Posts Tagged ‘cost-savings’


Watch Your Portion Sizes When Serving French Fries

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Q. Someone told me I am wasting money by serving a stack of French fries on the plate. In this economy, I am concerned about food costs. Is there anything I could do differently?

A. Yes, most definitely, you need to try a couple of things.  During the rush period, take some samples of the amount of fries currently being used. Get a food scale and a sheet of wax paper and transfer the finished order to the scale and actually weigh what you are giving the customer. Your 6-7 ounces may actually be 8-10 ounces if the plates are very large. Your employees will look out for the customer on this one, making sure they are happy. When I was in the pizza business we had portion cups for the proteins, such as the ground sausage. Controlling costs can be done so much easier by helping your staff do a better job.

This might be too big, unless you want to serve a group:

Casserole Recipes for the Cost-Conscious

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Untitled1Q. Our family is really on a budget with this economy. Do you have any casserole suggestions?

A. With six kids in my family growing up, I have consumed more than my fair share of casseroles and stews, sometimes for multiple days until it was all finished up.  As a result I am no fan of tuna noodle casserole and beef stew with vegetables.  That being said, the Idaho Potato Commission has some fun and tasty casseroles to choose from including a re-make of the traditional shepherd’s pie:

Potato Mushroom Pie with Caramelized Onions (pictured above)

Easy Cheesy Potato Pie with Ham

Idaho® Potato Shepherdless Pie

California Casserole (using Tater Tots)