Bimbo Bakehouse, which provides solutions to grow retail in-store bakery, restaurant, and foodservice businesses nationwide, continues to see major changes across the industry.
Its top five predictions for 2023 include:
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Doing more with less: Labor-lean options will be far from “lean” next year: According to Datassential, almost 57 percent of operators will prioritize a product if it’s labor-saving. As restaurants started opening back up for full service and takeout, consumers were excited to enjoy their favorite restaurant’s food again (whether on- or off-premises). Despite this sentiment slowing a bit due to the state of the economy, it’s still proven tough as the industry continues to face high employee turnover. Therefore, more operators are tapping into labor-lean formats.
- From pre-sliced to thaw & serve, Bimbo Bakehouse’s premium buns and rolls come in a variety of convenient, labor-saving formats that work across dayparts. Our sweet, buttery Brioche buns can be used for breakfast sandwiches in the morning, as well as burgers for dinner and even ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
- Versatile products keep dishes simple yet ensure innovation remains at the forefront. Restaurant-goers may be focusing their spends elsewhere with the increased inflation levels so it’s critical restaurants are putting out elevated dishes that consumers can only get outside their home.
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Portability remains a priority: Off-premise dining remains elevated compared to pre-pandemic times. With this, more operators have added takeout and curbside pickup options as well as menu offerings that can be easily consumed on-the-go.
- Products that can transport well and still provide a positive dining experience are key. Bimbo Bakehouse offers sandwich rolls and burger buns that travel well from restaurant to customers’ dining destination of choice.
- Restaurant style dining at-home provides an elevated experience for consumers: For consumers who want to enjoy the restaurant experience in the comfort of their own home, it’s important that in-store bakeries provide consumers with affordable indulgences like Cheesecake Factory’s Famous Brown Bread. Made with the brand’s same signature taste, the Brown Bread can now be enjoyed at home as mini baguettes, dinner rolls and sandwich bread.
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Snacking is set to soar: We’ve seen the snacking category increase in popularity and believe it will continue to do so—snacking currently makes up 20 percent of all restaurant traffic (The NPD Group/Crest)—due to its convenience and affordability. With a pause in normalcy and change in schedules, replacing meals for snacks or eating more in between meal occasions became a custom for many. Although consumers have been getting back into their day-to-day routines this past year, the convenience and flexibility that snacking provides remains strong, and that’s exactly what helps to maintain growth within the category.
- Bimbo Bakehouse offers flow wrap packaging options for individually wrapped grab & go items.
- The New Year calls for more consistency and convenience: As labor shortages continue to plague the industry, operators have turned to value-added labor-saving convenience items. According to Kinetic12, 62 percent of operators are looking for more consistent execution to grow their revenue. Operators recognize the importance of consistency for consumers, and these needs can be met with Bakehouse’s easy-to-prep thaw & serve and pre-sliced products that deliver consistent quality with every use, ensuring a great customer experience with little to no employee training or labor.
For more about Bimbo Bakeries USA, see "Bimbo Bakehouse brings comprehensive solutions to foodservice and the in-store bakery" on the SF&WB website, or "Nourishing the World," the cover story for the April 2021 issue of the SF&WB eMagazine.
