Family Kit Concepts

The 3 principles of family meal kits:

• Preparedness

• Simplicity

• Marketing

Overview:

When it comes to finding new ways to generate revenue for your restaurant, one of the simplest is offering family meal kits. These don’t have to be elaborate, over the top, decadent and complicated meals, but rather quite the opposite. They should be simple, approachable, and easy to execute. Furthermore, you should utilize products you already have, and use techniques that you are already familiar with, to prevent extra expenditures and improper executions.

Consider the demographic of your customers; how much they are willing to spend? Where they will most likely be dining? How long will they be traveling? These are some of the things to consider when developing your offerings.

Appeal to everyone; Utilizing your POS data will give you the info you need to know about what people enjoy the most from your restaurant. Use those numbers to create the meal kits so you don’t exert time, effort, and perhaps a monetary investment, into something that won’t sell.

Preparedness

Packaging

• Have the right packaging for the job. The packaging is going to be the first impression your customers have of the meal and could set the tone for the rest of the meal. I didn’t believe it either, but there have actually been studies done on it!

Quantities

• Make sure you are prepared to produce anything you offer and sell. This might be bumping up your par levels or ordering extra product. It will not leave a positive impression if someone commits to purchasing a meal, only to discover it isn’t available.

• Ensure you give the proper amount of product per meal. Portion out each item appropriate to not only the cost, but to the quantity of which you advertise. If you sell a meal kit for four people, make sure you have enough of each product for four people. The worst is ordering a family salad only to get home and find one small ramekin of dressing.

• Consider offering different tiers, not all nuclear families are created equal. Offering different quantities will appeal to more people. Charge accordingly of course.

Simplicity

• Regarding the guest: Regardless of how far in the cooking process you prepare, whether it be raw ingredients, or a meal 100% ready to eat, it should be made simple for your diners. The last thing you want is for them to get frustrated due to lack of instruction. If there are any special instructions or techniques, make sure you send those instructions along with them. Refrain from needing special equipment to complete, such as an immersion mixer or a blow torch.

• Regarding your staff: There’s no need to make extra work for yourself to make this a profitable endeavor. Utilizing your current product and menu will streamline the efficiency process and ensure your staff is already prepared for the extra work to come.

Marketing

• All the planning in the world won’t make a difference if people don’t know about what you are doing. Whether you market in house or use outside resources, make sure you incorporate these family meals into those publicity pieces. Highlight that this is something new with the same familiar and comfortable feel. Get people excited that they can eat your food in the comfort of their own home, which will ultimately keep you fresh in their mind for when they are ready to go back out and occupy your dining space.

For more information or assistance in implementing family meal kits, contact:

Chef Derek Bugge

Derek.Bugge@Harborfoodservice.com, 206.697.3301

Or for marketing, contact:

Andy Cook

Andy.Cook@Harborfoodservice.com, 360.701.1577