Convenience is key in bakery sector as operators look to ‘easy assemble’ product solutions

With labour and skills shortages still a major issue across foodservice, operators are increasingly focused on product solutions which require only minimal prep and labour time and are easy for unskilled staff to use in quick to assemble menu offerings. This is where bakery products are a great fit, argues Tip Top Foodservice Innovation Manager Darren O’Brien.

“There is strong consumer activity in foodservice but it’s the casual offerings that are dominating at the moment and that’s due to the labour and skills shortages,” Darren says. “So there’s a need for simple processing options rather than complex ones – which in bakery terms equates to burgers, filled rolls, sandwiches, garlic bread on the side as a starter. All these are simple to assemble and consumers love them. In fact garlic bread is now appearing on menus where it never did before, such as in cafes, pubs and clubs.

“As a result we’ve introduced a ciabatta garlic slice as well as pre-made garlic bread as it offers speed, ease and convenience as opposed to the labour required to make garlic bread in house. Those are enjoying strong sales in clubs and hotels where they want a premium offering. They’re a great choice for a side or entrée because they’re just so easy in terms of labour component and speed of assembly.”

Darren says premium and indulgent breads are also growing in popularity: “People love them and the great thing is they’re filling – you don’t eat them and end up hungry. Our Sourdough and Turkish breads are going great guns, and Vietnamese Banh Mi rolls which are ideal to serve with pulled meats have really taken off.

“Foodservice operators are serving up options like Phily Cheese Steak, which is an old favourite, or even American style smoky flavoured meat rolls, and these sit very well on that type of roll - even though it’s designed for Vietnamese fillings it also works well with those American-influenced meat rolls.

“It’s not just the fact that consumers love them, though that’s a definite trend – it’s also the operators saying this is a great solution, because I can have the meat ready to go, I can have the roll sitting there, and I just have to combine the two and it’s ready to serve!”

Demand for premium burger buns is also on the rise as burgers have embedded themselves across menus. “I think they’re here to stay because they’re easy, they’re great for on the go dining and with people too time-poor for a sit down meal, plus their pricepoint is lower,” Darren explains.

“Consequently we’ve now made our premium buns available by the packet for delivery to those smaller foodservice outlets who don’t have the freezer space to store buns en masse. A lot of these operators rely on daily ambient deliveries so we’re now providing that and that’s an indication of how the category has grown.

 From a fillings trend perspective, Darren says spicy, chilli and hot peppery flavours are still predominating all around the world, as are smoky flavour profiles. “The American barbecue style is becoming popular again – it was a few years ago but went away a bit through Covid, and now it’s back. Operators are using those smoky treatments through their sauces.

“We’re also seeing plant-based and vegan options becoming a lot more mainstream, and my callout is that operators should be thinking about the number of offerings they’ve got in that space and elevating them to attract that growing share of consumers wanting them.

“So don’t just think, ‘I need one plant-based option that I can set and forget’ – you’ve got to be catering for more than that, because those customers want as good an experience as everybody else. I also think it’s important to note that there are customers who cross back and forth from plant based to meat ingredients – they might do a taco Tuesday and a plant-based Wednesday, so you need to include those options with your sandwiches, wraps, rolls and bakery items.”

The gluten free category is also still growing in bakery, and Darren says “Within our own gluten free product range we’re always looking at the quality aspect. Some years ago the gluten free bread that was available was very limited but consumers were happy with it, however now there are more and more people who are looking for a higher quality gluten free product so we’ve worked hard to be responsive to that. I think these days you need to have gluten free bakery options on the menu and the quality needs to be as good as everything else.”

Bakery menu fuels creativity for Mal and his team

At the Wonky Loaf Bakery and Café on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, sourdough fermentation is used in all products from the breads to the pastry items, in order to make them more digestible for people with dietary sensitivities. Production Manager Mal Meiers describes the time-consuming process as “a labour of love”, adding “It’s a longer fermentation and it’s not the easiest especially when you have temperature fluctuations – it takes a lot of care, attention and problem solving, and a lot of awareness.” 

The joy for Mal and his team is the creative collaboration which goes into producing contemporary twists on traditional pastry favourites and these have certainly proven a hit with customers.

“At the moment we’re doing ‘Wonky Wednesdays’ which is an  idea I came up with to get more foot traffic midweek,” Mal says. “We offer menu specials and that gives us an opportunity to test out ideas and concepts which we’ve been knocking around – one of our breadmaking apprentices might come up with an idea and we’ll help them execute it.”

This has allowed the team to come up with such exotic menu mashups as Lamington Filled Croissants and Strawberry Vanilla Slices.

“Our menu’s pretty extensive in terms of flavour variations,” Mal explains, “and it also fuels our creativity. We try to offer more than just the basics – at the moment we have a sesame and miso bread, where we heavily toast off the sesame and then cook up brown rice with a miso soup base, almost a brown rice congee, and we include that in the bread base with sesame and miso, then add some extra miso to round out the flavour and make the bread last longer.

“It’s all about creating a point of difference. The café here seats 30 to 40 and we also have a wholesome element supplying to local cafes and some organic grocers scattered across the coast – that’s a part ofd the business we’re currently ramping up. Plus we hit a lot of the local markets – about five over the course of each weekend, and when you’re selling at the markets you really want to stand out from the crowd.”

Product differentiation is also informed by customer feedback, much of which is obtained by social media. “We also track our sales carefully to make sure we’re optimising our markets,” Mal adds. “We’re always analysing those figures – we want to keep our customers happy, and if we sell out of any particular product too quickly we know we’re going to disappoint people. So we need to know what’s moving.

“We’ve actually dropped the numbers on our own standard white and normal sourdough breads and increased our production of flavoured loafs, and they’re still selling out really fast, so we know that’s what’s cutting through with customers.”

In addition to the ‘wonkier’ product twists, the bakery carries more traditional lines such as Basque Cheesecake – “Those products are the heroes of most good quality bakeries,” Mal acknowledges. “We sort of skate the line between having those traditional products on the menu, but just done in our own way, as well as the more wonky range. The name is actually inspired by Willy Wonka from the book and movies – we’re always trying to test the boundaries, a couple of us have lots of ideas rattling around in our heads and that keeps us motivated!”

Mal moved into the bakery sector after suffering some burn out as a chef. “I first got interested in baking in Tasmania about five or six years ago and then I moved to the Sunshine Coast a couple of years back and spent six months baking and teaching myself about bread.

“Once I got into something I tend to get hooked on it, so I threw myself into the theory of sourdough, read as many books as I could and now I have a decent knowledge base and have had opportunities to build on that from my chefing background. I love rocking up to work in the morning when the croissants are in the oven – there’s not a better smell when you get out of the car, that fresh-baked aroma really draws people in!”