDA nutrition standards that apply to school lunches, meaning drinks should be made with fat-free or 1% milk that averages around 150 calories. They also can’t exceed 12 ounces, so no ‘venti’ drinks at the school coffee bar. At the same time, coffee can replace other, sugary drinks as a caffeine substitute. Drinking coffee is a lot better for students than carbonated energy drinks or even soda, for example.

The bottom line is more milk/less sugar is the desired result in our high school foodservice operations.

2. Keeping It All on Campus

Keeping high school students on campus where they can be properly supervised is often a challenge. Offering their favorite caffeinated beverages in-house is one way to meet that challenge, especially for schools that have open campuses where students are permitted to leave. As many schools remove soda and vending machines from school grounds, replacing them with a coffee bar can be a great alternative, giving students an off-campus type of experience inside the school.

As we mentioned, coffee drinks are substantially lower in sugar than soda and include a healthy dose of milk. This helps them meet the USDA’s Smart Snacks in Schools parameters. The coffee bar can also provide an increased profit potential within the school. This much-needed infusion of money can help offset the loss from the removal of the soda vending machines.

A study comparing two high schools’ experience with installing coffee bars was presented at the 2019 Annual National Conference of the School Nutrition Association. According to that study, the projected ROI from adding a coffee bar was just over a year and a half. Since the demand for coffee drinks is only increasing among students, your ROI could come even sooner and will continue into the future.

3. Learning About the Business of Coffee

By setting up and running a coffee stand, students can actually benefit from hands-on learning during their business classes. If they’re working in conjunction with the school nutrition department, even better! All parties benefit when a coffee cart draws more students into the school cafeteria.

While working at the coffee cart or helping to set up the program, students learn the basics of running a successful business. Those basics include marketing, quality control, budgeting, scheduling, and other essential skills. If a class requires hands-on work hours, students can develop and improve in areas like customer service and management without leaving campus.

Is Your School Ready for a Coffee Program?
As we’ve shown above, an investment in a student-run coffee program benefits both the students and the school. If your school district is interested in implementing such a program, connect with a Lakeside expert for more information and guidance.

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What to Expect from the Post-Covid Labor Crunch

What to Expect from the Post-Covid Labor Crunch

After laying off a huge number of staff members, the foodservice industry is now struggling to find and hire labor.

In some ways, the shortage in staffing has created a sense of panic in regard to how the foodservice industry and restaurants will move forward. For smaller businesses, it can be difficult to compete with larger chains that are now offering monetary incentives to entice workers. The industry will move forward just like it’s always done, and here are a few important factors.

WHY ARE WE FACING A LABOR SHORTAGE?

At the start of the pandemic, many cities mandated lockdowns that shut businesses down completely or dwindled services to curbside pick up and delivery. This had serious impacts on the workforce, with millions of workers being either laid off or furloughed during the heart of the pandemic.

For those who remained, there was certainly the added concern of COVID exposure, in addition to the higher demands foodservice jobs brought over the last year. With so many worried about getting sick and potentially spreading the virus to loved ones, that mentality has continued to some degree up until the present day. Tack on the presence of poor working conditions in some situations, government assistance, and numerous other factors, and the result is an industry now facing a labor crisis. Simply put, the causes cannot be simply put. It’s a complex situation with many facets.

In April of this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 266,000 jobs had been added throughout the economy. While many people have concerns about what to do as businesses re-open, the numbers show that the majority of industries are not experiencing a shortage in labor. It’s mostly targeted towards the leisure, hospitality, and foodservice sectors.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO ENCOURAGE HUNTING WORKERS TO APPLY?

Due to the shortage of staff, many foodservice operations are unable to fully open back up and some have even begun to cut back hours to try and offset the frustration. Many employers are having trouble getting people to show up for actual interviews, and when smaller businesses are unable to offer monetary incentives, updating SOP’s and providing transparency can help.

People are looking for safe conditions that provide them with reassurance in the workplace. This means being fully open about what you’re doing to protect employees. Adding in additional cleaning and updating kitchen or in-house equipment with hand sanitizer stations and more have been key turn solutions to encouraging many workers to ease their way back in.

