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Fall means back to brown-bag lunches – and an opportunity for foodservice operators
By Susan Evans
September 19, 2011
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 Wraps, pita, Panini, subs, tortas, Chinese bao sandwiches and Vietnamese bahn mi - it’s not your cheese slice sandwich in a brown bag for lunch anymore. Lunchtime still means sandwiches and this standby continues to be a favourite - North Americans consume in excess of fifty million sandwiches annually. However, consumers want a fresh, interesting sandwich at lunch, not the proverbial PB&J.
For foodservice operators, sandwiches offer the opportunity to expand lunchtime menus and increase profitability - whether your guest is dining in-house or dropping by for takeout. Look at developing interesting options that will bring guests to your restaurant. Think about maximizing profitability by utilizing ingredients you already have on hand, or branch out into a whole new world of ingredients to build your menu.
With an ever-increasing interest in healthy options, sandwiches rate high among consumers’ perceptions of healthfulness. Among fast food choices, consumers consider sandwiches the healthiest choice. When asked to rate the healthfulness of various fast food options, the top rated choice was a sub sandwich. Think sub shop options that advertise “five grams of fat or less”. Also seen on menus are gluten-free sandwich options for guests with allergies.
Another trend to emerge over the past few years for sandwiches is in the fast-casual segment. In the US, bakery-cafes have moved ahead of the pack and emerged a winner. Bakery-cafes like Panera Breads and Au Bon Pain base their business on patrons’ continuing love affair with sandwiches. With a focus on interesting filling options and fresh baked breads, these bakery-cafes offer their guests the best of both worlds with homemade style sandwiches that have gourmet flair.
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Casual restaurants take it up a notch with sandwiches like Milestones’ wild salmon wrap with arugula, crème fraiche and black pepper naan bread or their goat cheese and edamame hummus wrapped in a jalapeno and cilantro infused tortilla. Staples like grilled cheese get glamorous at Joey Restaurants with their Atlantic lobster grilled with brie and cheddar cheeses and served with cocktail sauce on the side. Yum, this is not your mother’s brown-bag offering.
Meat is big for sandwiches – pulled pork is huge hit on sandwich menus everywhere and has been noted on a number of trend lists the last few years. Western Canada’s White Spot Restaurants offers their take with tender Canadian pulled pork with BBQ sauce, sautéed onions, Provolone cheese and chipotle mayo on Panini bread.
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The other trend to note in sandwiches is the explosion of ethnic options like banh mi—Vietnamese sandwiches with meat or pate and pickled vegetable fillings stuffed into a warm baguette or the Chinese boa, a steamed bun filled with pork and vegetables. Mexican tortas and Cuban sandwiches with spicy ingredients are also popular. Many of these ethnic inspired options are found on the food trucks roaming city streets today, bringing a whole new style of sandwich service to urban lunchers.
Lunch was built on the portable sandwich. With so many interesting ingredients available and guests looking for new and delicious options to spice up their day, the sandwich no longer is just a filling for your menu.
See also:
About the author
Susan Evans is a graduate in Marketing and Communications with extensive experience in communications and corporate writing across both foodservice and retail industries in Canada. Susanevans1@shaw.ca.
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