Sponsored by CHEF-MATE®
Is your restaurant looking for new ways to up its existing tailgate menu or get into tailgating for the first time? Football season is fast approaching, which means now is the perfect time to roll out tailgate menus and promotions.
Here are four LTO menu strategies that leverage ready-to-eat products to generate excitement for guests and drive tailgating traffic.
Create perfect pairings. Some of the most successful LTO dishes bring together two already well-loved items to create familiar yet fresh dishes, allowing consumers—and operators—to experiment without going too far out of their comfort zone.
It’s as easy as starting with an item your guests already enjoy and then adding on a ready-to-eat product made with high-quality ingredients, such as CHEF-MATE Country Sausage Gravy, Chili con Carne with Beans or Basic Cheddar Cheese Sauce. Take potato tots, which exploded in popularity between 2018-2022 on restaurant menus, growing 42% between those years, according to market research from Datassential. Serve up tots with cheddar cheese sauce or use sweet potato tots for a Southwestern twist. For a really unique dish, try Tater Tot Hotdish, with corn and green beans topped with CHEF-MATE Country Sausage Gravy and Monterey Jack cheese, tots, and more cheese.
“There’s a lot of things you can do with CHEF-MATE products,” says Nestle Professional Chef Phil Wurzel.
Make it shareable. Like the main event that follows it, tailgating is a team sport. Offering shareable appetizers and finger foods, or family-style entrées gives consumers a chance to partake in a shared experience.
For example, Basic Cheddar Cheese Sauce from CHEF-MATE can add a flavor boost when drizzled atop fan favorites such as chicken wings, loaded fries, or all-beef hot dogs. This ready-to-eat product can also help you easily tap into on-trend cuisines, such as Asian, which according to recent research from Datassential is consumers’ most desired away-from-home food. Try adding Asian-style nachos for a fresh take on the Mexican dish. Start with a plate of crispy wontons and top with shredded chicken, Sriracha, scallions, and finish with lots of cheddar cheese sauce goodness.
Build better dips. Dips are fun, interactive, and, according to a recent OnePoll survey, they’re among America’s favorite tailgate foods.
“You want your food to be entertaining and interactive,” says Wurzel.
To create tasty dips that offer entertainment and interactivity, try a ready-to-eat product, such as those made by CHEF-MATE, as a base. Think: buffalo chicken dip (cheddar cheese sauce blended with buffalo-style hot sauce), nacho chili dip (chili con carne with beans and cheddar cheese sauce), or a loaded cowboy queso (chili con carne with beans, cheddar cheese sauce, and beer).
Start early. Die-hard football fans are known to start tailgating as early as 6 a.m. in some regions. If your operation is a locale that gets started in the wee hours or stays open after midnight, consider offering a breakfast tailgate menu with dishes such as breakfast enchiladas (scrambled eggs and Monterey Jack cheese rolled into flour tortillas and topped with CHEF-MATE Country Sausage Gravy and more cheese), cheddar cheesy egg bites, or buttermilk biscuits or cornbread topped with country sausage gravy.
“That‘s a category that’s kind of untapped,” says Wurzel. “The whole breakfast [tailgating] thing is an opportunity.”
Be ready (to eat)
Whether upping your existing tailgate menu or launching one for the first time, providing your team with proven menu strategies is one of the most impactful things your operation can do in advance of football season. Adding high-quality, ready-to-eat products to your restaurant’s pantry is a fresh and easy way to drive menu innovation, traffic, and sales, and so much more.
>>Are you ready? Visit our website to learn more about how CHEF-MATE ready-to-eat can help your operation tackle a tailgate menu.
