Get Fresh With Grapes: The New Chain Reaction
Consumer food choices separate into roughly two groups:
- Comfort – mac’n cheese, mashed potatoes, burgers, pizza, pie, etc.
- Variety – the healthy (fresh, vibrant, natural, “local”), the hip and everything ethnic
That said, the two groups are always evolving. For example, Caesar salad used to be hip, but now it’s practically comfort. Garlic mashed potatoes? Smoothies? Fettuccine Alfredo? Veggie burgers? These foods show that when the two groups exchange concepts, they change each other for a long period of time.
Fresh grapes from California are key crossover ingredients between the two groups for chain restaurants. Here’s why:
- Grapes are comfort food – Kids love them (See Kids Menus), they’re juicy, sweet, consistent in quality, always ripe when they come to market, and they’re just simply beautiful.
- Grapes are healthy – They’re the original Superfruit (See Health and Nutrition). Add them to your salad bar for an instant fresh and healthy choice.
- Grapes from California are America’s local grapes, and 99% of consumers prefer grapes from California.
- Grapes are hip – grapes in salads with goat and blue cheese, roasted grapes, grapes in sauces, grape-studded focaccia – these items are all the rage in fine dining (See Fine Dining and 21 Ways) and are finding their way into chain menus, too.
- Ethnic dishes evolve, too. Always a Mediterranean staple, fresh grapes are finding their ways into salsas, gazpacho, curries – both Thai and Indian – and many more cuisines.
We'd Love to Help You Get Fresh
We’ve developed dishes especially for use in chain operations. We have an array of resources available to help you implement grapes on your menu, including menu promotion assistance for new introductions and special offers, and menu development services. Contact us and we’ll show you easy ways to add fresh grapes to your menu.
Show Us Your Best!
Do you have a great recipe featuring grapes that you serve at your restaurants? Or perhaps you already use grapes on your Kid’s Menu or elsewhere. We’d love to hear about it! Contact us.
