In Love with Prepared Entrees

As we head into the frigid months ahead, consumers at home and away from home cut down on sandwich and salad fare and switch into survival mode with hot entrees. Chili, Mac & Cheese, Ravioli and Stew may be looked down upon by the “foodie cognescenti”; but, they are loved by all for their comfort and heartiness.

Broadly speaking, an “entrée” is the main meal whether a sandwich, burger, pizza or hot plated meal. Popular perceptions do not include soups, salads, appetizers and sides under the entrée umbrella. Traditional American Center of Plate Entrees consist of three components including a protein, along with individual carb and vegetable accompaniments. Prepared Entrees are also made up of a protein, veggie and carb, however, all three are integrated into a single hot plated serving.

Value Perceptions

There is a considerable difference in preparation and average prices between Center of Plate Entrees and Prepared Entrees. COP entrees include a whole cut protein, whether a chicken breast or tender, beef steak, pork chop, breaded shrimp or fish. The increased value of the protein results in a COP menu price ($14.00) that is $4 to $5 greater than a Prepared Entrée ($9.00). There are numerous advantages to serving prepared entrees and these range from advance preparation convenience to longer holding and storage times, to cheaper protein cuts to larger gross margins and cuisine positioning options. Most foodservice chains, independents and non commercial operators serve both COP Entrees (82%) and Prepared Entrees (82%). Statistics cited in this article come from the MenuMine database of chain, independent and non commercial menus, a research property of Foodservice Research Institute.

Leading Prepared Entrees

Chili is the leading prepared entrée in terms of menu incidence. At a 22% level, one of five foodservice operators lists chili on the menu. Some operators menu 3 or 4 varieties and thus the average number of chili items per operator is 1.6. Chili is the least expensive item on the prepared entrée menu, at $4.63 per average serving. Ranking prepared entrees by menu incidence or by # Items is not a reflection of product volume. Within each prepared entrée type shown below, there are numerous flavor variations. Surprisingly, the list of entrees shown below reflects about 60% of all prepared entrees on the menu. Contact Foodservice Research Institute for information on emerging prepared entrees.

Platforms for Prepared Entrees

Pasta platforms are the foundation for one in every four prepared entrees and leading types include mac and cheese, spaghetti, lasagna, fettuccine, ravioli, tortellini, penne, linguini, pasta primavera, gnocchi, pasta marinara, angel hair pasta and more. Protein platforms also account for a very large share of prepared entrees and include chicken parmesan, shrimp scampi, chicken teriyaki, sweet and sour chicken, veal parmesan, beef entrees, chicken stir fry, seafood entrees, sweet and sour pork, beef stroganoff, beef stir fry, curry chicken, Mexican entrees, meat with garlic sauce and many more. Dough platforms include wrapped entrees like burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, pot pies, quiche, crepes, stuffed pastry, tamales, pierogies, turnovers, blintzes, biryani, spanakopita, dumplings, mu shu entrees and more. Rice platforms include fried rice, stir fried rice, risotto, paella, chicken with rice, etouffee, rice bowls, jollof rice, biryani, curried rice and more.

Vegetable platforms include vegetarian meals, mixed veggies, Asian vegetable entrees, eggplant parmesan, vegetable stir fry, vegetable casseroles, moussaka, steamed vegetables and more. Noodle platforms include pad thai, udon, rice noodles, beef chow mein, lo mein, yakisoba, mein feng, pan fried noodles, curry noodles, egg noodles, buttered noodles and more. Chili variations include vegetarian chili, green chili, chili con carne, turkey chili, chili mac , chili con queso and more. Stew platforms include beef stew, jambalaya, seafood stew, chicken stew, cioppino stew, goulash, oxtail stew, ratatouille, shrimp creole, goat curry, tripe, menudo, carne guisada and more.

Leading Proteins in Prepared Entrees

Of all protein types, Chicken occupies the top rung on a share basis, accounting for almost one of every three (31%) prepared entrees (with a protein) on the menu. Beef may be found in 28% of menu items and Shrimp in 15%. Pork is in 11% and Seafood in 9%, followed by Fish (4%), Veal (beef) (1%), Lamb (<1%) and Game Meats/Game Birds (<1%).

Market Size

The size of the foodservice market for prepared entrees is projected (by Foodservice Research Institute) to equal an approximate $6.5 billion in operator purchases. The majority of this volume (75%) is made from “scratch” ingredients and the balance (25%) directly from frozen fully prepared, refrigerated or canned entrees.

Attributions of all or part of this article must include “MenuMine, a menu information database of Foodservice Research Institute”.