Sponsored by J&J Snack Foods
But first, many will have to contend with a lingering challenge of the pandemic—the tight labor market. In fact, seven in 10 restaurant operators say their restaurants lack enough employees to support customer demand, according to the National Restaurant Association 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report.
However, it is possible to run successful promotions with minimal labor requirements. One way is to showcase soft pretzels and churros, two classic snack foods that have few equals for convenience, portability and fun. Both soft pretzels and churros are low in labor, food cost and are extremely versatile snack food options. J&J Snack Foods offers fully baked soft pretzels that are easy to heat, display and serve, as well as churros, which only require minimal prep time in the fryer for an authentic churro that has a soft interior with crispy exterior. Both are ideal springboards for exciting promos and celebrations.
The value of partnership
To get the most out of snack food promotions, it is wise to partner with a food manufacturer that has a product portfolio broad enough to satisfy the varied demands of snackers and the corporate resources to support operators. The epitome is J&J Snack Foods Corp., the one-stop snacking solution found everywhere the fun is. A publicly traded company with more than $1 billion in revenues, J&J Snack Foods has a portfolio that encompasses soft pretzels and churros and extends to funnel cakes, baked goods, frozen novelties and frozen beverages—more than 30 brands in all. Operators who team up with J&J Snack Foods can benefit from recipes, menu ideas and merchandising tips as well as superior products.
Creative soft pretzels
Soft Pretzels continue to remain a marketable snack option year-round, but there are special times throughout the year that J&J Snack Foods wants to celebrate with their operators.
National Soft Pretzel Day (April 26th):
J&J Snack Foods is known to celebrate their extensive portfolio of soft pretzels during the month of April, National Soft Pretzel Month the month April, as well as April 26, which is National Soft Pretzel Day. They offer soft pretzels that fit any operators needs. SUPERPRETZEL® Soft pretzels are J&J Snack Foods #1 soft pretzel brand which can be served plain, salted, or served with any signature dip, PretzelFillers® Filled Soft Pretzels which offer an all in one solution of a pretzel with a sweet or savory cheese filling and our hand crafted Bavarian style soft pretzels which provide a more upscale, authentic flavor.
Oktoberfest:
The Munich Oktoberfest, the fall festival of Bavarian culture and food held since 1810, is a historic role model for promoting soft pretzels. Celebrate Oktoberfest with J&J Snack Foods. The soft pretzel first originated in Germany and since then, people have been trying to perfect its style and flavor to serve across the world. J&J Snack Foods is happy to say, we have combined many different worldly ingredients to create the ultimate, authentic, pub-style Bavarian soft pretzel. Not only are they classic snacks in the rollicking food and beer tents, but also shine as side items of meals and ingredients of local cuisine!
Leading the J&J Snack Foods soft pretzel lineup is SUPERPRETZEL®, the number-one selling soft pretzel brand, and SUPERPRETZEL® Soft Pretzel Bites, which are perfect as appetizers as well as in entrées and desserts. Other appealing options include Bavarian Bakery® Gourmet Soft Pretzel Sticks & Rolls and Brauhaus Pretzel™, an authentic German-style pub pretzel.
The appeal of churros
Churros—hot, sweet and crispy pastries of Spanish origin—continue to grow in popularity. They can be served throughout the day and are especially delicious paired with coffee or a signature sweet dipping sauce. Preparation is easy with just a minute in the fryer.
Although churros are traditionally dusted with cinnamon and sugar and eaten with melted chocolate, there are many possible customizations. For example, coat them with crushed breakfast cereal or chocolate chips or serve them with dulce de leche or hazelnut-chocolate sauce.
Cinco de Mayo, the annual celebration of Mexican culture and food on May 5, is a prime occasion for churros. But there are numerous other opportunities for creative promos. For example, Disneyland Resort in California introduced new churro cart offerings for the holidays last year, including Pink Coconut Churros with chocolate marshmallow crème dipping sauce, and Holiday Cookie Churros, topped with crushed ginger snaps and holiday spices and served with vanilla dipping sauce.
J&J Snack Foods offers the Tio Pepe’s Churros® and California Churros® portfolio lines, which include churros with traditional cinnamon sugar, as well as filled options such as Bavarian cream, cajeta, apple and strawberry.
In today’s highly competitive industry, restaurant operators should take every opportunity to drive sales. One of the best ways is promoting labor-saving, festive soft pretzels, and churros. Partnering with the snack experts at J&J Snack Foods Corp. helps operators excel at this.
