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Weekly UpdatesMushrooms are indeed mushrooming in their mentions on restaurant menus. According to information from Food Beat 2008, a market research firm based in Wheaton, IL, as supplied by the San lose, Ca-based Mushroom Council, 77 percent of the Top 200 restaurant chains now have mushrooms on their menus. Bart Minor, Mushroom Council president says, "These references highlight mushroom's versatility and cross every foodservice segment from Italian to Mexican and from every part of the menu from burgers and pizzas to entrees and salads."
This trend looks like it is here to stay. Specialty mushrooms were ranked among the Top 10 hottest produce items by 1,600 American Culinary Federation-member chefs from across the nation in the Washington, DC-based National Restaurant Association's 2008 "What's Hot, What's Not" survey.
What's driving this trend? Flavor is one factor. Fred Recchiuti, general manager for Basciani Mushroom Farms, headquartered in Avondale, PA, points out, "Mushrooms have umami, what we call the 'fifth' taste after salty, sweet sour and bitter. Umami is most often described as a savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation. Other foods such as aged cheese and meat also have umami. That's what makes a Mushroom Cheddar Cheese Burger so popular; it combines three foods with umami tastes."
Another factor is cost. Recchiuti adds, "We're seeing operators use more mushrooms and less meat. In other words, they're reducing or replacing the protein in a dish with mushrooms. Mushrooms provide great plate cover and presentation while lowering food costs, and that's vitally important to foodservice operators today."
What's Hot
According to Mike Reed, director of sales for the western region for Monterey Mushrooms Inc., in Watsonville, CA, the mainstay in foodservice applications "is the White button mushroom. It's definitely the most popular and highest volume-seller."
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Kevin Donovan, national sales manager for Phillips Mushrooms Farms LP, headquartered in Kennett Square, PA, adds, "Some foodservice operators are looking for something new and different, as well as for value. As a result, they are switching to Brown mushrooms like Cremini and Portabella."
More chefs are looking for flavor enhancement "like they get from Shiitake and other specialty mushrooms," believes Bill Litvin, national account manager for Giorgio Foods Inc., based in Temple, PA. "We might see more widespread use of Shiitake mushrooms in the future, due to its great meaty flavor with firm texture. It's a great tasting item that is not yet widely used."
According to the Mushroom Council, Shiitake mushrooms are now appearing in casual dining chains such as California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and are especially popular in menu items with an Asian twist. For example, the main ingredients in the CPK's Singapore Shrimp Rolls are shrimp, rice noodles and Shiitake mushrooms.
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Shiitakes are found on fine-dining menus, too. For example, chef Gary Donlick at Pano's & Paul's in Atlanta, GA, offers customers a Warm Baby Spinach and Watercress Salad with Smoked Bacon and Candied Shiitake Mushrooms. In Seattle, WA, chef Tom Douglas at Etta's Seafood, tops freshly grilled Aleutian King Salmon with a fragrant Shiitake Relish.
Chef Dewey LoSasso, of North One 10 in Miami, FL, as quoted by the Mushroom Council, says, "Shiitake and Portabella mushrooms can work with fish, meat or for vegan inspirations. They have the perfect texture, whether grilled on the BBQ, pan-seared with olive oil or topped on a salad."
The popularity of televised cooking shows has also sparked a significant interest in wild mushrooms, such as Porcinis, Chanterelles and Morels, expresses Reed. "However, this segment is very small, less than one-tenth of one percent of total foodservice mushroom sales."
Labor-Saving Value-Added In Demand
According to the Mushroom Council, restaurant chains are increasingly turning to pre-cut and de-stemmed mushrooms. Monterey Mushrooms' Reed discloses, "Back room labor is now being pushed to the supplier. The benefit of doing this for the operator is transferring the risk of employees cutting themselves with a knife or cross-contaminating the mushrooms with a knife they used to cut chicken to the company supplying mushrooms. Consistency and cost are other benefits.
Giorgio's Litvin agrees, adding, "It's still more cost effective for customers if we slice the mushrooms on our equipment than if they slice the mushrooms by hand. We can also offer specific sizing to meet precise needs, such as to use for stuffing or kabobs."
In foodservice, there's a trend toward wedge-cut, rather than sliced mushrooms. For example, The Olive Garden, an Orlando, FL-based chain, uses wedge-shaped mushrooms in its Chicken Marsala.
Reed explains the preference, "Wedge-cut mushrooms satisfy operators' need to differentiate themselves with a unique shape. Also, they don't tend to shrivel up and disappear in a dish like sliced mushrooms might, and they offer a fresh, homemade appearance, which diners appreciate."
