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Take-Out
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 Even with the economy fluctuating, sales in take-out meals in foodservice are really heating up. Economic pressures are having a pervasive impact on how consumers shop, cook and dine today. Operators that offer delicious take-out meals can ride this trend and increase business. Read on to see the latest news and tips for enhancing take-out menus and how rice can be a cost-effective partner and encourage repeat business.
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Why is Take-Out Growing? |
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Take-out sales have been steadily increasing since 1988, when consumers purchased more take-out than on-premise restaurant meals for the first time. Take-out continues to grow today:
• A greater percentage of consumers are using take-out as home meal replacements, opting to order and pick up food during transit and consuming it in the comfort of their homes. Technomic Take-out Category Report
• 41% of consumers noted that they eat meals at home that are not prepared at home one to three times a month; 18% eat such meals one or two times a week; and 4% do so three or more times a week. Food Marketing Institute Survey
• 22% of consumers' meals are prepared away from home, accounting for about half of food expenditures with a larger and growing portion seeking take-out—and searching for exciting and global options. Technomic Research
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Why Take-Out Benefits Operators
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Take-out is great for consumers and operators. As food costs increase, chefs and operators are increasingly looking for ways to offer delicious cost-effective meals.
• Food taste and integrity is a top priority when choosing take-out. A win-win situation is created when consumers can count on enjoying take-out that delivers a restaurant experience in the comfort of their home. Technomic Take-out Category Report
• Patrons appreciate convenient features like curbside pickup, drive-thru and dedicated parking. Technomic Take-out Category Report
• 44% of consumers said that their source of take-out food was a non-fast-food or delivery outlet with 23% purchased from fast-food restaurants, 17% from supermarkets and 9% took out from full-service restaurants. National Restaurant Association
• The fastest growing segment in retail foodservice is deli sales at convenience stores, supermarkets and discount stores, growing at roughly 7% per year, with an estimated eight billion meals and snacks purchased at retail deli counters in 2006. NPD Group
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| Increase Take-out in Your Operation |
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Consider these tips to increase take-out sales in your operation.
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 • Select foods that add value, travel well and guarantee profitability. A recent study revealed over 90% of operators believe rice is a good item for take-out dishes and meals on the go and because it’s easy to package, travels, holds and presents well, and is popular with customers.
• Offer a variety of main dish and side dish options so customers can select meals best suited to their families. The many varieties of rice offer opportunities to extend dayparts, and its popularity is trending upwards.
• Offset the costs of more expensive foods with low-cost ingredients. Rice costs less than 10 cents per serving and will enhance flavors, add texture and volume to take-out meals.
• Packaging should allow for portability and maintain foods taste, texture, consistency and appearance.
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Take-Out Success at a Leading Supermarket
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 Read about how Harris Teeter’s Executive Chef David Slater uses U.S.-grown rice to create affordable take-out dishes that are delicious and satisfying for supermarket shoppers.
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