Private - Bundling Wraps and Soups for Sales Success
Tony Seta, Certified Master Chef, knows sandwiches. He was a member of the R&D team that developed Arby’s® successful Market Fresh® sandwich line that launched in 2001 and is still going strong today. Most recently, he was Vice President of Product Development and Innovation for Bonefish Grill and Carrabba’s Italian Grill based in Tampa, Fla. Today’s customers are more sensitive to price points than ever, especially at lunch, Seta says. Wrap-and-soup combos selling between $5.99 and $7.99 communicate price value. A 6-ounce wrap bundled with 6 to 8 ounces of soup, plus a beverage, can easily sell well for $6.99 in most markets. Extra benefit to the operator is tremendous labor savings, particularly when wrap specials are prepped in advance and soups have convenience built in.
“If you’re making a wrap to order, a half-wrap can save on labor for two orders,” Seta says. “Or, make up a quantity of two or more wrap varieties early in the day, and prep enough so they’re always ready to serve at order. If you offer a selection of soups that go with the wraps, then you deliver ultimate convenience and value to the customer with the least amount of operational labor.”
Operators benefit even more when they offer handcrafted, scratch-quality soups that are easily heated and served with little prep, thanks to savings in labor costs, adds Seta. “And any quality convenience items I can use in ‘wrap engineering’ – such as potato and bean products – also extend the profitability of my wrap-and-soup combos.”
Promoting bundled wraps and soups to guests is key, Seta says. “Prominently display the day’s bundled wrap and soup on a menu board, or print menu inserts and encourage servers to suggest the combo. If your bundled wrap and soup has great value and tastes good, sheer word of mouth will keep customers coming back for more!”