Street life

Everyone is talking about street food – and eating it. According to the research gurus, around 2.5 billion people worldwide eat it daily, attracted by its simple, informal style of eating out and the vast array of tasty choices.

London is considered to be the ringleader in Europe. Success has been partly driven by the recession but also by revolutionary foodies wanting to put their stamp on the food scene, which has led to some of the UK’s renowned chefs offering food more informally.
In May, Santa Maria Foodservice released its findings into the influence of street food on the eating-out market.

Santa Maria carried out 150 face-to-face interviews with consumers at four street food locations in London, while additional research included the analysis of online menus of 120 UK operators across the casual restaurant, pub restaurant and fast food segments.
Highlights from the report included:

• 50% of consumers are buying street food at least once a week and more than 20% are buying street food three times a week. The lunchtime period is the main time for eating street food, with 81% of the respondents having it for lunch.
• The top five most popular street food cuisines are Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Indian and British. Favourite street food dishes are sandwiches/wraps, noodles/rice pots, burgers, vegetarian and hot dogs.
• 64% of consumers said they were happy to spend more than £5, the average UK lunchtime spend, on street food.

Speaking at the launch, Richard Johnson, food journalist and founder of the British Street Food Awards, said that restaurants were going into vans and vice versa and that street food had changed the food scene. “It’s exciting as it’s almost an all-year-round trend and people can make a living from it,” he explains. “A street food seller’s personality is that of a gambler. You have to be a bit of a chancer.”

He says this food style is universally appealing to young and older customers alike, who didn’t even mind queuing. “We’re 18 months ahead of the rest of Europe,” he comments. “It’s about operators making something theirs with a story, and even leads to opening restaurants. These operators don’t want to work for an angry chef for 10 years before being able to cook the food they want to cook and eat.”

However, he says that street food could not have happened without social media. “You can do social media yourself on facebook, blogging; and money then goes back into business,” he explains. “If you decide to open a restaurant, you take that social media following with you.”

Santa Maria marketing and business development director, Steve Kent, says that the research shows that consumers aren’t seeing street food as a replacement for a sandwich or wrap, but as restaurant quality outside the restaurant, and they are clearly attaching an added value to street food.

The research showed that 80% of respondents liked the adventurous flavours and spices, and 68% said that street food introduced them to new flavours. Also, 47% of consumers said they are planning to eat more street food in the next 12 months than they do currently.

“Variety, convenience, freshness, taste and strong flavours are some of the reasons respondents gave for liking street food, but many cited the theatre and whole experience of street food as being a factor,” adds Kent.

The research suggested that street food is making an impact on menus in chains such as Giraffe, Ed’s Easy Diner and Cabana, and that restaurants were also being built around a street food-influenced offer such as Wahaca, Yalla Yalla and Vietnamese soup concept Pho. In addition, there are examples of street food concepts that have evolved into restaurants, for example, MEATliquor, the burger concept that started as a mobile unit.
“The profit opportunity street food offers operators is clear from this report, with many successful operators already hanging their hats on it,” adds Kent. “The challenge is how to bring an authentic street food experience into their restaurant or workplace canteen in the most convenient way.”

Santa Maria recently launched a concept entitled: World To Go – Inspired by Street Food, which features a range of 10 toppings and sauces with flavours from around the world, which are available in handy-sized squeezy bottles.

It says the range can be used to make more profit from basic food such as wraps, burgers and hot dogs, or as the inspiration for new dishes. Flavours mirror the latest food trends including the rise of South American flavours such as Peruvian, Brazilian and Mexican.
Tulip Foodservice director Simon Shirley says that open kitchens, pop-up food markets, underground restaurants, food on farms are on the rise, and the popularity of street food is an extension of that.

“Food bloggers and foodie festivals are leading this trend but operators can benefit by adding street food-inspired dishes to their menus,” he says. “With street food, it’s a mix of multi-ethnic food fusions, updated classics, big flavours and gourmet versions of popular dishes. So operators can pick and choose the dishes that will work well with their existing menus.

