3-minute read ---

As restaurants adapt to evolving consumer demands, offering versatile and portable meal options has become, for many businesses, a key to driving sales. One popular menu addition is turning popular dishes into customizable "food bowl" or "bowl" versions. These compact, easy-to-carry meals appeal to busy customers looking for convenience and simplicity, while providing restaurants with an opportunity to expand their menu and delivery offerings with minimal effort.

Why Food Bowls Are a Win-Win
Food bowls are a popular choice for their versatility and practicality. They:
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1. Simplify Meal Prep: Food bowls often combine various elements of a dish into one container, streamlining preparation and reducing the need for multiple packaging materials.
2. Offer Portability: Perfect for takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery, food bowls make meals easy to transport without sacrificing quality.
3. Cater to Trends: From poke to burrito bowls, customers increasingly prefer meals that offer a balanced blend of flavors and textures in a single dish.
4. Enhance Customization: With the right ingredients, food bowls allow diners to mix and match components, boosting customer satisfaction.

How to Turn Your Signature Dishes Into Food Bowls
Transforming your menu items into food bowl-friendly versions is easier than you might think. Here’s how:

1. Deconstruct and Reimagine
Take your signature dishes and separate the main components. For example:

• Tacos can be reimagined into a “Taco Bowl” with rice or lettuce as a base, topped with seasoned meat, beans, salsa, cheese, and guacamole.
• A hearty beef stew can be simplified into a “Beef and Veggie Bowl” with chunks of tender beef, roasted vegetables, and mashed potatoes.
• A chicken parmesan plate can become a “Chicken Parm Bowl” with layers of pasta, marinara, breaded chicken, and a sprinkling of cheese.

2. Focus on Portability
Ensure that the ingredients are suitable for takeout by choosing elements that hold up well during transport. For instance, opt for rice or quinoa bases over delicate greens for longer-lasting freshness.

3. Offer Customization Options
Allow customers to choose their food bowl bases, proteins, and toppings. A “Build-Your-Own Bowl” section can increase customer engagement and satisfaction.

4. Highlight Nutritional Value
Food bowls provide an excellent way to cater to health-conscious diners. Showcase fresh, high-quality ingredients and consider including calorie or protein counts for an added appeal.

5. Upsell Add-Ons
Encourage diners to enhance their food bowls with extras like avocado, premium proteins, or specialty sauces.

Suggested Food Bowl Ideas and Variations
Here are some bowl concepts to inspire your menu:

• Breakfast Food Bowls: Combine scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, roasted potatoes, and cheese. Offer avocado or salsa for a fresh touch.
• Asian Fusion Bowls: Include teriyaki chicken, sushi rice, edamame, and shredded carrots with a drizzle of soy or sesame sauce.
• Mediterranean Food Bowls: Mix grilled chicken, hummus, tabbouleh, and tzatziki over a bed of couscous or quinoa.
• Vegetarian Food Bowls: Create a hearty option with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, kale, and tahini dressing.
• Seafood Bowls: Offer a “Shrimp Scampi Bowl” with linguine, garlic butter sauce, and cherry tomatoes.

Easily Add and Manage Food Bowl Creations with Aldelo Express
The Aldelo Express Matrix Module simplifies the process of creating and managing bowl-style menu items, offering an intuitive solution for restaurants looking to capitalize on the food bowl trend. With the Matrix Module, operators can easily configure a base item, such as rice or greens, and pair it with multiple protein, topping, and sauce options through a user-friendly interface. Each combination is seamlessly integrated into the POS system, enabling staff to quickly build customized food bowls with just a few taps.

The module also supports advanced modifiers, inventory countdowns, and real-time syncing with back-office systems, ensuring accurate orders and streamlined workflows. By using the Aldelo Express Matrix Module, restaurants can efficiently expand their menu with food bowl options while improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Promote Your Food Bowl Creations
Once you’ve added food bowls to your menu, spread the word through in-store signage, digital menus, Promo Card promotions (smart digital offers), and Loyalty Rewards campaigns. Highlight their convenience, flavor, and customizability in your promotions to attract both new and repeat customers.

By turning your popular dishes into bowls, you create a portable, customizable option that aligns with modern dining trends. These versatile meals not only enhance takeout and delivery options but also open up opportunities for increased revenue and customer satisfaction.

Learn more by contacting an Aldelo representative today at [email protected] or 925-621-2410

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Please contact an Aldelo representative today for more details, 
including a free Aldelo Express POS demo trial

[email protected] | 877-639-8767 | [email protected]

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