Comforting Soups and Stews

Soups and stews establish and define restaurant image and quality.  These "one pot wonders" have all the elements of a hearty meal: meats, veggies, seasoning and, of course, captivating aroma.  The variety of soups and stews is endless.  There is a soup and stew for every ethnic group, country and region.

Stews and Soups Are:

Universal: part of every culture, particularly ones incolder climates

Comforting: evoke memories of meals patrons have grown up with

Economical: use just a little meat/protein, often a tougher, cheaper cut

Balanced: use veggies, carbs, seasonings, bases and broths of all types

Easy: they cook themselves and can last for an extended period of time

Colorful: rich browns plus reds, yellows (squash), green (peppers), others

Textured: turnips, celery, beans, cabbage, potatoes a;; have different bites

Hearty and Homemade: these perceptions are here to stay

Onions and Garlic: all stews need one or the other

Stew is Simmering right now at:

Bob Chinn's Crabhouse-----Curried Oxtail Stew

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store-----Homemade Beef Stew 'n Cornbread

Kettle Restaurant-----Beef Stew Bowl

Nacional 27-----Brazilian Black Bean Stew

Sweet Tomatoes-----Green Chile Stew

Smokey Bones-----Brunswick Stew

Commander's Palace-----New Orleans BBQ Stew

Pret a' Manger-----Stew of the Day

El Liborio-----Chicken Stew with Yellow Rice

Sonny's BBQ-----Ol' Southern Recipe Brunswick Stew

WaWa Food Market-----Beef Stew

Boudin Sourdough Cafe-----Hearty Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl

Cafe Eurest Dining Services (B&I) Caribbean Vegetable Stew 

Protein Share of the Pot

In this country, Beef is the perfect protein for stew.  Beef retains its shape better than seafood or chicken no matter how long you cook it.  Beef is a primary ingredient in 57% of all stew menued in chain restaurant menus.  Chicken is in a tie for second with seafood/fish stews, with a 20% share for the former and a 17% share for the latter.  Lamb, veal, and pork make up the balance.  Around the world, Lamb/Mutton and Fish (fresh and dried) and probably all sorts of other critters get thrown into the pot, hopefully not the restaurant one. 

Difference Between Soups and Stews

Soups and stews are built along the same lines.  The main difference is the amount of "soupiness".  Size of pieces also matters and stews usually have bigger chunks of meat and heartier cuts of veggies and carbs.  Soups usually need a spoon and bowl and stews a fork and plate.  However, Oyster Stew and Seafood Stew work best spooned. Stews run the gamut from chowders and gumbos to pot pies and casseroles to goulashes, stroganoffs and , ratatouilles.  Incidentally, Chili is a soup and it is a stew, but it really is in a whole other league by itself and bears an individual examination of flavors and varieties.  Chili is Chili!!! 

Soup Menuing is UP

The Menu Mine Database indicates that soup is currently menued by 61% of all restaurant chains.  The trend is up as evidenced by a 9 percentage point gain since 1998.  Chains average almost three flavor varieties of soup and basically there is no difference between sectors.  It seems if you are going to menu soup, variety is paramount.  

Soup Menuing

Soup Menu Prices Outpace Other Menu Parts

The average price for soup served as a stand alone menu item is $3.98.  There is about a one dollar difference per market sector going up the scale from QSR to Midscale to Casual chains.  The menu price of soup is increasing at a faster pace (+31%) than all menu items (+23%). 

Average Prices of Soup (as a stand alone item)

Leading Soup Varieties

There are hundreds of soup varieties. Leading ones are: Seafood Chowders/Bisques (17% share of menu items, not necessarily volume), Chicken (13%), Vegetable (7%), French Onion/Onion Soup (6%), Bean (6%), Potato (5%) and Tomato (5%).  

Flavors and Varities of Soup

Base: 1435 soup menu items in Casual Chain, Midscale Chain, QSR Chain and Cutting Edge Independent Restaurants.