What’s trending on menus right now? Five top operators reveal their latest offerings from homemade to bought-in, and share how they are working for their businesses
Where: The Cod’s Scallops
What: Homemade tandoori chicken kebabs
Menu price: £10.50
“Speaking to other shop owners and hearing how many kebabs some of them are selling, it made me wonder, is there a market we are missing out on?” says owner John Molnar.
Known for making most of its produce in-house, John has taken the same approach with kebabs, taking three months to try different cuts of chicken and marinades before hitting on the perfect combination of boneless chicken thigh and tandoori masala. Marinated for two days, the chicken is cooked to give a chargrilled taste, vac-packed and sent out to its five stores where it is heated on demand and served inside locally made naan breads with spicy cabbage slaw, chilli sauce and mint yoghurt.
“Everyone wanted to try the kebabs at the start and they have remained really popular, especially on the delivery platforms. The quality is as good as our fish and it travels better than fish. They are very filling – we serve between 230-250g of chicken so it’s a big portion, but it’s relatively healthy too. Some people order them without the naan, so it’s more of a tandoori chicken salad.”
Where: The Bay Fish & Chips, Stonehaven, Aberdeen
What: Rapscallion Soda
Menu price: £3.50
Bursting onto the scene this summer at The Bay to refresh customers’ days is a new range of canned drinks from Scottish craft-soda company Rapscallion.
Made in Glasgow – not far from The Bay – from real fruit, the range changes with the seasons while sustainable manufacturing methods reduce CO2 emissions and ensure zero waste. As well as the brand aligning perfectly with The Bay’s ethos of using local and seasonal produce, owner Calum Richardson was drawn to their quirky flavours, such as Ginger Ninja, Cranachan and Dry Lime, and their eye-catching Pantone-style branding. While he admits they’re not cheap, Calum has bought into what he says is a great story. “They’re made in Glasgow by a husband and wife team using local fruit and the flavours change so we’re just coming out of strawberry and going into rhubarb, and when they make a batch, they make a batch, and that’s it,” he says.
“They fly out the door because they are different and they stand out, which helps differentiate my shop from others around me. Customers will say, “Well, what’s that?” and all of a sudden you’ve got a chance to interact with the customer, so you’ve got an element of customer service there too.”
Where: Finney’s, Benllech, Anglesey
What: McWhinney’s gluten free sausages 6’s
Menu price: £1.75
Wanting to reduce the number of items on the menu without removing any food offerings, owner Carol Hulme approached her sausage supplier, McWhinney’s, and asked if it would produce exactly the same gluten free sausage it was already using but in 6’s. “They said yes, which meant we could replace our small and our jumbo sausages with a medium,” explains Carol. “They are a great quality sausage and you can’t tell they are gluten free. That’s great because it means someone who is a coeliac can eat them, and somebody who’s not a coeliac can’t tell the difference.”
Replacing two items with one has simplified stock management, which in turn has reduced the freezer size required and saved the business money on its electricity bill.
Finney’s sells sausages on their own as well as part of a meal deal on its Savers Menu. “Customers can buy sausage, chips and a sauce at £5.50, which is a lot cheaper than buying them all separately and yet we are still getting a great margin – and that’s important not to sell yourself short.”
Where: Millers Fish & Chips, Haxby, York
What: Fish & chip burrito
Menu price: £8.50
Thinking how he could use tortilla wraps left over from a Mexican-inspired tacos and fries pop-up stall Millers operated over the summer, co-owner Nick Miller came up with the unique idea of a fish and chips burrito. “It was quite unexpected. We put specials on all the time and you never know how they are going to do but the burrito has really taken off,” says Nick.
Comprising mini fish and chips with a sprinkling of salt and vinegar inside a tortilla and accompanied by a dunking sauce, it is proving cost-effective for both parties, says Nick. “It’s cheaper for the customer than a portion of fish and chips but it looks really big and it tastes really good. From our point of view, it’s so cost-effective because it’s a smaller portion – a couple of fish bites and a handful of chips – wrapped in a tortilla, which costs pence. It’s also fairly easy to create, which is why it works so well for us too.”
Where: Kellaway’s Fish & Chips, Truro, Cornwall
What: Diggers Salt & Chilli Chicken Chunks, Southern Fried Goujons and Battered Chicken Balls
Menu price: £5.25 for a portion of five
To cater to the younger demographic, owner Lauren Kellaway has added chicken strips, chunks and bites to the menu, explaining: “The younger generation seems to want more chicken options so this allows us to tap into that market and it opens our menu up to more than just fish and chips. We are not in an area that would offer kebabs and things like that, so chicken works well. It’s another option, it’s a high quality product because it’s all 100% chicken breast and it tastes really good.”
Cooked cook from frozen in about five minutes, the chicken is quick and easy enough to add to the menu and offers a profit margin of around 68%. “We try to push more chicken or more sausages where the margin is higher,” adds Lauren.
Kellaway’s sells the chunks in portions of five, but also offers them from time to time as lunchtime specials in a deal that includes three chunks, small chips and a pot of sauce for £4.50. “They sell really well,” adds Lauren. In addition, Lauren has added 4oz pots of Korean BBQ sauce and katsu curry sauce for £1.60, which staff cross-sell with the chicken products, helping to increase revenue further. “I feel like we are reinventing chicken strips by making it a little bit more interesting,” adds Lauren.
