Over the past year, a majority of operators streamlined their menus to manage through the pandemic. In fact, the National Restaurant Association’s 2021 State of the Industry Report showed that 63% of fine dining and half of casual and family dining restaurants now offer fewer items.
Does Your Menu Contain the Dairy-Based Items Consumers Want to Order?
Topics: Transparency, Consumer, Foodservice Industry Trends & Insights, Main Dishes, Appetizers, Side Dishes, Snacks, Snacking Cheese, Customer Experience, National, Marketing & Communications, Chain, Menu Strategy, Independent, Ricotta Cheese, Desserts, Salads & Soups, Sustainability & Responsible Sourcing, Social Media, Milk, Global, Monterey Jack Cheese, Ingredient Cheese, Sales & Profitability, Consumer Trends & Insights, Local, Food & Beverage Trends & Insights, Menu Trends & Insights, Flavors & Ingredients Trends & Insights, Health & Wellness Trends & Insights, Plant-Based & Plant-Forward, Snack, All-Natural, Vegan & Vegetarian, Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Keto, Protein, Better-For-You, Beverages, Flexitarian, Cream, Mediterranean, COVID-19, Snacking Trends & Insights, Condiments, Dips & Sauces, Frozen, Cultures, Curds, Buttermilk, Sour Cream, Pasteurization, Coronavirus, Cultured Dairy, Dairy Farmer
Spreading Out: New Frontiers for Mozzarella, America’s Favorite Cheese
Consumers are hungry for mozzarella, and operators are ready to satisfy their appetite. According to Datassential, 76% of restaurants feature traditional mozzarella as a menu mainstay; another 11% offer it as a seasonal item or special. When it comes to fresh mozzarella, 41% offer it all the time, and 24% do so on a limited basis.
Topics: Main Dishes, Appetizers, Stella, Snacking Cheese, Cow’s Milk, Meal Kit, Takeout, Delivery, Process, Techniques, Retail, Certification & Education, Chain, Independent, Pasta, Pizza, Saputo Premium Gold, Ingredients, Varieties, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Traditional Mozzarella Cheese, Moisture Content, Consumer Trends & Insights, Pizzeria, Mozzarella Cheese Blend, Deli, Menu Trends & Insights, Flavors & Ingredients Trends & Insights, Snack, Soft & Fresh Cheese, CPG Manufacturer, Frigo Cheese, Shredded Cheese, Pasta Filata, Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Research & Development, Frigo Cheese Heads, Cheese Sticks, String Cheese, Processed
Mozzarella Rising: What Consumers Want
It’s interesting to know how mozzarella is made. For the industry, however, what’s even more compelling is how mozzarella is consumed.
Topics: Main Dishes, Appetizers, Side Dishes, Stella, Snacking Cheese, Cow’s Milk, Meal Kit, Takeout, Delivery, Process, Techniques, Retail, National, Certification & Education, Chain, Independent, Pasta, Pizza, Saputo Premium Gold, Salads & Soups, Ingredients, Global, Varieties, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Traditional Mozzarella Cheese, Moisture Content, Consumer Trends & Insights, Pizzeria, Mozzarella Cheese Blend, Deli, Menu Trends & Insights, Sandwiches, Flavors & Ingredients Trends & Insights, Plant-Based & Plant-Forward, Snack, Soft & Fresh Cheese, CPG Manufacturer, Frigo Cheese, Shredded Cheese, Pasta Filata, Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Research & Development, Frigo Cheese Heads, Cheese Sticks, String Cheese, Processed, Keto, Protein
Grate Expectations: Cooking With Parmesan
Like other classic cheeses, Parmesan has been pleasing palates for so long that its popularity can be underappreciated. It’s a mainstay ingredient across the restaurant industry—everything from casual to midscale to fine dining—and for good reason. Roughly 8 in 10 consumers say they like or love it (only mozzarella and cheddar are more popular), and 69% say they eat Parmesan at least once a month, according to Datassential research.
Topics: Main Dishes, Appetizers, Stella, Cow’s Milk, Pasta, Salads & Soups, Parmesan Cheese, Hard Cheese
One Name, Many Cheeses: Mozzarella Types Explained
Its history in Italy and the United States underscores an important fact about mozzarella cheese: Although they all share the name “mozzarella,” there are actually several different varieties of the beloved Italian cheese, each with its own unique characteristics.
