Summer may be on the way out, but that doesn’t mean consumers are losing their taste for adventure. Huddle up with your team to craft pizza specials with a touch of international inspiration to help you outkick the competition this fall.
Best in Class
Pizza always plays, especially during a packed fall season. Guests may turn to traditional favorites, while some establishments will pile on the toppings, or put the spotlight on regional-style crusts. These are all good strategies, but we understand that managing costs and grappling with labor inconsistencies are high on your list of fall challenges as well.
One easy way to stand out from the crowd, without breaking the budget, is by handing the ball off to vibrant, taste-bud popping pizza sauces with international flair. Flavors from all over the world continue to trend, particularly among younger generations heading back to school with tremendous market influence. They are salivating for menu items that taste unique or catch their eye on social. Plus, there’s an opportunity to reach adventurous diners, not quite ready to give up the vibe of summer travel.
World of Difference
The metrics are pretty clear — flavors from different cultures have shown outstanding growth potential recently. For example1, tandoori sauces have grown by 57% in the past year and a whopping 178% over the last four years — making it the second-fastest growing sauce in the market. Sweet chili sauces2 have shot up by 122% in that same span —the third most among flavor enhancers.
So, it makes some sense to take a look at sauce options from across the industry, including Custom Culinary® Wasabi Ginger Ponzu and Asian Pride® Sweet Chili Sauce. These bases are typically heat-and-create, allowing your kitchen to play with various pizza ingredients, like edamame and snow peas, without lagging prep times. And with Hispanic Heritage Month approaching in mid-September, you can pay homage to Hispanic kitchens with a Custom Culinary Latin-Style Citrus Chili or a West Creek® Jala-Mango Sauce, mixing in items like authentic Mexican cheeses, peppers, and avocado.
Also, fusion concepts continue to excite diners, so restaurants that don’t always work with pizza can experiment with simpler flatbread applications, using a classic, Italian Custom Culinary Alfredo Sauce to complement trending international ingredients like Spanish meats, Thai veggies, and Caribbean fruits. For context, Alfredo3 sauce is still hovering around the top 10 most popular pizza sauces in the industry; it brings ideal versatility to harvest-style, fall pies.
Spread the Sauce…and the Word
Your regulars have come to expect a level of quality and consistency that keeps them coming back. There’s no reason to re-invent the wheel — sauces can simply help bring more attention to your fall pizza menus with the added flexibility of an LTO or weekly special.
A well-deployed sauce lets you ramp up your digital menus, social posts, even sidewalk signs. It can provide an opportunity to tell a quick story about your food and inspirations. We’ve all watched as birria has become a buzzword across the industry. Consider how a pizza crafted with a Contigo® Birria Base sauce could entice foot traffic or generate likes on social media. One special offer could potentially be the key to creating buzz around your business. So, have fun talking up your sauces. Get the word out through your marketing channels. And hit the fall running with world-famous flavors that enhance your pizza brand.
1 Datassential Pizza Inspiration Report, July ‘23
2 Datassential Pizza Inspiration Report, July ‘23
3 Datassential Pizza Inspiration Report, July ‘23
