Baltimore, MD, December 3, 2010 – Leading the seafood evolution, Phillips Foods, Inc. remains on-trend in meeting the needs of operators and consumers alike with its restaurant-quality line of seafood soups. According to a recent study by the Foodservice Research Institute, foodservice seafood soup sales are on the rise.
Surveying the Foodservice Research Institute’s MenuMine database of 1,490 chain, independent and non-commercial foodservice operators, the study found that 21.7 percent of operators currently have seafood soup or chowder on their menus and in particular, casual dining chains (36.6 percent). More fine dining independents (34.6 percent) and casual independents (31.2 percent) are also following this growing trend.
As operators strive to catch the attention of consumers and stand out from the competition, more restaurants are calling their soups ‘bisques’ and ‘gumbos,’ as opposed to using the traditional term, ‘soup.’ The Foodservice Research Institute found that clam chowder or New England clam chowders account for nearly half of seafood soups on the menu (48.3 percent). The next most popular item on the menu is lobster bisque at 14.9 percent, followed by seafood gumbo at 12.7 percent. In order of frequency, seafood chowder, seafood soup, Manhattan clam chowder, crab meat soup, crab bisque, fish soup and lobster soup also appear on operator menus.
Phillips’ complete line of seafood soups offers a variety of different on-trend options to fit any menu. From delicious varieties such as its classic New England Clam Chowder and savory Lobster or Shrimp Bisque, Phillips also offers a hearty Maryland Vegetable Crab Soup and Cream of Crab Soup. Designed to deliver the flavor and texture of scratch-prepared soups with the cost-saving, heat and serve convenience of a frozen product, Phillips Seafood Soups are available to foodservice with four 4 lb. bags per case.
Source: Phillips Foods Inc.