Topics: Main Dishes, Appetizers, Side Dishes, Stella, Snacking Cheese, Cow’s Milk, Meal Kit, Takeout, Delivery, Process, Techniques, Retail, National, Certification & Education, Chain, Independent, Pasta, Pizza, Saputo Premium Gold, Salads & Soups, Ingredients, Global, Varieties, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Traditional Mozzarella Cheese, Moisture Content, Consumer Trends & Insights, Pizzeria, Mozzarella Cheese Blend, Deli, Menu Trends & Insights, Sandwiches, Flavors & Ingredients Trends & Insights, Plant-Based & Plant-Forward, Snack, Soft & Fresh Cheese, CPG Manufacturer, Frigo Cheese, Shredded Cheese, Pasta Filata, Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Research & Development, Frigo Cheese Heads, Cheese Sticks, String Cheese, Processed, Keto, Protein
‘Tis the Season for Festive—and Cheesy—Holiday Menu Items
Holiday celebrations will look and feel different for most people this year due to the pandemic and evolving restrictions in many U.S. states and around the world. Smaller family gatherings, fewer (if any) restaurant buffets and other eating-related adjustments won’t stop people from enjoying their favorite traditional holiday foods—including macaroni and cheese, gratins and other rich, satisfying dishes—however.
Topics: Blue Cheese, Main Dishes, Appetizers, Side Dishes, Brie Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Meal Kit, Takeout, Techniques, Menu Strategy, Recipes, Ingredients, Applications, Specialty Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Ingredient Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Consumer Trends & Insights, Sharp, Seasonal, Holidays, Events
Crafting Your Cheese Dish Claim to Fame
Signature dishes that feature savory, delicious cheese can entice customers to keep coming back. Need proof?
Recent research confirms that consumers love cheese: nearly half (46%) say they look forward to signature cheese dishes when eating restaurant cuisine. Six in 10 operators believe adding cheese helps items sell better.
Topics: Appetizers, Cheddar Cheese, goat cheese (chevre), Takeout, Techniques, Menu Strategy, Ricotta Cheese, Pasta, Pizza, Recipes, Applications, Varieties, blend, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Traditional Mozzarella Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Ingredient Cheese, 9-month-aged, Parmesan Cheese, Hard Cheese, Moisture Content, smoked, Black Creek, Consumer Trends & Insights
Ricotta Cheese: The Whey to Go
It’s easy to overlook ricotta. Mild, fluffy and slightly sweet, the Italian cheese is most closely associated with lasagna, where it’s typically blended with mozzarella and Parmesan. (The same mixture figures prominently in ravioli, manicotti and cannoli as well.) Indeed, for both professional chefs and home cooks, ricotta often plays a supporting (rather than starring) role.
Topics: Main Dishes, Appetizers, Stella, Cow’s Milk, Techniques, Ricotta Cheese, Pasta, Pizza, Desserts, Frigo, Saputo Premium Gold, Recipes, ricotta salata cheese, Salads & Soups, Ingredients
Crafting the Perfect Cheese Board: Pointers from and for Foodservice Pros
Few appetizers or savory dessert choices yield as many oohs and aahs as a cheese board. Done well, a cheese board offers a veritable feast for the senses: the bold orange of a cheddar cheese block, the unmistakable scent of a veiny blue cheese, the glistening sparkle of a bunch of grapes, the briny aroma of an olive-filled ramekin.
Topics: Blue Cheese, Appetizers, blue-veined cheese, Stella, Salemville, manchego cheese, roquefort cheese, goat's milk, Breads, Snacks, Brie Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, goat cheese (chevre), gorgonzola cheese, Snacking Cheese, stilton cheese, Cow’s Milk, sheep's milk
Cooking with Blue Cheese: Go Bold with Mold
Blue cheese is a bit of a scientific marvel. It transforms mold—the enemy of most cheeses—into an integral ally, resulting in a unique blend of smell, texture and taste sensations. Blue (or bleu) cheeses, along with other “stinky cheeses,” may have a polarizing reputation, but their popularity has increased steadily in recent years.
Topics: Blue Cheese, Main Dishes, Appetizers, bleu cheese, blue-veined cheese, mold, Side Dishes, Stella, Salemville