With the summers approaching, everyone is aiming for that beach body. Although the beaches are closed along with the world facing a global pandemic but staying in shape is imperative, pandemic or no pandemic. Everyone is switching their diets from keto to intermittent to Mediterranian, but one dish that stays constant in all the diet charts is ‘the salad’. It’s peculiar how a bunch of greens and oranges can make you feel healthy and kill your hunger as well.
So, if you own a restaurant, school, cafe, bar, hotel, or even a gym, organizing and offering different kinds of salads to your customers can be beneficial for your business. Throw in some juices and you’ve got the full package. But salads are not easily manageable, they have to be taken care-off or else they will go stale and your business will incur losses. Hence installing some salad counter for restaurant can make your work easy, they can be self-serviceable or you can hire an employee to manage it, doesn’t matter. This is a fruit that never goes out of season!
Why Salad Counter?
If you own a restaurant, then adding a salad counter to your restaurant would be a wise choice but how is it wise to add salads just for the sake of few health-conscious customers as not all of them lead a life like that. But the truth is, salad counters are beneficial for some other reasons as well-
- Diversify the food- When you add a salad bar, you not only increase the amount of food being served but also diversify the options available to everyone. Because the counters don’t only have to provide salad but other food as well, for instance, one can add different types of seasonings, sprouts, cheese, dressing, garnishings, sauce, etc. The amount of food items you add completely depends on the capacity of the salad counter.
This major investment will intrigue the customers and it also spells in bold ‘WE CARE’. Imagine having all the above-mentioned items on a simple counter, wouldn’t that make the setting shabby and crowded. In the end, you either have to cut back on the main course or just have the basic salad options. Either way, both the settings sound monotonous.
- Increase your Check Average- If you are in the catering industry along with the restaurant business, this one salad counter can do wonders for you. How? One can add limited-time offer items or upsell options like barbeque sauce, lobster or shrimp in the counter and the customers wouldn’t mind paying the extra buck. Because customers’ psyche works in a way that they would not add the upsell options otherwise but if it’s a combo like the salad bar, then it seems like a fair deal. And now you can increase your check average because-
- If the salad counter covers luxury food items along with the salad then the customers would willingly switch from appetizers, starters, toppings, sauce etc. making the counter a wiser choice.
- If your salad counter looks enticing then people would want to try it at least once, especially when others are enjoying the same.
- Having something customized on their venue during events would enhance their experience and what better than a salad counter.
- Creating an Immersive Experience for Diners- Installing a salad counter in your diner will provide an immersive experience to your guests. It widens the avenues for you as well. Any customer would love to create their own salad rather than being served the basic food item that everyone is having. It creates a sense of individuality as the person gets to choose what they eat. Also, noticing the combinations made by their companions will prompt them to engage with others, thus breaking the monotony of dining alone.
Besides, when they travel through the venue making the salad combo of their own choice, they get to notice what others are eating, consequently increasing your business. It also helps in expressing the brand identity you want to put out there as they get to explore your place, for example, visiting the kitchen to experience the behind the scenes.
Different Ways of Setting the Salad Counter
Now we know that how salad counters give a push to your restaurant/business but it’s time to determine how to set it up. ‘What? Is there more than 1 method to set up a salad bar’ Indeed there are-
- Salad Counters on Ice- When you create a set up where your salad counter is placed on top of the ice, the colour of the veggies and fruits look more vibrant and full of life. It is advisable to use crushed, pellet and flaked ice. Also, since they are white, they give a neat presentation. If you need to have a salad bar that is mobile, then this type of set up is perfect for table-side services like Caesar salad and vinaigrettes. To enhance the beauty of the whole structure, one can use different types of vessels like porcelain, melamine, etc. But this set up is labour-intensive as your employees have to refill the ice, thus increasing your cost.
- Salad Counters with Tile System- If Salad Bar on Ice wasn’t beautiful enough, the tile system is here to make your eyes pop out. In the tile system set up, the major pieces of tiles consist of aluminium, resin-coated, stainless steel or plastic which are further cut out in different shapes and sizes of food pans and bowls. The stainless steel looks very dull and uninviting thus other vessels, for eg resin-coated aluminium salad bar comes in different colours, thus making the whole set up more appealing. Also, it is advisable to not store the food in the resin-coated salad counters and hence should be stored in a cooler to make them cold before filling them with food.
- Salad Counters with Food Pans- This is the economical option if you are sceptical about the idea of installing a proper salad counter. So start with a standard food cold well and add the pans that come in various sizes of full, ⅓, ¼, and ⅙. These food pans are built in a way that they rest their rims on the inner edge of the food cold well. Consequently, they don’t lock in their place and can slide around or even fall, resulting in the whole structure falling apart. But it’s not a bad system if one takes care of it properly.
Conclusion
So these were your basics. Now it’s your time to practice these basics and move to the advanced level and provide the best to your customers. When you install salad counters in your restaurant, you are creating new avenues for your customers and in return, for yourself. If you need to try how this system would work in your restaurant you could start with the basic salad counter with food pans but if you are sure then the first two options are great to work with. But before you finalize anything, analyze what system would work for your business. Happy salad counter shopping!