RELIABLE EQUIPMENT TO HELP EASE THE STRAIN

The labor shortage isn’t only impacting the operational process for restaurants. It’s leaving the few workers on shift exhausted from overtime and lack of help. Fortunately, digital solutions and technology are making waves in easing the pressure from staff and providing a sense of functionality. Mobile ordering and apps that allow consumers to place orders directly from their table are allowing employees to focus more on cleaning and serving rather than constantly seating or checking on guests. This has offered phenomenal assistance in allowing workers to do their jobs without becoming overworked.

Other options include portable serving carts or pick-up cabinets to assist in providing options for hungry consumers, effectively changing the points of service. This equipment ensures that multiple orders can be taken care of at once, and it provides security to the customers that placed the orders. With the help of durable and reliable equipment, many foodservice operations are gaining some structure again.

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Save on Linen Costs with Modular Serving Lines

Save on Linen Costs with Modular Serving Lines

Flexibility is the key to improving your bottom line in buffet and self-serve foodservice, particularly as we emerge from the challenges of COVID-19. Finding ways to save money and make labor more impactful while providing an exceptional guest experience is the ultimate goal, and the equipment operators use when delivering can make all the difference.

In terms of savings, one of the easiest ways to save money while reducing workload is to eliminate the need for linens. Why are most buffet stations draped in linen? Well, generally it’s to hide the ugly tables underneath. When you’re draping them with fabric, even the ugliest, most beat-up and battered tables become serviceable.

Unfortunately, hiding those ugly tables comes at a significant cost. Not only do operators have the upfront expense for the linens, but keeping them clean comes at a cost from both a labor and a resource perspective. Spilled sauces and dropped food require professional cleaning in order to keep those linens looking pristine. 

According to the Textile Rental Services Association of America, continuously rising energy costs have had a devastating effect on their highly energy-dependent businesses. Despite improvements in laundry equipment, they’ve been forced to pass those ever-increasing energy costs on to their customers. Linen service costs can easily add up to two percent of sales — and that’s a pretty significant dent in your bottom line.

The Added Benefit of Serving Station Modularity

A modular foodservice system that lets you add or remove components as needed can help keep things fresh and exciting for your customers. How about adding a flexible serving station that can go from custom omelets at brunch to decadent sundaes at night? Multiple uses from the same piece of equipment help you increase profits while indulging your customers’ desire for a constantly fresh experience. 

Establishing a great, customer-friendly serving line is a complex process. You have to balance mobility, simplicity and speed of set-up, and ease of use (for both customers and staff). Add in the need for an attractive, inviting, and spotless appearance, and things get even more complicated.

Flexibility, Functionality, and Cost Savings?

Yes, you can have them all when you choose the right tables for your serving line. Why not switch from ugly tables covered by expensive linens to attractive tables that allow you to ditch that pricey linen service? If they’re highly mobile, can be configured to meet your needs, and can nest for storage, even better.

That’s just what you’ll get when you switch to Lakeside’s modular serving table system. This highly flexible and attractive system allows you to configure your serving line in a multitude of different ways. Even the most awkward hospitality area is no longer a problem with these tables. They’re 32″ deep and available in multiple widths that allow you to configure them to suit any space.

Available options include induction stovetops, sunken chilled bins, and even right-angle corner connectors to make for smooth transitions.

The 3″ swivel casters and interlocking design make set up a breeze, saving you labor costs. Clean-up is just as quick and easy with the powder-coated steel frames and stainless steel, laminate, or resin solid surface tops. Best of all? Their attractive, front-of-house design eliminates the need for those expensive linens!

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Webinar: Hospitality Trends

Webinar: Top 10 Foodservice Trends of 2021

Your world has been dominated by shifts and progressions, forcing the evolution of your operations. So how can you keep up?

After months of surveys, conversations, trainings, and research, we’ve identified three hospitality foodservice trends to help you rise above.

You’ll learn:

  • The top three hospitality foodservice trends in 2021
  • How businesses are adapting to linenless
  • How to implement these strategies for yourself

To experience all the 2021 trends, view our interactive trends report below