“Some of our best selling products are our slow cooked shredded beef brisket, BBQ pulled pork and New York deli-style salt beef; these products are winners with operators wanting to capitalise on street food and American barbecue trends.
“These products that just need to be reheated on site can be a viable option for operators wanting to offer dishes with a high perceived value for less cost and with little staff training. Our new 10 Minutes or Less sous vide range does exactly that.”

Shirley believes the World Cup will encourage operators to tap into the Brazilian trend. “The challenge for operators will be how to incorporate South American-inspired dishes and drinks into their wider menu,” he says. “Traditional Bauru sandwiches, Salpicão salads and Feijoada stews can be inexpensive options to add some Brazilian flavour while using readily available ingredients like roast beef, ham, sausage, etc.”

Gourmet hot dogs and burgers are rising in popularity and are synonymous with street food. Marja Lawrence, operations manager at Funnybones Foodservice, says that as consumer tastes become increasingly sophisticated, the market is seeing a real appetite for new products and flavour combinations.

“We’ve noticed that gourmet hot dogs are being served with champagne for example, and ideas such as this have led to more creativity and innovation. We have a chilli cheese hot dog that has gone down well and a Bad Boy hot dog, which is man-size but a very tasty product.”

New for 2014, is the company’s exclusive Rio Pacific achiote chicken wings, which responds to the growing demand for Mexican cuisine. These wings are available in 2x1kg packs.

Country Choice’s Hudson’s concept is another example of a gourmet offering. It offers pre-sliced thaw-and-serve hot dog rolls and sesame seed brioche buns alongside UK-made hot dogs and burgers. The coarse cut, lightly smoked pork dog is 85% meat, while the pre-cooked, flame-grilled burger is made using high quality beef from the UK and Ireland.

The company’s options include The Butch, which is smoked sausage topped with chilli, fried sliced onions, mustard and tomato ketchup; and The Flipper, which is a flame-grilled burger topped with chilli and chunky coleslaw, accompanied by trays, wraps and napkins, plus a host of POS items. It says prices range from £2.95 to £3.95 across the range, and margins from 45% to 50%.

Empire Dogs are also capitalising on the news that gourmet hot dogs are one of the fastest growing menu items. Its hot dogs are made from British Red Tractor farm assured pork, beef and chicken, blended with exotic spices.

“Empire Dogs offers an extensive range of interesting flavours and varieties to suit all consumer demands,” says director Mark Yates. “From the Empire frankfurter and award-winning bratwurst, to more exotic dogs such as chorizo and Cajun chicken, all are available in a range of formats and sizes to suit operators’ needs.”
Foodservice packs include individual pre-cooked hot dogs in an artisan, double-glazed, brioche-style roll, pre-packed into customer-friendly, innovative and hygienic on-the-go cartons, and are suitable for microwave and convectional ovens.

Helping to fuel ideas, BPEX has put together a street food recipe book entitled: The Word on the Street, which caterers can order via its website. “Pork collar, shoulder and ribs are great value cuts offering soft meat that diners will find irresistible,” explains foodservice trade manager Tony Goodger. “With street food strong on flavour, marinades and rubs work well with pork and can be used to enhance the taste.”

Tortilla wrap specialist Mission Foodservice says street food allows outlets to promote a ‘made-from-scratch’ offering that appeals to consumers wanting a fresh alternative for lunch.

“Street food is associated with speedy service, which suits busy lifestyles,” says head of OOH sales, Dave Edwards. “People want to eat what they want, where they want, when they want it. When the time spent eating lunch is precious, particularly during the week, consumers are seeking a simple experience. Outlets need to advertise that their offering is more exciting, nutritious and innovative than their competitors to attract customers.”

Edwards says that 73% of consumers claim that if they try and like a menu item with an innovative flavour, they are highly likely to return to that outlet for the same menu item.
“Technomic research has also revealed 61% of consumers would pay more for items described as fresh; therefore, preparing wraps on-site will increase their overall appeal and drive sales,” he adds.

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