As winter approaches, customers start to gravitate toward comfort foods even more than in other seasons. The foods that are especially popular in the winter months include everything from chili to rice soup. Foodservice businesses can capitalize on this trend by serving the comfort foods that their patrons are craving. However, it is vital that restaurants serve the comfort while it is warm, especially during the colder months. Otherwise, customers may have a negative dining experience.
For The Love Of Comfort Food
It is a well-established fact that people gravitate toward hot comfort food in the winter months. Of course, this is partially because such food allows people to warm up when it is cold outside. However, nostalgia also plays a big part in comfort food cravings.
People love comfort food because they associate these foods with positive memories, especially memories of spending time with others. Many people will have eaten comfort foods with their families during the winter holidays, so they will want to have these foods again so that they can relive these positive memories.
Foods that give off powerful aromas, such as chili, are especially powerful comfort foods. This is because the sense of smell is linked to the part of the brain that stores memories. This means that restaurants should serve comfort foods that give off delicious smells, as this will trigger positive memories in their patrons.
Serve The Perfect Comfort Foods
Restaurants can certainly capitalize on their patron's desire for comfort foods if they serve the right comfort foods. It's a good idea for foodservice establishments to focus on chili and soup during the winter months. This is because these foods are served hot and give off delicious smells.
Many customers view chili, such as Ajinomoto's chili, as a comfort food. Chili is often served alongside Bush's baked beans and country gravy like Vanee's delicious sausage gravy. Many family meals in the winter, especially in the South, include all of these foods. This means that many customers will have nostalgic memories of delicious family meals that they can relive by eating these foods in a restaurant. In the Northeast, chowder soup, such the delicious soup from Ivar's, is a common winter comfort food. And let's not forget how comforting rice soups can be to a variety of cultures, whether served when not feeling well or combined with additions like wontons.
Keep Comfort Food Warm
There are a wide variety of comfort foods that people crave during the winter months. However, the one constant is that these foods need to be served warm. Foodservice restaurants should use warming and holding equipment, such as Cadco's buffet servers, that both heats and displays food. The sight and smell of these comfort foods will entice customers to place orders. It's a good idea for restaurants to use stylish displays, such as GTI display cases, to catch the eyes of their patrons. Such displays are becoming popular around the country as restaurants realize the importance of style and design in food displays.
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