Is Food Outsourcing the Answer?

Many believe that food outsourcing (or purchasing prepared entrees, starches, desserts etc. from reputable food manufacturers) can generate considerable savings. This is true up to a point.

My experience with "kitchenless" or outsourced food projects indicates that operators, who adopt food outsourcing to augment their department reengineering initiatives, have realized up to 6% budget reductions while also enhancing food quality. Moreover, the ability to avoid the capital investment required to replace outdated production equipment is often a precursor to adopting food outsourcing.

However, Burlodge has learned from the projects it has implemented that it is the introduction of cold-meal-assembly principles, and the departure from hot-belt lines and insulated trays that offer the most sustainable savings (up to 12-16%). This is because cold-meal assembly allows a team to prepare meal trays in advance using one shift of employees around a belt line rather than the shift-and-a-half required for a hot-belt line. The chilled meals are then reheated (rethermalized) later in the day, close to service, in specialized state-of-the art meal carts.

This raises the question, "What should come first - food outsourcing or new tray assembly and delivery systems?"

The answer is that each can exist separately, however, coupling these approaches leads to improved flexibility, and considerable savings (some clients are realizing up to 18-22% in savings and in some cases higher). Moreover, by combining these solutions, there is an increase in menu item consistency and more control of food cost. Less money is spent on repairs and maintenance of kitchen equipment. The appearance of food trays improves and food temperature is more consistent. Finally, there is more flexibility in meal service times.

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