Change Your Fries for Better Takeaway Orders
Will your fries be cold and soggy when they reach your customers?
Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic shutdowns and stay home orders, Seattle diners are now living in a takeaway and delivery world and are looking for the same great quality food from their favorite restaurants, to be enjoyed in the comfort of their homes. This means restaurant managers are having to reexamine their menu options, optimizing for foods that don’t lose their texture during the 30 minutes or more that it can take for delivery from popular services such as Uber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDash, and Postmates.
One of the most important things to consider during this time of covid-19 pandemic is french fries. Part of what makes french fries so popular with customers is the textures. They want fries that are hot and crispy, rather than cold and soggy. For several years now, thin shoestring fries have been amongst the most popular style in Seattle, but if your restaurant is offering them on the takeaway menu it might be time to reconsider your options. Shoestring fries are delicious and crunchy, but because of how thin they are, they lose heat quickly - faster than most other, thicker fries. Really, shoestring fries are at their best within the first 5 or 10 minutes of hitting the guests’ table, which means they are most often past their prime after the 30 or 40 minutes it often takes for food to be delivered to someone’s home. Even after the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, chances are customers will continue to use the delivery options to which they have become to accustomed. If delivery orders of fries are a hot item for your establishment, consider some of the following options.
Consider switching to fries which are cut closer to 5/16” in thickness. These will stay hot and crispy nearly twice as long as typical shoestring fries, which tend to be 1/8'“ to 1/4” inch in thickness. 5/16” thick french fries are still fairly thin, and maintain the elegant look of thin cut fries. Additionally, most purveyors offer options of fries with starch coating, when it comes to their thinner styled french fries. This starch coating adds an additional crunch to the texture of french fries. These fries often go by proprietary names such as Stealth, Imperial, or Phantom fries, depending on which purveyor you are purchasing them from. Ask your sales rep about the options for your restaurants.
