One of our favourite coffee 'celebrities' on Instagram is Morgan Eckroth, she recently posted this scrumptious looking cold brew with this indulgent cream that she had whipped it up. It definitely made us think: WE WANT THAT!
We chatted to Garth Balabanoff around how Rich's new product is the perfect and easy solution for cafe owners and baristas to achieve perfect and indulgent cream every time for this style of innovative beverage.
Beverage menus have, for a long time, been a great way to increase the average spend per customer, yet some of that revenue has been lost over the past two years as customers have made the switch to takeout and online ordering.
“Consumers expect operators to have a diverse beverage menu that complements food pairings”, says Garth Balabanoff, Marketing Manager at Rich Products Corporation. “And they are willing to pay a premium for their favourite beverages.”
Balabanoff explains that adding Rich’s new innovative beverage topping – On Top® Soft Whip, a pourable cold foam – is a great way to meet the moment. The product only requires a shake, open, and pour to create an array of on-trend beverage applications.
Here are three ways Balabanoff suggests brands can create a dynamic beverage menu, with a focus on how Rich’s new On Top® Soft Whip topping fits into each category.
1. Think Off-Premises Ready
Today’s consumers are ordering out in record numbers. According to Datassential, nearly 40 percent of all consumers say they get food delivered at least weekly. Of course, these off-premises restaurant customers also expect their orders to look and taste the same as they would when dining in, which isn’t always easy to achieve.
“One of the biggest overarching challenges for operators right now is to find products that actually travel well from point A to point B,” says Balabanoff. “How can you preserve the integrity of your menu item from start to finish, especially now that so many more people are using delivery services and ordering takeout?” One ingredient that can instantly make a beverage more appealing is Rich’s On Top® Soft Whip, which is a delicious, decadent, and durable cold foam topping. It’s easily poured out of the bottle versus sprayed out of an aerosol or iSi canister, making it better suited for the off-premises journey.
If quick-service restaurants include beverages on their takeout menus, these concerns become more pressing. Most products used in a cream gun aren’t capable of withstanding the delivery journey well. Many products completely disintegrate into their carrier within a few minutes of making the drink. In the past, operators could be sure most customers would consume their order before this happened. Today, it’s a safe bet that a customer who ordered milkshakes for the family through a third-party delivery app won’t be happy to see a melted mess when the items finally arrive. The same is true for beverages topped with cream.
Rich’s On Top® Soft Whip, however, has proven it can survive long hold times, rough handling, and bumpy roads — whether the beverage is hot or cold. When 92 percent of consumers expect their food to be delivered and prepared to the same standards as when they dine in-house, as Datassential has recently found, superior stability is important. This stability also gives operators an opportunity to increase the profitability of their beverage menus. “Some operators charge more for a dollop of cream, in situations where it’s more of an add-on than a standard offering. Customers are willing to pay extra when they see value, and operators can therefore enjoy higher margins. We know that if customers’ expectations are met, the operator will get repeat business. Soft Whip drives traffic, interest, and sales in a way that other products can’t”, comments Balabanoff.
2. Make it ‘Instagrammable’
According to Balabanoff, cold foam toppings fit in particularly well with the latest generation of consumers who enjoy sharing photos of their food and beverages on social media channels.
“Beverages topped with cold foam are all the rage; projected to grow more than 250 percent in the next year according to Datassential”, Balabanoff says. “Soft Whip is a simple and delicious way to drive sales and traffic with infinite, Instagram-worthy possibilities. It instantly adds visual appeal to any beverage application”.
“As Instagram drives interest and demand, consumers are looking for products that allow them to create shareable experiences,” Balabanoff adds. “They are craving ‘Instagrammable moments’ that they can share with their friends and followers. Everyone wants to build their own creation and we’ll likely see this trend continue.”
3. Use Versatile Ingredients
Every operator loves a drink that can be easily prepared by front-of-house staff. It’s more important now than ever before to ensure that ingredients are versatile and can be easily added to multiple drink builds, therefore, simplifying employee training.
Again, Balabanoff shares that Rich’s On Top® Soft Whip is a great product to have around, as it can easily be added to a variety of drinks, both hot and cold as well as alcoholic or non-alcoholic. It also allows customers to customize their beverages, an on-going trend that has become the expectation.
“Consumers are craving more complex beverages and customization, which both require increased labour and equipment. Rich’s new On Top® Soft Whip topping is a one-SKU solution — meaning to use the product, operators just need to shake, open, and pour, saving them time, money and resources”, says Balabanoff.
For more on adding On Top® Soft Whip to your menu, visit www.richs.co.za/softwhip or request this product to be stocked by your frozen food distributor.
