Soup is a classic winter staple—but if you’re serving only your year-round offerings without freshening things up for the season, your menu might be falling short. Use these tips to get the most out of soup in the winter months while giving guests the flavors they crave.
Tip 1: Turn up the heat when things get cold
Chili is a go-to soup pick during winter, not only for its heartiness but also for its spiciness. Spicy ingredients are trending on menus as consumers seek more flavor intensity. This is especially true with 18- to 34-year-olds—37% of these diners prefer to order soups with spicy flavors,* so try menuing spicier soups and chili during the winter months.
Tip 2: Potato is in
More than 40% of consumers find sweet potato appealing as a winter menu ingredient,** and baked potato is a flavor that spikes during the winter season.*** Add soups with these taste profiles to your winter menu for a spike in sales as well.
Tip 3: New year, new healthy goals
Use your soup menu as an opportunity to help guests with their resolutions as they start 2019 with new wellness goals—35% of consumers feel healthier when soup is part of their meal selection.*
Tip 4: Don’t forget the garnish
Remember, diners eat with their eyes first. Highlight your winter soup offerings by using winter-favorite ingredients as garnishes. Nutmeg and kale are two examples that grow in popularity during colder months.** Try incorporating them into your soup offerings by finishing vegetable soup with a handful of fresh kale or sprinkling a bit of nutmeg atop chili.
Understanding what guests want at different times of the year will not only help you get more out of soup but also keep guests coming back time after time. Delight guests and drive sales all year long with even more seasonal soup tips.
*Technomic Soup & Salad Consumer Trend Report, 2018
**Technomic Season’s Eatings, Winter 2018
***The NPD Group SupplyTrack®, measured in pounds, latest 12 months, ending November 2017
This post is sponsored by Campbell's Foodservice