Feature: Side hustle

Who doesn’t love a carb-based kick when dining out of home? For hospitality operators, these low-maintenance dishes have the potential to pack big profits, making them a boon for consumers and businesses alike

The anticipation of a main meal arriving is something that never gets old for consumers. In the Age of Information, decisions aren’t always easy, so guests expect top-drawer when they finally settle on the dish that most tickles their fancy on any particular occasion. And sure, main courses are great – but often it’s the side dishes that really make them sing.

As Ben Keggans, executive chef at Italian-American restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s, explains: “A great side dish must complement the food it will be served with. It must be interesting and flavoursome, so it jumps out to guests.”

From diversifying flavour to offering a dose of comforting indulgence to providing an additional nutrient kick, there are plenty of perks to perfecting your side dish menu section. So, in the scrumptious realm of out-of-home side dishes, it makes sense to start with the nation’s favourite base ingredient: the humble spud.

“From takeaways to gastro pubs, restaurants to hotels, fries are a staple across virtually every menu in every foodservice establishment across the country,” says Steve Elliot, sales director at Valentine & CuisinEquip. “A simple ingredient and one that is easy to get right, it’s important to consider how best to cook a humble bowl or side of fries in order to meet customer expectations and keep costs to a minimum.”

Small spend, big profit

According to Kantar Worldpanel figures (published in the AHDB GB Market Intelligence 2018/19 report), potatoes account for 45% of carbohydrate consumption across the UK market, beating the remainder of a delicious category that includes pasta, rice, noodles and savoury snacks. Potato-based dishes are a consistent hit with consumers and have stood the test of time, proving to be a reliable stream of revenue for kitchens that are willing to do them justice.

“Now is the time for operators to up their fries game and cash in on profits to help offset the New Year lull,” says Pete Evans, UK marketing manager at potato product supplier Lamb Weston. “With the economic challenges we are all facing this winter, simple serves that maximise margin will be the key to success.”

Chips, fries, wedges and similar products in all their wonderful forms have significant markup potential when you compare the cost per portion with the potential sales value. Vegan-friendly fries, for example, present a sure-fire opportunity to max your margins, with a recent Lumina Menu Tracker study (March 2022) finding that the sales price of vegan chips was 17% higher than their regular counterparts. How’s that for an instant uplift?!

Get a load of this

Loaded with potential in more ways than one, spud-based sides give guests the chance to customise a dish, allowing them to adapt or level up their order to suit their mood or dietary preferences.

“Fries and sides are the perfect revenue drivers for operators, with the opportunity to charge as a separate menu item and allow customers to upgrade with toppings, seasonings or sauces,” says Megan Bell, product manager at McCains Foodservice “As the trading conditions become more challenging, it’s now more important than ever that sides are not an afterthought but get the focus and consideration they deserve.”

The option to tailor a dish to their taste not only creates a unique dining experience for consumers, allowing them to experiment with new combinations during each visit, but it’s also a real boon for kitchen staff. Guests mixing things up in this way keeps the cooking process fresh and exciting, allowing chefs to showcase their skills with a diverse range of flavours and produce.

“Our new collection of loaded fries are absolute best-sellers on the Frankie & Benny’s menu,” says Keggans. “For example, our BBQ Brisket Loaded Fries are topped with cheese, seasoned with our spice mix and loaded with BBQ brisket and spring onions. The dish stands out and tastes amazing. We also have super-hot vegan lava fries which are topped with vegan cheddar, chilli flakes sriracha sauce and fresh chillies. Lots of heat and lots of flavour – people love them! And it’s great to be able to offer loaded fries to serve a range of dietary requirements with a vegan offering.”

Potato sides present the perfect canvas to tap into trending global flavours. Coat chunky chips in a Persian dry rub – including turmeric, cardamon, coriander and garlic, for example – and then drizzle them with spiced yoghurt for an indulgent, Lebanese-inspired treat. Or, go even further with a healthy serving of baba ganoush, then top with aubergine crisps, pomegranate and mint. Americana combos are always a hit; why not drizzle fries in Tennessee smoked BBQ sauce, top with melted cheese, add a sprinkle of spring onion then serve with sticky, marinated chicken wings and watch the crowd go wild?

