Hilton Cabana Miami Beach
You can see it coming, and you can feel its gradual approach. Days get longer and the somatic sensations of warmer days begin to influence our choice for a lighter wardrobe to accommodate the activities of the warmest period of the year affectionately called the summer season – compliments of the yearly summer solstice.
For people these summertime changes mean fun-filled vacations and getaways to enjoyable places like Orlando Florida, to mesmerizing 14-day cruises on a luxury sea liner, or to exotic locations like the Caribbean or the Hawaiian Islands.
For restaurant owners, summertime changes means its also time for changes to many of the menu items that are common favorites to the modern dining experience. Most restauranteurs will be updating and enhancing their menus, kids menus, happy hour specials, breakfasts, and desserts.
For cocktails, nothing has caught the attention more of prominent chefs like the trend in the consumption of coconut water. According to a study conducted by Euromonitor, American restaurant patrons are consuming well over $350 million worth of coconut water annually. This nonalcoholic beverage emerges by extracting the coconut water from the flesh of mature coconuts and then serving it iced cold, a trend that is precipitated by the parallel trend in the choice of healthy foods, since coconuts are considered low calorie with high potassium content. To prepare for this, restaurants should stock up on sterilized glass bowls, large saucepans, strainers, and glass jars. Necessary preparations
Another trend developing for the 2015 summer season for which restaurants to prepare is the pent-up demand for avocados. According to avocado industry expert, Avi Crane, the weekly projected summer consumption of avocados is 40 million pounds, a trend that is expected to creates upward pressure on prices and potential shortages. This development is brought about as a result of avocados being used in other food staples besides Mexican food such as, the Chipotle Chicken Melt, the Guacamole Flatbread Sandwich from Dunkin’ Donuts, and the Guacamole Fish Taco from Del Taco, a franchise with 550 units!
Additionally, setting many of the new summer 2015 menu items is the restaurant Seasons 52. This is an establishment owned by Darden Restaurants that changes its grill and wine bar concept 52 weeks a year. This summer Seasons 52 will introduce dishes with no more than 475 calories each, and it will offer weekly fresh features.
Turnover for 2015 is poised to drop as more restaurants are raising their wages in an attempt to reverse the foodservice industry’s 2014 94% staggering turnover rate. But one restaurant is going to take a proactive approach. Amid higher food costs and operating expenses, Pi Pizzeria is going to be raising their minimum wage to $10.10 and giving approximately 280 employees at eight of their locations a substantial raise without a corresponding rise in menu prices. While this is something that they hope will be instrumental in reducing turnover and productivity, in the short term this will most certainly put the burden on the bottom line. It is no doubt and admirable feat, but only time will tell if the payoff will happen quickly enough to sustain them.
