Sponsored by f'real by Rich's
Everyone loves a delicious treat, and frozen beverages are especially popular right now. Consumers are ordering milkshakes and smoothies not only for dessert, but also as refreshing snacks any time of day. Operations that offer on-trend flavors and customizable options can boost their beverage sales, but the challenge is that these menu items can be time- and labor-consuming to prepare. With simple, automated equipment, however, operators can leverage this demand, attract consumers, and even reduce food waste.
According to Technomic, in its recent Beverage Global Menu Category Report, approximately one-third of consumers order a drink as a snack between mealtimes from restaurants and foodservice providers. In addition, brands are adding drive-thrus and other to-go focused prototypes to accommodate consumer demand for off-premise beverages.
From indulgent milkshakes to plant-based real fruit smoothies, these beverages can take time and skill to prepare. As more people order beverages on-the-go, operators must determine how to create these high demand menu items quickly and without incurring higher labor costs. Investing in the proper equipment will help operators tackle these challenges.
Time motion study
Milkshakes and smoothies can take a few minutes to prepare if the operator uses legacy equipment. Every second counts in filling orders, and time is money in foodservice. The B7 Blender from f’real by Rich’s offers one-touch operation and hands-free blending. A kitchen crew member simply places the pre-portioned, ready to blend cup in the holder, presses Start, and the milkshake or smoothie is blended in about 40 seconds.
That process is much faster than the minutes required by traditional blenders. Those few minutes add up during operating hours, especially for operators that prepare dozens of milkshakes or smoothies each day. In fact, f’real by Rich’s conducted a time motion study that compared the f’real by Rich’s B7 Blender with a traditional soft-serve ice cream machine. Not only does preparing frozen blended beverages take less time, but all of the other processes involved, from preparing ingredients to cleaning, are much more efficient with the f’real by Rich’s Foodservice program.
These efficiencies result in savings that can add up quickly. The time motion study found that in one year, an operator can save $9,100 in labor costs—a significant savings. The turnkey solution quickly pays for itself, averaging a 4- to 4.5-month return on investment.
Labor issues
According to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Report, 45% of operators say they still require more employees to meet customer demand, and 47% of operators say the use of technology and automation will help them overcome that challenge.
The B7 Blender takes up little counter space, and includes a freezer to store the Blend & Serve cups. The freezer is available as a countertop clear-door option or as an undercounter solid door option.
The Blend & Serve cups are available in seven on-trend flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry and OREO® Shakes, Strawberry Banana and Mango Smoothies and also a Coffee Frappe. f’real by Rich’s also offers Made to Order shake and smoothie base cups for operators to customize with syrups, purees, and more for endless combinations. Operators can drive traffic with limited time offers, or invite consumers to customize their orders with fruit, supplements, protein, or other add-ins.
In addition, f’real by Rich’s shakes and smoothies can be paired with Rich’s On Top® portfolio that offers ready-to-use bag and carton formats of beverage topping. According to Datassential, 72% of consumers like or love whipped topping on their beverages and desserts.
The f’real by Rich’s B7 Blender can save time, reduce labor costs, and create delicious frozen beverages at the push of a button. The turnkey solution frees up kitchen crew members to perform other tasks and improves the operation’s bottom line while allowing customers to order customizable, easy-to-prepare beverages all day long.
For more information, visit www.richsusa.com/freal-foodservice/.