If you really want to push the boat out, you could even serve up fries as a dessert. Sounds wild, right? But it’s a trend that’s becoming increasingly prevalent across the out-of-home sector.

“The industry is pushing the boundaries on what can be served on fries,” says Keggans. “Sprinkle the fries with cinnamon sugar, top with chocolate sauce and crumbled brownie and finish with ice cream. You can even throw on some spice – the salty spice works well with the sweetness.”

But don’t just experiment with toppings – have fun with base ingredients, too. For example, the option of sweet potato or halloumi fries will bring big wins with little additional effort from staff. “For Caribbean-themed dishes, cassava fries add a flourish to regional dishes,” says Tom Styman-Heighton, development chef at Funnybones Foodservice. “This root vegetable, also called ‘yuca’, is crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, with a slightly sweet yet nutty taste.”

See – the potential loaded fries combinations know no bounds!

Take it away, now

In November, CGA by Nielsen IQ’s Hospitality at Home Tracker revealed that deliveries and takeaways now account for a quarter of sales at Britain’s leading restaurant groups, having doubled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Sales by value in October saw a whopping 97% growth on figures from October 2019, the last comparable month before the Covid-19 outbreak. Takeaway and click-and-collect sales more than doubled (55%), but deliveries have soared 236%, as consumers continue to capitalise on the convenience of third-party ordering platforms. These numbers mean that operators really can’t afford to ignore this flourishing revenue stream.

For the past 17 years, father-and-son duo Paul and Rich Knowlson have owned and run Baywatch on the Beach – a popular beach shack eatery in St Helens on the Isle of Wight.

“We’re open for roughly six or seven months of the year, with June, July and August being our peak trading period,” says Rich. “During these key months, we work seven days a week and upwards of 12–14-hour days, but it’s worth it for the fantastic buzz and spectacular location.”

As with the majority of the hospitality sector, the pandemic had a significant impact on the business – but, says Rich, not all of them were bad.

“Before Covid, we were doing a steady trade in both takeaway and sit-down table service,” he explains. “This was working well but would often put a strain on our devoted team, especially in the peak summer months. But during the pandemic, we were forced to switch to takeaway only and we quickly realised it actually benefitted our business and customers. To this day, we remain a takeaway business, with customers making the most of our beachfront location to enjoy their food and drink. We still offer fantastic fresh food, but also have a much simpler menu including scampi, chicken, fish and, of course, chips.”

So long as you have suitable packaging and can offer speed of service without compromising on quality or taste, your side dishes could be traded up as mains and offered as takeaway specials. Potato-based sides travel well, can be rapidly prepared and are popular among consumers nationwide – a win-win all around.

Chip off the old block

As simple and convenient as fries and their potato product siblings are to cook and serve, there are a few elements operators should take note of if they want to offer dishes that keep punters coming back for more. As Elliot explains: “From using quality, clean oil to cooking in a fryer that’s easy to operate, low maintenance and designed to fit effortlessly into a commercial kitchen, it’s important to consider the efficiency of the equipment being used. A simple change such as regularly filtering your oil will help to not only save money, reducing the need to change and dispose of used oil, but also helps to enhance the quality and consistency of your chips.”

Don’t underestimate the cost-saving consideration; in the space of a year (2021–2022), the price of cooking oil has risen from £18 a barrel to well over £40. Investing in a high-tech, intuitive fryer with in-built filtration and oil testing capabilities might seem like a big expenditure now, it will no doubt prove its worth – and then some – down the line. “Fries are a great margin option and an excellent plate fill,” emphasises Keggans. “Start with execution, using the right oil and cook on the correct temperature. These seem like simple points, but fail to serve your fries hot and your guests will benchmark these against competitors.”

So, there you have it – your foolproof guide to making fries and sides hero dishes on your menu. Start with the basics, including your cooking equipment, to set yourself up for success. Go wild with toppings to maximise margins, encourage chefs to experiment with new, global flavour combinations and don’t overlook the takeaway proposition. Make your offer stand out against the imi-taters.

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