'What is the soup du jour?'
'It's the soup of the day.'
'Mmm. That sounds good. I'll have that.”
This exchange of dialogue between Lloyd Christmas and Flo the waitress is one of the many scenes that makes the 1994 movie “Dumb and Dumber” timeless. But not just any movie can become a rewatchable and quotable classic. It has to stand the test of time, being rediscovered over and over again by future generations. Only then is it indispensable.
The same goes for foodservice equipment. Time-tested. Dependable. Essential. So when soup gets named as a food trend for 2024, it begs the question: Did it ever go away? Hasn’t soup always been on trend?
Soup is an enduring and comforting food. It can be a first course. Or it can stand alone as a meal in itself. Soup is a blank canvas for any genre of food. There are countless varieties and styles. And while none of them live up to how grandma used to make it, they offer maximum versatility.
Those who know the revenue potential, labor saving and technology behind the dry soup well know that soup is an indispensable menu item for any operation.
Here are a few more favorite quotes from “Dumb and Dumber,” using lines from one classic to describe another. Don’t call it a comeback.
‘That's as good as money, sir.’
Soup is the quiet, steady revenue-generating workhorse of any foodservice operation. From fast casual to fine dining, from convenience stores to large grocery retailers, soup is the recipe for success. Let’s look at a few ways operators can wring profitability out of this enduring menu item.
By construction, soups should have a low food cost. The soul of any good soup begins with a stock. Stocks can be made with kitchen by-products: vegetable cuttings, animal bones or shells. Customers expect soups to rotate on and off menus, which opens the door for creating soups that use up extra inventory. Unsold grouper becomes seafood bisque. Herbs, legumes and greens are all fair game for vegetable soup. The variations are endless.
Soups are a versatile additional revenue stream because they can be sold in any “state-of-ready.” Naturally, they’re a savory starter in any dining scenario. Additionally, soups can be placed in buffets or offered as a to-go dinner option. Marketed correctly, soups can also be sold as the easiest cook-at-home product ever concocted. It doesn’t matter if the soup is frozen or liquid — just heat and eat! Soup is quintessentially convenient.
‘You go and do something like this, and totally redeem yourself!’
Soup has always been an easy dish for kitchen workers to dish up. Soup is also a practical buffet offering. Employees now have more reasons to be grateful, as dry soup wells make their jobs even easier. And accounting will be thankful for the cost savings.
The settings of certain dry soup wells, such as Hatco’s Dry Soup Well, automatically transfer from rethermalization mode to hold mode. It also has adjustable timers that indicate to staff when it’s time to stir the soup. This frees up labor for other tasks, as they don’t need to “babysit” the soup. An easy-to-remove insert makes cleanup a snap.
When we’re talking about Hatco’s induction technology, operators know that the cost savings are built in. Induction dry wells are energy efficient, as the heat goes directly to the food without escaping. And, as the name implies, a dry well doesn’t require water to function. No filling, draining or descaling saves labor over traditional soup wells. Furthermore, start-up costs are nil since costly plumbing installation is no longer necessary. Operators can literally plug right into savings.
Dry soup wells have the flexibility to be used in the front or the back of the house. Of course, it doesn’t get easier than customers ladling soup for themselves. But, holding soup at the proper temperature in the back of the house and then making a bowl to order is very labor-friendly.
‘What was all that one-in-a-million talk?’
Dry well technology is a one-in-a-million breakthrough for foodservice operations.
From mulligatawny to minestrone, dry soup wells can be calibrated to keep the heat on the heartiest or the most delicate of soups. Thermal technology delivers gentle, even heating without the need for water. This prevents scalding or rapid evaporation which can ruin the integrity of a soup.
Hatco has a solution for any size of operation, at any time of day. Dry soup wells are available as countertop or drop-in units with 7-quart (7-liter) or 11-quart (10-liter) wells. This allows users to adjust accordingly to fluctuating levels of business.
With Hatco dry wells, kitchen teams will also enjoy an intuitive, interactive user interface. This includes smart features such as a screen lock to keep anyone else from tampering with the controls. It is pre-programmed with 4 customizable presets and 6 preset temperatures.
‘We landed on the moon!’
When Lloyd Christmas reads an old newspaper clipping hung on the wall at a restaurant, he celebrates the moon landing as if he never knew it happened. He wants to enthusiastically share the discovery with everyone around because it's news to him.
Similarly, it’s never too late for operators of any scale to unlock the advantages of a dry soup well. Soup has been around forever, but it’s never been available like this.
The dry soup well is the foodservice equipment du jour. Ready to reap its efficiencies and cost savings? Reach out to a Hatco rep today.
