Halloween: Simple Spooky Swaps
October has snuck up on us and spooky season has well and truly begun! The widely celebrated Autumnal tradition of Halloween gives operators and caterers the opportunity to tweak their menus with themed twists, generating excitement and an element of exclusivity about these featured treats, as they are available for this period only.
According to The Caterer Magazine, "Brits have proven time and time again that they love nothing more than a themed menu… When it comes to Halloween, the possibilities are endless." This does not have to mean a complete menu overhaul for just one month, however!
Generate margin with terrifying twists!
Simple swaps can be made to regular offerings in order to create seasonal differentiation to pique the interest of your diners. Flavours such as pumpkin, apple and toffee are popular Autumnal flavour combinations to incorporate into sweet treats, however with Halloween offering such a short window for creativity, we recommend trying something new to maximise profits in a typically quiet period as consumers begin to prepare for Christmas spending.
Why not switch an everyday wrap offering to utilitse spinach flour tortilla wraps (869210) for example, to create ‘Zombie Wraps’, or swap your standard burger bun for a black brioche bun (816870), to create a spooky special.
There is also opportunity to capitalise on the well established ‘mini treat’ trend we are seeing amongst 2023 consumers within impulse environments. Where whole meal out-of-home consumption may have seen a decline this year due to ever increasing economic pressure, consumer preference for ‘mini treats’ has rocketed in popularity, boosted by a shareable TikTok and Instagram presence.
In order to increase word of mouth about your establishment, we recommend creating a unique, shareable experience in the form of a mini treat on your menu. For example, you could integrate trending flavour twists to simple dishes, such as a Pumpkin Spiced Latte Oatmeal, or get creative decorating your dishes to suit the theme. Our chefs have created some frightful doughnuts and freaky burgers as well as mummy hot dogs and more to provide you with inspiration on how to generate a buzz in your establishments this spooky season.
We hope this inspires you to try something different this month without the scare of a menu overhaul! Please do send us a picture via our social media if you try any of these trick-or-treat twists out in your kitchens! We’d love to share them further!
