New Market Segment: Foods for Consumers’ Freezers

Savvy food operators are protecting their business by promoting a completely new market segment – foods that freeze well.

In these unprecedented times, consumers are having difficulty even preparing for a quarantine. Panicked consumers have led to empty grocery store aisles, including staples needed to make fresh food and pre-packaged frozen dinners.

This has created an unexpected opportunity for restauranteurs: a Freeze-At-Home Menu.

We all have menu items that we know freeze well – whether it’s your famous bread basket dough, a half-baked flatbread, made-from-scratch soup, wrapped red-chili burro or individual servings of lasagna. Now is the time to market these items to your consumers.

It’s easier than you might think. Just follow these easy steps:

1. Conduct an inventory of your current menu items to create a special Freeze-At-Home menu for consumers. Don’t do anything you aren’t sure will freeze and reheat to maintain your quality reputation.
2. Take the time to develop heating and/or cooking instructions for each dish you plan to offer. This will help preserve the integrity of your restaurant’s dishes. If something special is needed (e.g., pizza stone), include that information. Consumers may already have it, but if not, offering a substitute (e.g., cookie sheet) can help set expectations for a different (but still delicious) final product.
3. Secure the necessary packaging for straight-to-freezer convenience for your customers. Again, it’s important to consider food integrity. Your Shamrock Foods Sales Representative can help based on which items you are offering.
4. Develop prices for the freeze-at-home menu based on all the items you need for it to be successful. Consider minimum orders, food waste, labor costs, cost of new packaging, etc.
5. Market the new offerings with a consumer email and take-away flier to include with every to-go and delivery order. Position the menu as foods that freeze well, and be sure to communicate lead-time for orders and pick-up/delivery options.

Ready to get started? Contact your Shamrock Foods Sales Representative for help.