Tapping into the BBQ trend
13th May 2009, 12:55pm
The recession might be having a pretty tough effect on caterers, hotels and restaurants, but it's not all doom and gloom as there is one area of British lifestyle that is set to profit from the financial downturn – the 13th Gastro Alfresco National BBQ 2009 campaign (running from 25-31May).
Despite a couple of poor years weather-wise, overall consumer attitudes to summer eating, entertaining and BBQ have continued to flourish and is now worth in excess of £6.7 billion at retail, with the BBQ food market alone growing at 10 per cent per annum.
This in turn represents great news for the hospitality industry which last year took nearly £500 million on BBQ and alfresco meals and drink alone.
And if the anticipated shift from eating out to eating in continues to grow, offering consumers a cost-effective and fun alternative is a positive way to help offset this trend.
But when it comes to BBQing, we're not talking about old-style pub barbis consisting of burnt bangers and charred chicken. The on-trade 'Gastro-Grill' has arrived with a major move towards a 'sausage to swordfish' and 'burger to brochette' evolution in the sector, with the concept of BBQing and alfresco dining moving up through the ranks.
Caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs can really tap into the BBQ and alfresco trend by moving away from offering the more traditional products on their menus towards more exciting, healthy and importantly economical variants. With consumer health and well-being very much on the agenda, offering fish and seafood as BBQ options would be seen as much healthier – and in many respects more economical and profitable. With 43% of consumers considering their diets to be very healthy, taking this trend into consideration would certainly be a prudent move.
Brian George, president of the National BBQ Association, said: "2009 marks the continuing evolution of summer alfresco eating, entertaining and drinking into a much broader market. Although the credit crunch is biting with force this year, it doesn't mean that hotels and restaurants will cease to prosper – quite the opposite in fact.
"Caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs can really take advantage of the trend by opening up their outdoor space, firing up the BBQ and recreating that at home feel in their gardens. Just the smell of a newly lit BBQ alone is often enough to attract custom.
"Indeed, hotels, restaurants and pubs are one of – if not the – most popular dining venues during the summer. During the past five years alone the popularity of restaurant and hotel catering has risen showing that this means of dining is very much in-step with the wants and needs of today's consumers."
George explained that it's not only the food and drink that will benefit this summer: "British consumers are increasingly more adventurous and aspirational when it comes to alfresco eating and entertaining. This coupled with the diversity of the food and drink on offer makes for a more sophisticated – yet equally cost-effective – occasion than ever before. And it isn't just BBQ food, wine and beer, which are benefiting. The sector now covers many other key categories which are playing an integral role in the whole alfresco experience, such as long-summer drinks, snacks, bakery, soft drinks, vegetables and fish as well as desserts and cheese.
"Unsurprisingly, all of the major food service operators – hotels and restaurants in particular – have recognised that not only has BBQ season become more than just about BBQ'ing but it is now more occasion driven and is as much about the lifestyle as the products that are associated with it. With the credit crunch biting, caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs are recognising that not only can BBQing provide quick and fun entertainment, but importantly that the whole BBQ and alfresco concept is a great way of providing great, healthy meals for customers.
"And the great British weather doesn't seem to dampen our enthusiasm for BBQs and alfresco eating either. The advent of better weather protection, canopies and patio heating in hotel and restaurant gardens has meant that the weather has become less of an issue to customers when eating out – even last year's soggy summer didn't affect our appetite for BBQs," concluded Brian.
Sponsorship is a fundamental part of the promotion and to reinforce its commitment to driving innovation within the market, the National BBQ Association has attracted some world-famous brands to the 2009 campaign.
Summer drinks such as beer, wine and most importantly cocktails, provide numerous opportunities to maximise sales and boost profits for hoteliers and restaurateurs. New for this year is the collaboration with iconic liqueur Grand Marnier as the official Long Summer Drink Partner.
But its not just alcoholic beverages which create the sales opportunities for food service operators this year. Soft drinks, in particular, have seen a rise in sales year-on-year as a greater range of summer drinks and premium flavours becomes available. This year teaming-up with the National BBQ Association is Fruitiser, as the official Soft Drinks partner. For the duration of the campaign, the Fruitiser range will be heavily involved in all aspects of the activity including two major direct to consumer sampling programmes called the Alfresco Experience RoadShows and in-store BarbiBooths.
George explained that this is an ideal chance for caterers to reap the benefits as the crunch continues to bite: "This year's Gastro Alfresco 2009 campaign will encourage caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs to take eating outdoors during the summer months. Whether it's a Sunday lunch alfresco meal or a sophisticated evening occasion, this will be the summer of outdoor entertaining. It will also give caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs the ideal opportunity to tap into the awareness generated by this high profile campaign and reap the bottom-line benefits as a result."
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