Shared plates are taking centre stage on many menu offerings, especially for group gatherings and special events. Whether it’s side dishes to complement bar offerings, or customers looking to experience the widest array of innovative items in a single visit, sharing plates are good for business and a restaurant’s bottom line.
According to Datassentials, 14 per cent of operators have noticed more sharing in the past year. In addition, Circana reports that p.m. snack/happy hour — the ideal venue for sharing — is the fastest-growing restaurant daypart in Canada.
According to chef Kyla Tuori, corporate chef at UFS Canada, inflation and a desire for variety on the part of consumers are playing a key role in the sharing-economy phenomenon. “Sharing dishes is a great way to enhance the experience of connecting and socializing over a meal. International influences are also making this way of eating more common in Canada. Tapas in Spain and mezze in Middle-Eastern dining, for example, are two of the fastest-growing global cuisines on Canadian menus according to Technomic.”
There is an art to creating a flavourful, appealing and immersive sharing menu, she adds. “Dishes need to be composed in a way that they can be easily consumed, and replated, like satays, tacos, or croquettes. There are also quick and popular shared classics, such as mezze and antipasti.”
Another option might be replacing popular items from current menus and introducing high-quality and unique house-made sauces, such as aiolis and drizzles, using high-quality ingredients, starting with Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise.
