December 2017 Digital Issue

MC/TM
A soup for all seasons
The seasonal aspect of soup makes it an interesting menu offering.
“Naturally, soup gains popularity in the fall and winter. When it’s
a cold and rainy or snowy day, sales skyrocket,” says Tim Cuff, chef
consultant with The Fifteen Group — a Vancouver-based restaurant-consultancy
company.
Soup has been a core business for Soupesoup in Montreal since
it opened its doors 16 years ago. The restaurant offers a rotation of
five to six soup options daily and the menu is updated seasonally
based on the ingredients available, says Martin Trudel, president.
Not surprisingly, 90 per cent of its sales take place during the
lunch period. “Lunch is a time of day when people can disconnect
and really enjoy a meal, but the time factor is important. They want
a fast-paced option that’s healthy, rather than going for fast food or
sitting an hour-and-a-half in a restaurant,” Trudel says.
Soup is also the perfect way to balance the nutritional factor in
meal planning, he adds. “You can pair a vegetable soup with a
ham-and-cheese sandwich; or a hearty beef soup with a salad to get
your protein.”
With 200 soup recipes in Soupesoup’s library, there’s plenty of
diversity. “People who come back several times want variety. They
like to travel within a lunch menu and are looking for flavours of
TO ALL OF THE
Pinnacle Award Winners !
www.saputofoodservice.ca • 1-800-672-8866
®/MD
Soup’s
on
Soup sales are growing,
according to the latest statistics.
The NPD Group data from August
2017 reports an increase of 1.6 per
cent over the past 12 months, with
the strongest growth in Western
Canada and Quebec in the casual
and mid-scale sectors.
The under-35 age group is
indexing lower, but starting to
respond to new presentation concepts
such as soup shooters, or
pairings with artisan bread, cheese
or beer, according to Sherrie Clark,
brand manager, Campbell Soup
Company of Canada in Toronto.
“There’s an opportunity for operators
to make soup more relevant
for a sector that’s big on sharing
when dining out.”
With operators facing labour
shortages, Clark reports a significant
increase in pouch-format
sales. “It’s a much easier solution
for heating and serving. We’re also
cleaning up labels on all frozensoup
products as soup is seen as a
healthier option.” (Technomic 2016
data shows that 85 per cent of
consumers would like restaurants
to be more transparent about
what is in their menu items).
And don’t forget the garnish.
Campbell’s own research shows
adding a garnish can increase a
soup’s selling price by upwards
of 25 per cent. Examples include
garlic chips, crème fraîche, horseradish,
chives, cheese crumbles or
tortilla strips.
ON A ROLL
Pancake Duck
Roll from
Heritage Asian
Eatery
the world. There are a lot of Asian
and Indian influences in what we do.”
In the case of high-end operators,
soups are made from scratch and
carefully considered, McDowell says.
“Full-service operations are expected
to have two soups. Upscale-casual
[feature] more, since soup is often a
first-course option.”
Even with a classic such as chicken
noodle, an upscale operator might
make the pasta from scratch or make
interesting shapes. “People want to
know you made it,” says McDowell.
At the Drake Commissary in
Toronto, for example, chef de cuisine
Jonas Grupiljonas’ chicken-noodle
soup uses different flours — such as
rye and caraway — for the noodles.
For the most part, he prefers to prepare
borscht and sour soups because
they are more complex in flavour.
The sum of its parts
McDowell says the industry is seeing
more well-thought-out, original
sandwiches. But the appeal of sandwiches,
beyond the taste and healthiness
over other fast-food choices, is
simple economics. “Customers don’t
want to spend $30 on a full entrée at
lunchtime. A sandwich made with
freshly baked bread is always trend-
iSTOCK.COM/PLOYCHAN [THAI NOODLE WITH PORK BALL IN BOWL, SOUP’S ON SIDEBAR]; AMY HO [ PANCAKE DUCK ROLL]
16 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2017 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM