Simplot Foods | Blog | Menu Planning

BrandsView our brands and innovative product line-up.
Ready-to-Eat Vegetables & FruitSimplot Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Vegetables make prepping salads, grab-n-go items and meal kits a breeze—just thaw and serve
Simplot Maple City® Waffle-Flavored PotatoesNow serve chicken & waffles to customers on the go! New Simplot Maple City® Waffle Flavored Waffle Fries are the first and only waffle fries that taste like waffles. Learn More ›

Recipes

Wholesome Breakfast Veggie Bowl ›If you have customers looking for healthy, portable breakfast options, this is the one! Packed with ancient grains, roasted sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, avocado, arugula and a poached egg—this bowl really satisfies.
Carne Asada Fries Taco ›You read that right, we put the fries right in the taco. Every bite has the perfect combination of carne asada, crispy fries, creamy guacamole, pico, and melted queso. Prepare to make a lot of these; they are going to be popular!
Fall/Winter Trend Feast®See what's hot in foodservice and what you need to stay on trend.Download Now ›

Customers

The Ultimate Fry GuideWe can help you select the right fries, implement the best pricing and profit strategies, create must-have signature fries, and more. It's all in The Ultimate Fry Guide. And it's free.
The Ultimate Guide to Delivery & TakeoutTips and advice to succeed with off-premise customersDownload ›

Resources

Nutrition FinderDiscover Simplot products that match your operation's nutritional requirements.Find products ›
Fry FinderFind the fries that meet your customers' demands and your operating needs.Find your perfect fries ›

Category Menu Planning

5 Trends to Inspire Healthcare Foodservice

Are your healthcare foodservice options on-trend? Read on to explore five key trends that can elevate healthcare foodservice and enhance patient dining experiences.

9/30/2024

The "Is It Worth It?" Test: Caramelizing Onions from Scratch

Is it worth it? You know, the time and energy required to prepare caramelized onions from scratch. We've weighed the pros and cons—but even better— we've done the work for you!

9/19/2024

11 Inspiring Ideas for Caramelized Onions Across Every Daypart

Caramelized onions add a premium touch to everything from breakfast to burgers—but they can be very time-consuming to prepare. Here are some creative (and labor-saving) ways to incorporate caramelized onions into your menu.

8/28/2024

Four Generations, Four Ideas: Appealing to Every Demographic

Understanding the commonalities between generations can ensure that your menu reaches the widest audience, while knowing the differences can help you target specific demographic groups. Read on to learn more.

8/21/2024

14 Ways to Use Flavored Avocado Spreads All Day Long

New Simplot® Harvest Fresh® Flavored Avocado Spreads are an easy way to add one-of-a-kind flavor and pricing power to everyday items. Give them a try and find all the ways you can use flavored avocado spreads around the clock!

7/2/2024

Mediterranean Mojo: Tzatziki is Finally Getting the Attention It Deserves

Tzatziki offers a fresh flavor that’s hard to replicate yet adapts easily to countless types of cuisine. Experiment with it and see for yourself!

6/14/2024

4 Proven Ways to Add Pricing Power to Menu Items

With high menu prices coming under fire, what can you do to protect and grow your margins?

5/22/2024

Maximize Your Mother's Day Brunch: Strategies for Restaurants in 2024

Check out four ways you can prepare for a smoother, more successful (and tasty) Mother’s Day Brunch.

5/1/2024

Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Back of House

Can artificial intelligence really help you in the kitchen? In this post, we review three of the most popular AI tools for recipe generation—DishGen, Let’s Foodie and ChatGPT—and show you how they compare when presented with three simple ingredients.

4/22/2024

Why Breakfast Potatoes Are Fueling the Resurgence of Morning Traffic

The demand for breakfast is on the rise, and potatoes are a must-have breakfast item. See labor-saving products and recipes to feed your breakfast crowd—quickly and profitably.

2/26/2024

New Year’s Resolution: Satisfy Your Health-Conscious Customers in 2024

It’s the new year and customers are hungry for healthy menu options. Are you prepared? Learn how to cater to your health-conscious guests—without rewriting your whole menu. It’s easier than you think!

1/8/2024

11 Mouthwatering Ways to Serve Roasted Corn in Foodservice

Roasted corn is a proven way to increase the flavor and menu appeal of your recipes. Simplot RoastWorks® roasted corn products slash your prep time and free up your ovens. Here are 11 great ways to serve them!

12/4/2023

20 Ways to Use Avocado in Foodservice

There’s no hotter fruit than the avocado—and no shortage of ways to use it. Once only popular in guacamole, you’ll now find this plant-based superfood in everything from ice cream to craft cocktails.

10/16/2023

Avocado Season: How Time of Year Affects Prices and Quality

The avocado-growing capital of Michoacan, Mexico, has four distinct growing seasons that can dramatically affect pricing and quality. Learn how to overcome seasonal volatility and unexpected supply disruptions for better profitability.

4/17/2023

13 Rose-Colored Menu Ingredients for 2023

Pink food offers a multitude of benefits for chefs and restaurant owners right now. Incorporating pink foods into your menu can help you generate the excitement you need to keep customers coming back. Get creative and have fun—the possibilities of pink are endless!

2/10/2023

6 Delicious Menu Ideas with Extraordinary Margins

It looks like inflation will continue to push food costs higher in 2023. Check out these proven strategies to protect your bottom line by menuing more profitable dishes. And we have six tasty menu ideas with very healthy margins—give them a try!

12/1/2022

Should You Raise Your Prices?

Thinking about raising your menu prices to offset increasing costs? There are many things to consider before you do.

8/11/2022

Why Do Entrées with Roasted Vegetables Earn 27% More?

Roasted vegetables are delicious—and they can help you capture premium prices, reduce prep, and delight your customers all at the same time.

5/23/2022

How Digital is Changing the Rules of Menu Engineering

Designing a menu can be challenging—and layouts for print and digital are different. In this article, we go over the basic steps of menu engineering for print, then cover the new best practices for digital menus.

5/11/2022

The 14 Highest Scoring Simplot Recipes

Developing new menu items is an art form informed by a chef's experience and intuition. But how do you really know if the wonderful recipe you just created will sell?

3/3/2022

3 Ways to Cope with the Looming Avocado Shortage

What happens when the supply chain of one of your most popular ingredients vanishes overnight? U.S. restaurants that serve avocado may find out very soon. We can help!

2/16/2022

Is There an Avocado Shortage?

The cost of whole avocados can vary wildly and fluctuate regularly based on four different factors. We explore each of the factors and explain how you can overcome the volatility by taking advantage of the consistent pricing of Simplot's prepared avocado products.

7/16/2021

On-Trend: 21 Recipe Ideas for Good Grains™ Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro lime rice is a hugely popular and versatile dish—great on the side, as a base for on-trend bowls, or as filling inside wraps and burritos, cilantro lime rice has a home in every daypart and industry segment. Simplot Foods has just released its own take on this classic recipe with new Good Grains™ Cilantro Lime Rice & Flame-Roasted Corn Fiesta.

12/18/2020

21 Delicious Ways to Use RoastWorks® Flame-Roasted Pineapple & Pepper Blend

For many of us, the first time we glimpsed the versatility of pineapple came with our first slice of Hawaiian pizza. The fresh burst of pineapple married to salty ham and melted cheese? Indisputable proof that pineapple is a tremendous complement to a huge range of proteins and other ingredients.

5/8/2020

Reopening Successfully, Part 2: Menuing Strategies

With seating capacity reduced by social distancing guidelines, it's going to be critical to make as much as you can from every seating and keep tables turning. Now is the time to take a hard look at your menu and make sure it's optimized for profitability and operational simplicity.

4/30/2020

8 Strategies for More Effective LTOs

Learn how to take your LTOs to the next level.

7/11/2019

Local Flavor Trends: How Can They Fit In Your Menu?

Once flavors hit the mainstream, seems like customers just can't wait to try them. What's hitting the mainstream now are tomato jam, charred items and Nashville hot. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, there's a way to incorporate these new in-demand flavors into your menu.

6/15/2019

Healthy Indulgence: Catering to Patrons Who Want It All

As Americans, we are chock full of competing desires. We love big cars, but we want them to be fuel efficient. We want to get in shape, but exercise is hard. Food is no exception here. Americans are trying to eat more fruits and vegetables these days, but surprise! We aren't quite ready to give up the indulgent foods we love.

4/8/2019

Breakfast for Dinner? The Blurring of Dayparts Continues

Breakfast foods aren't particularly rebellious most of the time—crispy fried eggs and buttery toast, pancakes stacked high, served with bacon and plenty of syrup.

2/13/2019

Roasted/Charring Menu Trends

Learn why roasting and charring are becoming this fall's hottest techniques.

10/1/2018

School Menu Inspiration: Build Your Own Bowls

Food bowls have been around centuries in Asian cultures, but the craze hit America hard over the last couple of years. For schools, build-your-own bowls can help you stay on-trend and offer truly healthy meals while giving kids the freedom to mix and match their favorite flavors.

6/27/2018

Loading Up Fries in a Whole New International Way

Maybe it started with the Canadian poutine, or the English gravy on chips, but whatever started the trend, you know loaded fries are here to stay!

6/12/2018

Download Our FREE Idea Starters

+1, +2, +3... Good Grains Deli Idea Starters

3/5/2018

Harnessing Your Customers? Creativity for LTOs

Learn the right way to involve customers in the creation of your LTOs.

2/5/2018

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Category Menu Planning

5 Trends to Inspire Healthcare Foodservice

The "Is It Worth It?" Test: Caramelizing Onions from Scratch

11 Inspiring Ideas for Caramelized Onions Across Every Daypart

Four Generations, Four Ideas: Appealing to Every Demographic

14 Ways to Use Flavored Avocado Spreads All Day Long

Mediterranean Mojo: Tzatziki is Finally Getting the Attention It Deserves

4 Proven Ways to Add Pricing Power to Menu Items

Maximize Your Mother's Day Brunch: Strategies for Restaurants in 2024

Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Back of House

Why Breakfast Potatoes Are Fueling the Resurgence of Morning Traffic

New Year’s Resolution: Satisfy Your Health-Conscious Customers in 2024

11 Mouthwatering Ways to Serve Roasted Corn in Foodservice

20 Ways to Use Avocado in Foodservice

Avocado Season: How Time of Year Affects Prices and Quality

13 Rose-Colored Menu Ingredients for 2023

6 Delicious Menu Ideas with Extraordinary Margins

Should You Raise Your Prices?

Why Do Entrées with Roasted Vegetables Earn 27% More?

How Digital is Changing the Rules of Menu Engineering

The 14 Highest Scoring Simplot Recipes

3 Ways to Cope with the Looming Avocado Shortage

Is There an Avocado Shortage?

On-Trend: 21 Recipe Ideas for Good Grains™ Cilantro Lime Rice

21 Delicious Ways to Use RoastWorks® Flame-Roasted Pineapple & Pepper Blend

Reopening Successfully, Part 2: Menuing Strategies

8 Strategies for More Effective LTOs

Local Flavor Trends: How Can They Fit In Your Menu?

Healthy Indulgence: Catering to Patrons Who Want It All

Breakfast for Dinner? The Blurring of Dayparts Continues

Roasted/Charring Menu Trends

School Menu Inspiration: Build Your Own Bowls

Loading Up Fries in a Whole New International Way

Download Our FREE Idea Starters

Harnessing Your Customers? Creativity for LTOs

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