There's a convenience factor, too, reveals Basciani's Recchiuti. "Diners find that sauteed button mushrooms served whole tend to slide around under their fork and often end up on their laps, or on the floor. This slipping doesn't happen as much with a "wedge-cut."
De-stemmed mushrooms are also in demand. Recchiuti adds, "Some chains want their mushrooms de-stemmed if they're going to use them to make stuffed mushroom caps. Not only does this reduce labor costs in the kitchen, there's a lot more usable portion in a 10-pound box--some 30 percent more--and this helps with transportation costs."
Delicious Creativity
Mushrooms have traditionally appeared in salad bars, side dishes and in the case of specialty mushrooms, in sauces. Television chefs have helped promote mushrooms tremendously, reports Giorgio's Litvin. "from Emeril to Rachael Ray, they all have touted the benefits of using fresh mushrooms in a variety of dishes.
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The Mushroom Council's Minor reveals, "Operators from all segments like to use mushrooms prominently as a signal of value, freshness and a premium product to the consumer. In a rough economy, that's more important than ever."
In the quick service restaurant arena, for example, Miami, FL-based Burger King, offered a Mushroom & Swiss Steakhouse Burger promotion nationwide this past November. Prior to this, Carl's Jr., headquartered in Carpinteria, CA, offered limited-time promotions on its Portabella Mushroom Six-Dollar Burger. The burger featured Portabella mushrooms sliced and sauteed in a sauce and served atop a charbroiled Angus beef patty.
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Pizza remains an important segment for mushrooms, as well. In fact, mushrooms are the most popular vegetable topping, third behind pepperoni and sausage, and 18 percent of all pizzas served in foodservice have mushrooms, according to MenuMine 2009, published by the Foodservice Research Service, Oak Park, IL.
In casual dining, Applebee's, based in Lenexa, KS, offers menu items such as a Grilled Chile-Lime Chicken Salad, which features fresh-sliced mushrooms as an ingredient. Applebee's also ran a "Make Room for 'Shrooms' server promotion last November in 378 of its franchised locations nationwide. Servers that sold the most mushrooms won American Express gift cards, which were provided by the Mushroom Council. In addition to the server incentive contest, some restaurants featured tabletop cards funded by Kraft Foods to further promote mushrooms as a steak topper. The Mushroom Council also supported this promotion by providing a tip sheet for servers to help them sell more mushrooms. Results of the 128 restaurants in Applebee's: Apple American Group LLC indicated there was an 80.5 percent increase in mushroom dishes ordered.
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Diann Banaszek, marketing partner for Apple American, says, "Versus control, we far exceeded our sales expectations of mushrooms toppers, add-ons and items. Additionally, our servers have been educated on the benefits of mushrooms and are continuing to suggestively sell them."
P.F. Chang's China Bistro, based in Scottsdale, AZ, features mushrooms in nine of its dishes. These include an Asian Marinated NY Strip with a side of mushrooms and asparagus and Wok-Charred Beef with marinated mushrooms and roasted sweet peppers. Robin Stotter, research and development chef at P.F. Chang's was quoted in the Mushroom Council's Third Quarter 2008 publication, The Savory Connection, as saying, "Mushrooms are a subtle vehicle that carry any flavor. When I'm developing an item, I know that adding mushrooms will improve the quality and flavor of the food."
On the fine dining or white tablecloth side, David Burke & Donatella, in New York, NY, serves Cavatelli with Braised Short Ribs, Truffle Mousse and Wild Mushrooms. Minor declares, "White table cloth restaurants are using a lot of mushrooms and multiple varieties as well."
According to information supplied by the Mushroom Council, a module of the 100 most high-profile independent trendsetters in Food Beat's 2008 database showed that mushrooms were on all 100 of these restaurants' menus.
Plentiful Opportunities
The increasing diversity of U.S. consumers makes marketing to all segments key to the continued use and growth of mushrooms in food-service. Certain ethnicities, such as Asian and Italians, are traditionally big consumers of mushrooms, reveals Giorgio's Litvin. "Others--Hispanic, Mediterranean and Cajun/Creole -offer huge opportunities."
Harvey Mitchler, sales and marketing manager for Champ's Mushrooms Inc., in Abbotsford, BC agrees and adds, "The biggest single demographic that hasn't really embraced mushrooms is Hispanics. However, there are many Hispanic dishes that take nicely to mushrooms, such as quesadillas and fajitas. It just takes education," At Hugo's in Houston, TX, chef Hugo Ortega makes his Mushroom Tamales with button and Shiitake mushrooms.
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