Casual Dining: Festival Food

How can operators best alter their offering to provide a pared down menu for festivals?

“Quick-serve, convenience food is vital for driving sales at festivals, as many festival-goers will want to pick up quick tasty snacks while enjoying the party atmosphere.

“Hand-held convenience foods, that can be eaten quickly and on the go, are the order of the day for festival-goers looking for a quick and fulfilling eat between concerts. The tastier and most portable foods will appeal most of all, especially dishes like Frankfurters, festival-goers can eat with one hand, leaving the other free to hold a drink at the same time.

“To adapt their food offering to appeal to festival-goers, operators must ensure that they provide the right blend of amazing flavours in the right format to deliver an experience that will encourage repeat sales.”

What can restaurants do to create a unique experience for customers at festivals, ensuring brand values and recognisable taste away from the table?

“For operators looking to cash in on sales opportunity at festivals, serving food that is inspirational and on trend and is a must, by offering a range of flavours and adding options for simple customisation, operators can appeal to the masses, whilst allowing customers to add that personal touch to their meal.

“Clear and visible point of sale is a must to attract customers, ensure your signs are visible from a distance and make your offer simple to read and understand with clean bold fonts and easy to understand prices and options. E.g. ‘Go large or add additional toppings for…..’ is a good way to encourage engagement and add value.

“Choosing frankfurters as a base ingredient allows caterers to scale their offer by adding gourmet topping variations, which allow operators to create a wide array of dishes with broad appeal.

“Westlers frankfurters are beechwood smoked for an authentic continental taste and are made from 90% pork, making them one of the meatiest frankfurters available, making them the perfect base for a gourmet frankfurter menu. Quick and easy to prepare, Westlers frankfurters offer the perfect solution to operators looking to capitalise on the demand for more gourmet fast-food options.

“For maximum appeal, we find working from a base of four to five recipes, taking inspiration from current trends in world food, is a great place to start. Recipes such as the Monte Cristo pork frankfurter with Swiss cheese, strawberry jam, gherkin and mustard, the Louisiana BBQ Pulled Pork frankfurter with onion, coleslaw, lettuce and red onion or the Mexican Pork frankfurter with chilli, jalapeno, sour cream, shows innovation and offers visual impact and culinary flair, which can help to drive sales. Allow customers to add a degree of personalisation, through additional toppings and sauces, this way you can add value and whilst tailoring the experience to their individual tastes.”

What are the main logistical issues operators should consider if they are setting up a festival stall/food van for the first time?

“Festival food must be able to be served very quickly, to facilitate this you need the right equipment and think about the logistics of the operation. Westlers can also offer support with cooking

equipment to help festival caterers prepare and present their frankfurters in the best possible way.

“In addition to this, to ensure a smooth and speedy operation, operators need to look at their menu and arrange their serving area accordingly. Creating stations for each ingredient such as bread, Frankfurter, salad, onions, sauce, jalapenos etc. is a good way of doing this. Having everything

categorised and within easy reach will help operators become more efficient, to ensure the hungry crowd is served in good time.”

 What are the main differences between serving food at festivals compared to restaurants?

“The main difference is pace and intensity, when dining out at a restaurant, diners have more time to breathe in the experience, make choices based on their individual tastes. Festival-goers don’t have this luxury, as they move from tent to tent, they demand quick tasty hits, little and often to keep them going. They still demand the highest quality and experience for their money spent and foods such as Westlers Frankfurters, along with a range of inspirational toppings can provide this and help make the experience more memorable, whilst not getting in the way of the fun.”