Blended Meals: Where At-Home Dining and Foodservice Meet
March 2017
Consumers are becoming more and more interested in creating restaurant-quality meals in the comfort of their own homes, but they’re not willing to sacrifice convenience entirely. This is where the blended meal comes into play. Instead of shopping at the grocery store and making meals from scratch, consumers are ordering meal components from their favorite restaurants and finishing the job at home. Meet the blended meal.
The NPD Group predicts that blended meals will not only emerge, but also become a foodservice trend in 2017. Different from takeout and delivery, blended meals require more steps and allow consumers to take more ownership over their food. Plus, consumers may feel more confident cooking with meal kits or components from their favorite restaurants because they trust the quality of the ingredients professional chefs are using.
Blended meals present an interesting and profitable opportunity for operators. They undoubtedly require less labor than fully prepared orders, and they also allow chefs to inspire and educate diners. Strip House, a restaurant with locations in New York City and Las Vegas, offers “Steak to Go” kits. Each kit includes two 8-oz. filet mignons, two 16-oz. New York Strip steaks, two 14-oz. ribeyes, a proprietary pepper blend, a variety of salts and seasonings, and grilling 101 tips from corporate chef Michael Vignola. Mexican restaurant Dos Caminos of New York City and Atlantic City, NJ, sells “Guac’tailing” kits—all the fresh ingredients of the establishment’s famous guacamole and margaritas, minus the tequila. The kits give diners the freedom to enjoy the experience of preparing guac and margs in their own homes, on their own terms.
Consider differentiating your operation by offering a few take-home meal kits for your diners. Customer-favorite menu items or better-for-you dishes could be a profitable place to start. Browse Butterball’s Culinary Center to find blended meal ideas, and be sure to share your blended meal kits with us on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCES
Five Eating Attitudes and Behaviors to Watch in 2017, The NPD Group, December 2016.
Barrett, Liz. Trendinista: Restaurants enter the meal kit space, Restaurant Hospitality, August 2016.
