Leverage Your Competitive Advantage with Labor-Saving Proteins

When distributors truly understand and align with the operational challenges facing their foodservice customers, together they unlock a powerful competitive advantage. With food and labor costs soaring, operators are under immense pressure to maintain profitability. Meanwhile, distributors can actively provide and highlight immediate solutions through versatile, labor-saving products that directly address these pain points.

While the restaurant and foodservice industry is forecasted to reach $1 trillion in sales in 2024 for the first time ever, the milestone brings a set of challenges. Some 45% of operators indicate they need more employees to meet customer demand. In addition, 98% say that higher labor costs are an issue and 97% cite higher food costs as problematic. Ultimately, more than one-third of operators (38%) say their restaurants were not profitable last year.¹

Menu adjustments

Operators are on the lookout for solutions. Currently, the top work-around is to increase menu prices, which 46% of the 500 foodservice operators surveyed by Technomic have implemented.² Another widely adopted solve is to streamline menus, which is among the top 10 menu trends for 2024 according to the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot 2024 Culinary Forecast” report, which surveyed more than 1,500 culinary professionals.³ 

The current definition of streamlining includes cutting menu items, which 33% of the Technomic surveyed operators have done.² Some 26% of operators in the same survey are using more versatile ingredients. Reducing the number of dishes and ingredients minimizes components, leading to more consistent and less labor-intensive processes. It’s better when operators purchase key ingredients—especially proteins—in ready-to-use, pre-portioned or semi-finished forms. Distributors can support this by creating a dedicated section on the order list for these labor-saving solutions.

Distributors and operators can strengthen their competitive advantage by offering easy-to-use proteins, like chicken and turkey that align with the elevated qualities consumers prioritize. In a survey of 1,000 consumers regarding the importance of various claims, the top four are clean label (53%), no-antibiotics-ever (50%), humanely raised (40%) and raised in the USA (40%).⁴

Perdue poultry solutions

Perdue offers convenient chicken and turkey products with key premium qualities, namely No Antibiotics Ever and fed a 100% Vegetarian Diet with No Animal Byproducts. They’re also raised and harvested in the USA. These chicken options are available in various forms of pre-preparation—from fully cooked to ready-to-cook—to suit operators’ menu applications.

• PERDUE® NO ANTIBIOTICS EVER Fully Cooked Grill Marked Boneless Chicken Breast Strips can easily go from the box to the table in minutes. The versatile boneless, skinless breast filets are marinated with natural herbs and spices, oven roasted, grill marked and carved into strips. Use the popular protein across the menu to elevate salads, wraps and sandwiches, grain bowls, pasta dishes, and tacos.
• PERDUE® CHEF REDI® NO ANTIBIOTICS EVER Fully Cooked Steamed Chicken Wings are individually frozen, fully cooked jumbo steamed wing portions that are ideal for appetizers, shareable platters, game-day snacks, entrees, and bar menu specials, especially when combined with an operator’s signature sauce.
• PERDUE® CHEF REDI® NO ANTIBIOTICS EVER Ready to Cook Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders are uniform-sized and individually frozen for easy consistent portion control and are marinated and precoated to allow for quick crisp finished preparations. Crispy chicken tenders are a versatile answer in many menu sections for craveable chicken and waffles, chicken Parmesan, chicken sliders, Asian-inspired rice bowls, and more.
   

When it comes to characteristically lean proteins, partially or fully pre-prepared turkey satisfies the need for operators and consumers alike.

• PERDUE® HARVESTLAND® NO ANTIBIOTICS EVER Ready To Cook Boneless Skin On Turkey Breast Roast - Cook-In-Bag is marinated for authentic roasted flavor and comes packaged in a cook-in bag to capture that au jus while also reducing cooking time by one-third. Portion out the single boneless breast to suit center-of-the-plate applications, carving stations, and premium sandwiches. 
• PERDUE® SANDWICH BUILDERS® NO ANTIBIOTICS EVER Mesquite Smoked Sliced Turkey Breast is fully cooked and free from binders, ensuring a natural texture. The 2-pound package features 48 shingle-packed slices for easy handling, making them perfect for creating premium sandwiches and wraps, gourmet salads, charcuterie boards, and hearty paninis.

By offering tailored, high-quality protein solutions that address both labor and food-cost pressures, distributors can empower operators to thrive, meet consumer demands, and maintain profitability.

Sources

1. National Restaurant Association 2024 State of the Restaurant Industry report, Feb. 5, 2024, https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/research-reports/state-of-the-industry/

2. Consumer & Operator Outlook Report Q2 2024, Technomic, May 2024.

3. What’s Hot 2024 Culinary Forecast, National Restaurant Association, Nov. 14, 2023, https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/research-reports/whats-hot-food-beverage-trends/

4. Perdue Proprietary Consumer Research, May 2022