Menu Concepts & Diner Insights
Explore ideas for building exciting menus around beef.
beef in the spotlight
Get cutting-edge intel on menu planning, customer preferences, operations and more.
IMPACT OF CURRENT INFLATIONARY TRENDS ON THE BEEF INDUSTRY
Inflation, or the increase in prices consumers pay for goods and services, has been one of the most talked about topics of 2022. Most common consumer goods have experienced abnormal price increases to some degree. While the causes of inflation rates not seen since the 1980s have been debated far and wide, the results are indisputable: consumers have experienced a greater strain on their incomes and household budgets than they likely have in some time.
Will Inflation Steal Christmas?
The 2022 holiday shopping season is fast approaching. As temperatures begin to drop, demand for virtually every good normally starts to heat up. However, current economic uncertainty and volatile retail prices have hamstrung household budgets, left consumers feeling frustrated, and retailers feeling uneasy.
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Inspiring Ideas: Beef Makes Every Menu Better
There’s no shortage of options for getting more beef on your menu, from appetizers to mains to seasonal specialties.
beef and alcohol menu pairing
Looking for ways to maximize both beef and alcohol sales? Check out these creative menu applications that are likely to resonate with your customer base.
Asian beef trends
Flavors from Korea, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines are influencing beef dishes across the country. These cuisines can stand on their own or be fused together, evidenced by the French-Vietnamese, Pacific-Rim and Pan-Asian fare trending on menus today.
ribeye cap menu inspiration
Removed from the outside of the Ribeye, the Ribeye Cap — aka Spinalis — offers a tender, flavorful cut of beef which can be used in a variety of menu applications. Introduce your diners to a meal they won’t soon forget.
SHOULDER PETITE TENDER MENU INSPIRATION
Don’t let this little cut from the Chuck primal fool you — the Shoulder Petite Tender is loaded with flavor and makes a great addition to any menu and is well suited to a variety of applications, from appetizers to entrees.
corned beef menu inspiration
While most consider Corned Beef synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day, this versatile cut of Beef Brisket offers a variety of unique and delicious menu inspirations that can be featured year-round.
sirloin bavette Menu Inspiration
This boneless cut comes from the Sirloin primal and is similar to Skirt and Flank Steaks. While commonly used as fajita strips, the Sirloin Bavette provides chefs with a canvas for creative and innovative menu ideas.
diner and operator data
See what’s cooking — and selling well — at dining establishments across the country.
AN OVERVIEW OF GROUND BEEF AT RETAIL AND FOODSERVICE
Consumers see Ground Beef as a versatile, affordable, and frequent meal option. According to the Beef Checkoff-funded Consumer Beef Tracker, nearly 60% of consumers eat Ground Beef as an ingredient and over 50% consume a hamburger at least weekly. There is no doubt shoppers demand a wide variety of options when it comes to food purchases, and Ground Beef rises to this challenge.
BEEF’S SUSTAINABILITY: BEEF’S ROLE IN A RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEM
The path to sustainability is never complete. Rather, it is a continuous journey being carried out by the farmers and ranchers responsible for raising and supplying beef to the U.S. and across the world. To the beef community, sustainability comprises much more than environmental considerations. Today, a sustainable food supply balances efficient production with environmental, social and economic impacts.
2020: CONSUMER’S HOLIDAY MINDSET AMID A PANDEMIC
The holiday season is in the not so distant future. This time of year, shopping begins to ramp up and gatherings are top of mind, but with a year like no other, how will COVID-19 impact the holiday spirit? In an effort to understand this better the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, launched a consumer survey with over 1,000 consumers to better understand how the 2020 holiday season may be different than any other year.
STEAK: WHAT CONSUMERS KNOW AND WANT
Steaks are top of mind for consumers, in fact, 48% of consumers eat a steak on a weekly basis, according to research recently conducted by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. The research determined how consumers define a quality steak, what factors are most important to them, and what cuts, cook, toppings, and more, consumers prefer most to help drive consumer steak satisfaction in your operation. .
there's no substitute for beef
Meat and poultry consumption is expected to hit record highs this year. But that good news has been overshadowed by recent headlines about plant-based meat substitutes. While some of the companies behind plant-based meat substitutes aim to replace animal proteins, market research indicates consumers are willing to pay more for animal proteins in restaurants than for plant-based substitutes.
THE BEEF BURGER: HOW TO DESCRIBE THIS MENU STAPLE
There are many kinds of crave worthy foods. From foods that are sweet and salty to savory, there is one crave-able item that sure gets consumers talking. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, recently conducted research on consumer preferences for burgers when dining out. Consumers’ own words highlight just how enticing burgers are for them.
DELIVERING DINNER: ONLINE MEAL ORDERING
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in online meal ordering, just like it has changed consumer behavior in online grocery. In fact, currently 86% of consumers are ordering meals online. With more consumers cooking and dining at home, foodservice operators have quickly adopted this strategy or even started implementing their own infrastructure for online ordering and meal delivery to remain competitive.
IT’S NOT JUST MILLENNIALS: HOW BEEF. IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER. SEGMENTS CONSUMERS
Beef caters to a wide variety of consumers. From young to old, East Coast to West Coast, beef is something almost everyone enjoys. But not all consumers approach how they eat in the same way. For example, consumers can have differing views when it comes to their protein choices, where their food comes from, and what’s important during mealtime. Unsurprisingly, factors such as age, marital status, or whether someone has kids can affect how they think about and eat beef. To understand more about these differences, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, sought to learn more about consumers when it comes their behaviors that influence how they shop, eat, and dine.
CONSUMERS CONSIDER BEEF A TOP PROTEIN
Though there are a variety of potential threats to the industry, consumers are still eating a lot of beef. Since 2015, beef consumption has increased over 3 pounds per capita annually, to a projected total of almost 58 pounds by the end of 2019.
LOVE BEEF TENDER: HOW AGING AFFECTS BEEF’S TENDERNESS
Tenderness is one of the biggest influencers of consumer approval of beef. Since most consumers can differentiate between tough and tender beef, improving tenderness is a high priority for the beef industry. One of the best methods to do this is by aging beef.
SUSTAINABILITY AND YOUR BOTTOM LINE: HOW BEEF PLAYS A ROLE
Restaurant foodservice operators know sustainability is more than just a buzz word… it impacts an operation’s bottom line and restaurants’ sustainability efforts factor into about half of diners’ decisions on where to dine.
BEEF QUALITY ASSURANCE: RAISING BEEF THE RIGHT WAY
UNDERSTANDING HOW MILLENNIALS DEFINE “HIGH-QUALITY” BEEF WHEN DINING OUT
Survey research, conducted by the Beef Checkoff, revealed how Millennial consumers define “high-quality” beef and how foodservice operators can appeal to this segment through their beef offerings and their menu descriptors. In this survey, Millennial consumers were asked a variety of questions which explored their associations and preferred descriptors for high-quality beef, as well as which preparation methods and cuts they feel best indicate quality.
PROMOTING BEEF ON POSTMATES
To gauge effective strategies for reaching consumers, we partnered with Postmates to determine which common beef-related keywords would affect consumer behavior when boosted within the platform’s search feature.
BEEF REMAINS A FOODSERVICE MAINSTAY
To better understand beef trends in foodservice, we executed an annual foodservice volumetric study to measure operator purchases and distributor sales of beef and other proteins across all foodservice operator segments.