Why Stop at Lunch and Dinner? Building a Menu for Every Craving

Diners are indulging with snack menus and treats, offering a delicious escape from daily life!

Jenny Thomas, Simplot State Sales Manager for Victoria and Tasmania, says she’s seen smart operators repurposing products used for lunch and dinner into snacks for other times of the day.

“Instead of just looking at two to three menus offerings in a day, there could be six or seven different meal occasions,” she explains, adding that although there may be more menus, they list fewer dishes, and each offers similar products, served in different ways.

Chips may be served as a side dish at lunch and dinner, but during the day they morph into an indulgent snack, loaded or served with different accompaniments. Think Buffalo Chicken Loaded Sidewinders, Edgell Sweet Potato Crinkle Wedges with Siracha Kewpie Mayo, Mexican Loaded Skin on Chips, or Okonomiyaki Style Diamond Chips – all more-ish snacks that can create new revenue streams.

Australia’s Head of Culinary, David White says creating menus with a range of small dishes offering new flavour profiles will keep customers coming back for more.

“One of the favourite ones we’ve done is avocado sorbet, because including avocado in beverages, drinks and desserts is really popular and a trend that’s sweeping through Asia,” he says.

Another trend David believes is only going to get bigger this year is adding spicy flavours to sweet dishes. This is backed up by Simplot’s global research, which found that sales for food and beverages with ‘spicy’ in the description have increased by 9% year over year.

Hot Honey is an example of this ‘swicy’ (sweet-spicy) trend, which is spreading like wildfire around the world. It can be drizzled on pizza, cheese, fried chicken, bacon or eggs, but really shines as a dip giving sweet heat to any style of chip.

Try Hot Honey Chips with Edgell Seasoned Wedges, Classic Chips or Beer Battered Bad Boys® Chips and see which version your customers prefer!

Forbes Magazine reported that hot honey is not just a trendy new condiment; it’s a phenomenon. “It’s indulgent yet versatile, familiar yet surprising – a rare combination that makes it an easy, repeat sell.”

Check out the enormous range of trendsetting snack inspiration in Simplot’s extensive recipe collection.