FSR May 2022

SPONSORED BY AJINOMOTO FOODS NORTH AMERICA

going out. The challenge with global flavors, however, is ensuring a level of authenticity while still making the dish approachable. In order to be a profitable, menu item for operators, global foods have to meet the needs of both the aspi rational foodie and the more cautious diner alike. “A lot of customers want to try unique global flavors that they’ve heard about, but they also don’t want it to be a gam ble,” says Paul Bulman, director of food service marketing for Ajinomoto Foods. “Where we are uniquely suited is in intro ducing that low-investment app or shareable plate where they can sample something adventurous without having to commit $30 or $40 to an entree that they aren’t sure if they will like.” Ajinomoto specializes in multiple cuisines from across Asia, Latin Amer ica, Mexico, and Italy, as well as tradi tional “American” fare. The company offers a range of frozen and ready-to-eat appetizers and entrees with on-trend flavors that can also help reduce prep aration time in the kitchen and prides itself on creating dishes that will be of a similar or be er quality than scratch made dishes. The line of ready-to-eat solutions also help brands execute con sistent dishes time and time again—no kitchen savvy necessary.

AJINOMOTO FOODS NORTH AMERICA

When Global Flavors Meet a Labor Solution, Diners and Operators Both Win Heat-and-serve on-trend menu items can satisfy customer cravings with minimal back-of-house labor.

THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY faces unique challenges in 2022. Opera tors must be more creative than ever to find solutions to the ongoing labor short age and the snarl of supply chain issues that arose with the onset of COVID-19. At the same time, there’s a great deal of pent-up demand for restaurant food. The National Restaurant Association 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report found that 51 percent of adults aren’t eating at restaurants as much as they’d prefer—an increase of 6 percent from pre-pandemic times. So how can operators tackle per sistent issues with staffing and supply while ensuring a great experience for returning customers with high expec tations? One answer is reliable prepared foods that don’t sacrifice on quality.

“There has never been a be er time to consider prepared foods,” says Michael Castagna, vice president of foodservice marketing for Ajinomoto Foods North America. “With the labor shortage, con sistency is tough to deliver, but it’s so important, especially when you’re a chain. Availability and cost of raw mate rials is also a concern. The value propo sition of prepared foods has never been more a ractive.” As the world seems to shrink— thanks in part to social media and other factors—consumers are more eager to try out different flavors and foods they may not have seen before. Global fla vors can be one way to entice them into “Labor is tighter than it ever has been,” Bulman says. “It’s a major issue. What makes us unique is that we have a port folio of frozen products across different cuisine types. They do a really nice job of helping simplify back-of-house opera tions. You just cook or heat, garnish, and serve.” BY KARA PHELPS To learn more, visit ajinomotofoodservice.com.

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

MAY 2022