HOW WE SERVE
CASE STUDY
Mid Size/Scale Full Service Restaurant Group Case Study – Culinary Partnership and Ideation
Operator Issue:
A Mid-Atlantic based mid size/scale full service regional restaurant group approached Clemens Food Group with a problem they identified in their pork program – They were struggling with incorporating underutilized cuts on their menu as a way to manage food costs and margins.
Situation:
The restaurant was featuring Hatfield® Ribeez® pork wings in 3 menu offerings on their menu across dayparts and occasions – appetizer, sandwich, and entr├®e. The Hatfield® Ribeez® product features became house specialties and a key performer on their menu.
Based on the success of that item the Chef at the restaurant group asked Clemens to partner to explore other new and different ways to transform his menu and deliver additional value to his customers and bottom line by leveraging underutilized cuts and maximizing where and how it could be integrated into his menus – the chef was looking for inspiration.
CFG Approach to Partnership:
Clemens Food Group’s sales team and Corporate Chef determined the best way to partner was to go deep and to first have the restaurant group ideate in the Clemens Customer Experience Center (CEC) and then to go onsite to their operations to ensure execution and consistency across each unit.
“I went down to visit one of their main kitchens to identify and understand how their operations were structured and the potential limitations how their operation were structured and the potential limitations to how these new products and menu items might be executed. Some kitchens were really tight in space, others on equipment, so I wanted to make sure any suggestions were realistic for their staff. Going onsite I was able to evaluate their unique set ups and operational needs and then match those to the concepts we developed together in the CEC. Sometimes concepts need to be tested out to know just how theu would work in real life and this was one example of mitigating the risk for this operation – understanding early and tweaking to what each unit could confidently and consistently turn out.”
– CFG Corporate Chef Jenny Moyer Murphy
The Recommendation and Result:
- Customized ideation support for easily executed, on trend menu concepts
- Using ingredients they already had sourced and available in their kitchen with new underutilized and inexpensive pork cuts
- Delivering exciting new menu offerings that fit across dayparts and menu occasions:
- White Belgium Ale Chorizo Carmelized Onion Dip
- BBQ Riblets
- Grilled BBQ Pork Skewers
- Powerhouse Salad- with Housemade Bacon Croutons
- Chorizo Flatbread
- Pork Cutlet Sandwich -with Temple Meat
“Working chef-to-chef with the restaurant group to ideate and find the right ways for them to derive and deliver additional value in their pork program and menu offerings was exactly as it should work. At CFG we work across procurement, buyers, quality groups and merchandisers everyday with successful outcomes for the operators/units, but the ability to connect chefs truly delivers a superior experience and allows CFG to really impact a customer’s business.”
– CFG Corporate Chef Jenny Moyer Murphy
Interested in engaging with our team for a unique partnership experience?