Beef Means Business
Restauranteurs and chefs know beef means business: menuing beef drives higher check averages, as diners who order beef dishes spend more on average on add-ons such as alcohol, appetizers, desserts and sides.1 But beef’s popularity with chefs doesn’t end there; they enjoy working with beef because its versatility allows for culinary innovation at a range of price points. In our Beef Means Business series, leading chefs talk about the role beef plays in their operations.
CHEF Joe Sasto
Chef Joe Sasto’s work at San Francisco’s Quince and Lazy Bear led to both restaurants’ rise in Michelin stars. Known for his handmade pastas, and signature mustache, Joe was a finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 15. He returns to Top Chef on Thursday, March 19th at 10/9c as an All Star competitor against other Top Chef finalists, front runners and fan favorites.
The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. team recently had an opportunity to ask him about how he has worked with various beef cuts throughout his career, pairing beef cuts with pasta, and even preparing Rocky Mountain oysters.
CHEF CARRIE BAIRD
Chef Carrie Baird’s restaurant, Bar Dough, has been named as one of the top 25 restaurants in Denver three years in a row and is a longstanding entry on Eater’s 38 Essential Denver Restaurants. Chef Baird became a national household name during her long run on Top Chef’s Colorado-based season 15, where she had the opportunity to showcase her high-altitude culinary skills. Known on the show for her challenge-winning “fancy toasts,” as well as for preparing a beef stroganoff made with Rocky Mountain oysters, Chef Baird quickly became a fan favorite.
The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. team recently caught up with Chef Baird at an event at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Culinary Center, funded by the Beef Checkoff, to ask her about her favorite beef cuts, how beef can make a successful fancy toast, and ultimately, why Beef Means Business for her restaurant.
Chef Gus Martin
Chef Gus Martin serves as executive chef of Dickie Brennan & Co, the restaurant group behind Palace Cafe, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, Bourbon House and Tableau, all located in New Orleans’ picturesque French Quarter. While beef is obviously a key staple at the steakhouse, Chef Martin speaks to how beef is important to the company’s business across all its concepts, even with an emphasis on seafood dominant Creole cuisine. In this series of Beef Means Business videos, Chef Martin speaks to the versatility and profitability of beef, his favorite beef cuts, and how the restaurant concepts creatively Creolize beef dishes.
beef means versatility
Chef Martin speaks to the versatility of beef: how it goes beyond center of the plate and how different portion sizes drive business at lunch and dinner.
beef means creativity
Chef Martin discusses how beef plays an important role on their menus, which typically emphasize Creole cuisine. Beef dishes are Creolized with the use of seasoning blends, sauces and accompaniments that give beef authentic Creole flair.
beef means flavor
Chef Martin shares why he loves cooking with beef. He discusses flavor profiles and aging, as well as his favorite cuts.
beef means profits
Chef Martin discusses how beef raises check averages, as diners splurge more on a great bottle of wine and sides when enjoying a good steak.
Chef Adam Hegsted
Chef Adam Hegsted of the Washington state-based Eat Good Group explains how beef is good for his bottom line. With a variety of restaurant concepts ranging from upper end to fast casual, Chef Hegsted appreciates beef’s versatility and craveability. Watch him talk about the innovative ways he menus beef across his restaurant portfolio and find out how he makes a few of his beef dishes, including the Wandering Table’s famous Spaghetti-Stuffed Meatballs and the Gilded Unicorn’s highly Instagrammable Sparkle Burger.
- Chef and Beef Value Study (Datassential)
Inspiration for the Sirloin Bavette
While commonly used as fajita strips, the Sirloin Bavette provides chefs with a canvas for creative and innovative menu ideas.
cutting guides
Our cutting guides feature step by step instruction on how to make various cuts including the Denver Cut, Sierra Cut, Santa Fe Cut and more. Use these guides to make fabricated cuts from the primals.
cutting videos
Our instructional cutting videos feature visual step by step instructions on making different cuts from the primals and subprimals. Videos include the Ranch Steak, Flat Iron Steak and Country-Style Ribs.
cut charts
Beef cut posters are the most effective tools to learning more about the various cuts of beef, where they come from on the carcass and the recommended cooking method for each cut.