HERO STORY

The ‘inside scoop’ on whether using raw avocados really saves you money!

Avocado pulp is a popular and versatile ingredient – ideal for making guacamole to accompany nachos, tacos and other Mexican style meals, and equally useful in dips, salad dressings, sauces and even smoothies and yoghurts.

But if you’re making your own pulp from raw avocados because you think it’s a cheaper option than using readymade products like Edgell Chunky Avocado Pulp, think again. 

“Buying raw avocados to make your own pulp in the hope that it works out cheaper really is false economy,” points out Edgell’s Executive Chef David White.

Once you factor in the amount of usable product that your typical raw avocado yields, this becomes obvious. Raw avocados need to be peeled, pitted and trimmed – which reduces yield by about 30 per cent. After three days, moisture loss reduces yield by a further 10 per cent. 

Then there’s the time and labour cost involved – and the fact that some avocados will likely be too ripe or too damaged to use!

“Typically you’ll buy in raw avocados a tray at a time, and they won’t all be at the same level of ripeness,” David White explains. “Some may be spoiled, some may be overripe, reducing their use-by period – others may be underripe.

“The fact is that raw avocados are only at their sweet spot of usability for about four to five days. That means they need to be carefully sorted, with the unripe ones left to ripen while the ripe ones need to be used before they spoil. You also need to consider the fact you can’t just cut up raw avocados and leave them on the bench while you attend to other prep. Once cut open, the flesh begins to oxidise and turns an unappealing shade of brown.”

In other words, using raw avocados to make your pulp requires a lot of time and effort – and when you factor in the typical labour cost of $23 per hour, that’s a cost of $1.90 for every 500g of usable avocado pulp you produce.  

The above factors represent the true cost of using raw avocados – and are what you need to bear in mind to ensure an accurate cost comparison. Leaving aside the cost of labour and wastage from overripe or spoiled product, just the 40 per cent loss in yield alone equates to almost a doubling of the per-kilogram price of raw avocados. And even that basic price is not consistent – because like all fresh fruit products, raw avocados are subject to year-round pricing fluctuations due to seasonal supply issues.

The better and cheaper alternative is to use quality Edgell Chunky Avocado Pulp. It comes pre-pulped and ready to use so there’s no prep time or labour cost – just open the pack and serve! The yield is 100 per cent, there’s no wastage, and unlike using raw avocados, pricing is consistent all year round.

Edgell Chunky Avocado Pulp consists of 100 per cent hand-picked Hass avocados, picked at their peak and naturally made using cold pasteurisation technology to ensure food safety. It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, preservative free and suitable for vegans, and has a frozen shelf life of 18 months. The flavour and quality is locked in – just defrost and it’s ready to use! So ask yourself: does using raw avocados really save you money?

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The Bottom Line | The Future of Kitchens, John Walther Thomas

Setting up a kitchen in a foodservice business is an expensive and complicated process. We speak with John Walther Thomas from Sangster designs about what to think about, the pitfalls and background knowledge behind deciding what works best for your foodservice business.

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Staff retention – keeping your team on board and engaged during uncertain times

Now more than ever, keeping staff engaged and motivated is key to the success of your foodservice operation. As the name suggests, you’re not just selling food, but the service aspect too – and this applies whether customers are dining out or ordering in. Your employees are seeking not just a meal but an enjoyable and memorable occasion.

It’s also the case that staff turnover has long been an issue for the foodservice sector, and every time you have to hire and train new staff, it costs you time and money. Far better to go the extra mile and retain the good staff you already have – and there are some simple strategies you can put in place to make that happen:

• Encourage a culture of employee recognition by acknowledging and rewarding workers for their good performance, especially when they go the extra mile in terms of service and customer satisfaction. This doesn’t necessarily mean a pay bonus – it can be as simple as instituting an ‘employee of the month’ scheme, or just providing praise and public recognition in front of other staff members.

• Ask staff for their input in creating new menu items or solving problems. Everyone likes to feel their contribution matters, so make sure you seek the input of staff when there’s a problem to be solved or even when you’re considering adding new items to the menu. Chefs in particular can be a valuable source of business-related advice – they often know a whole lot about the ins and outs of running the operation, not just the cooking!

• Lead by example and create an equitable work environment. Treat your staff as you would like them to treat you. Just saying hello and farewelling everyone at the end of their shift can make a big difference to people. You can generate a sense of camaraderie by making sure no one gets special treatment – the same rules apply to all.

• Provide support when needed. This can be a shoulder to lean on or a sympathetic ear – especially important during times as uncertain as those of the past 18 months. Despite people’s best efforts, personal problems do occasionally affect everyone’s work, and you can help by being understanding and flexible. Remember that if you want your staff to go the extra mile for you, you need to show you’re willing to do the same for them when needed. So bear in mind your duty of care to your employees and always be ready to ask “are you OK?”

• Give staff a chance to have some fun. Foodservice staff typically spend more time together than they do at home with their families, so it’s important not to make it all work all the time. Give your employees the opportunity to ‘let their hair down’ occasionally – not during service time, but outside of regular work hours, such as informal get-togethers or team-building catch-ups. This presents further opportunities for bonding and reinforces that sense of ‘we’re all in this together’ which encourages everyone to watch each other’s backs!

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MANAGEMENT

The effective way to deal with negative online reviews

Occasional negative online reviews of your foodservice business are a fact of life these days, but it’s not always easy to know the best way to respond. 

It can be tempting simply to delete bad reviews when you have the ability to do so – such as when they’ve been posted to your business’ Facebook page. But that can leave others who may be watching with the impression that you’d rather cover up complaints than engage with disgruntled customers and try to alleviate their concerns.

A better response is to reach out to the customer and try to establish whether their negative review is justified. Your first step should be to determine whether this is in fact a genuine review by a genuine customer and not a fake review posted maliciously in the hope it will damage your business. So begin by responding to the review in a polite and open manner and asking the customer to confirm where and when they purchased food from your business and try to establish who served them and the reason for their negative comments.

A fake reviewer will usually not respond at this point, but if the complainant is a genuine customer, they’re likely to appreciate the fact that you’ve shown you’re trying to resolve their issue, and will reply with the requested information.

As soon as possible, try to take the discussion offline, rather than continue in a public forum where others can follow the comments. You can do this by providing the customer with an email address or inviting them to phone you to talk the matter through.

If the problem is a simple one, like waiting too long to be seated or served, often all that’s needed is an apologetic explanation, such as that you were short-staffed that night. Complaints related to Covid-related seating or service restrictions can be explained by referring to the relevant regulations that you’re obliged to adhere to and directing the customer to a website or other reference which outlines these.

But the negative review relates to being given the wrong food or a staff member giving inadequate service, you’ll need to find out whether the complaint is justified. In these cases, get as much contextual information as you can and then identify and speak to the staff member concerned.

Remember that there are often two sides to every story and that you need to consider both the customer’s and the staff member’s perspective before deciding whether the negative comments are justified.

If that’s the case, and the customer isn’t simply being unreasonable, then the best solution is to let them know that you’ve spoken with the staffer in question and taken appropriate action. You can then suggest a free meal to make up for the bad experience – this gives you the chance to win the customer over with better service and food the next time around, and change their attitude from one of criticism to appreciation for your willingness to get to the bottom of their problem. You might even turn a fierce critic into a loyal customer!

And always bear in mind that when dealing with negative reviews, how quickly you respond, the politeness of your response, and maintaining a non-judgemental attitude can all play an important role in resolving the issue.