Just last week, H&C News visited the Nestlé Professional offices to learn about new consumer research conducted by its leading gravy brand Maggi which reveals that 93% of consumers prefer to pour gravy themselves, and that 83% said they would be more likely to return to a pub if they were allowed to pour their own gravy.
In an era when it often seems that most menus prefer to talk about ‘jus’, it’s reassuring to learn that consumers remain very firmly wedded to their gravy – as was demonstrated in practical terms during the visit, when the assembled journalists tried out their cooking skills, adding – of course – lots of Maggi gravy as the finishing touch to complete their ‘roast’.
Good gravy plus a gravy boat
The new research further discloses that almost all the 2,000 UK adults interviewed said good gravy was crucial to a roast dinner (96%), and that 94% of consumers would like to be given a gravy boat for their table when eating a roast dinner at a pub or restaurant.
Susan Gregory, head of food at Nestlé Professional, said: “Our new research reveals that the British public are passionate about gravy and want – almost unanimously – to see pubs and restaurants put gravy boats back on the table.
“It’s great to hear how strongly they feel about this truly British tradition, and underlines how important generous portions of good quality gravy is to meals, especially roast dinners.”
Free POS kit for pubs – act now!
Following the strong results, Maggi has launched a campaign to bring back the gravy boat, which includes free POS kits for pubs*, to help them make the most of the opportunity and to ensure that customers visit again and again.
The high-value kit, worth more than £100, will include gravy boats, table-talkers and staff badges – to help staff interact with pub customers – as well as some kitchen equipment and a complementary 2kg tub of Maggi Original Gravy mix, which can make 26 litres of gravy.
Value for money and generosity drive repeat visits
Gregory continued: “Industry research** shows that value for money and generosity go hand in hand, and that if a venue can demonstrate generosity to a customer, then that customer is more likely to score their experience highly in terms of value-for-money, which is a key driver of repeat visits.
“This is not just about price and portion size – it’s about venues signalling generosity in a number of ways, such as allowing customers to serve themselves at their table. This, combined with the Maggi research showing that diners really want to pour their own gravy, means our gravy boat campaign is a great opportunity for pubs and restaurants.
15p per gravy boat portion
“Maggi is investing in pubs, developing a high-value kit to help them offer generous gravy portions, and driving repeat visits, and as the cost of the gravy is less than 15p*** per gravy boat portion, we feel this to be of great value to the pub, as well as the customer.”
The free POS kit will also include recipe cards to help chefs make the most of their meals, as well as key kitchen equipment, including ladles and whisks. There are also 100 2kg tubs of Maggi Original Gravy Mix as runner-up prizes.
Gravy is crucial
Further results of the consumer research, which was a nationally-representative survey of 2,000 consumers conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Maggi, include:
- People have gravy 5.5 x per month
- With a roast, more than 20% like their food ‘drowning’ in gravy ……while half like their food ‘just’ covered
- 94% of women, 90% of men want to pour their own gravy
- Men were more likely than women to have a roast in a pub (1.26 times per month vs 1.07)
- West Midlanders topped charts for in-pub roast meals (1.47 times per month)
- 97% of women think that gravy is crucial to a roast dinner (vs 94% of men). More than 98% of over 55 year olds said gravy is crucial to a roast dinner, compared to 94% of 25-34 year olds
*Kits will be allocated on a first come, first served basis while stocks last
**CGA Peach consumer research from 2013, which correlated the strong relationship between 1) pub and restaurant brands that consumers scored highly for Value For Money, and 2) pub and restaurant brands that consumers scored highly for ‘generosity’
***Based on a £8.99 tub of Maggi Original Gravy mix, which makes 26 litres, served in 400ml gravy boats
About MAGGI® and Nestlé Professional®
Brought to you by Nestlé Professional®, MAGGI®’s range of culinary aids bring out the best in fresh and natural ingredients helping to put more flavour in every dish. The MAGGI® range, which includes stocks, sauces, soups, offers a quick and easy way to create more varied and delicious menus in minutes.
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