Today’s savvy consumers like the freedom that street food offers them and the variety of dishes that they can eat when and where they like – from vans, carts and pop-ups to entrepreneurial traders’ own branded restaurants.
This way of eating, which dates back to the old days of basic roadside grub to now when exciting food to go is emulating global street food, is being celebrated with more food markets and festivals being staged dedicated to street food. The annual British Street Food Awards founded by food critic and writer Richard Johnson has also raised awareness about the high quality and affordability of British street food, and has become a magnet for serious foodies worldwide.
Dave Edwards, head of out of home sales for wrap specialist Mission Foodservice, says that with consumers increasingly looking for more casual dining options, street food eating habits have infiltrated the dine-in market.
“However, outlets need to be aware that street vendors and street food-style outlets currently monopolise the handheld snack market,” he adds. “To remain competitive, foodservice operators need to ensure that what they are offering is authentic, good value for money and provides consumers with a convenient and entertaining way to eat.
“As the popularity for ethnic cuisine grows, 71% of consumers name ‘authentic taste’ as one of their top factors in choosing a restaurant that offers food from around the world. With dishes such as burritos becoming staple main courses, but also popping up on breakfast menus, the popularity of Mexican food in particular is still on the rise.”
Eimear Owens, country sales manager UK & Ireland at Santa Maria Foodservice believes it’s the variety and the storytelling behind their favourite cuisines that appeals to Brits. “Santa Maria’s Street Food report revealed that 80% like the adventurous flavours and spices and 68% said that street food has introduced them to new flavours,” she comments.
“Street food establishments are expected to continue to grow over the next three to five years, as consumers seek accessible, authentic food from around the globe. New cuisines are emerging with ‘ones to watch’ like Korean, Peruvian and Middle Eastern, while street food vendors featuring in pop-up venues are now setting up permanent sites.
“Our report shows that 64% are spending £5 or more on street food at lunchtime, yet 61% felt they spend less than normal when buying it. People aren’t necessarily seeing street food as a replacement for a sandwich, but as restaurant quality outside the restaurant. Operators should be taking note of this.”
According to Nestlé Professional’s head of food, Susan Gregory, the new generation of British street food is fresh, tasty, fun and easy to eat, and brands such as Warwick’s Buddha Belly and Devon’s The Cauldron are leading the way.
“These days, you’re just as likely to find dishes such as Bhel Puri, Ramen and Pho on Britain’s high streets as you are on street stalls in India, Japan and Vietnam,” she comments, adding that the whole industry is now following the street food trend.
This view is echoed by KFF managing director Chris Beckley, who adds that statistics show that street food is consumed by 2.5 billion people worldwide each day, 81% of it at lunchtime. “It’s a growing market that operators should tap into, even if they are not traditionally seen as outlets for this food style,” he comments.
“We’d suggest offering items from around the world, perhaps on special lunch menus, to tap into this sector. Dishes should change regularly and could perhaps be offered as takeaway items – could you provide burritos to go, for instance?
“Think about presentation too,” he adds. “Rather than on a plate, could you present a burrito on greaseproof paper printed with a design, or noodles in a carton featuring your logo? This is where suppliers can really help; don’t just see wholesalers as a supplier – see them as a partner brimming with ideas about how you can exploit the street food trend to your advantage.”
Terrence McMaw, marketing controller at Bidvest Foodservice, says the added benefit of street food is that it can be served from mobile units, which enable operators to take their products where the demand is without the expensive overheads involved in permanent premises. “This can make the experience all the more authentic,” he adds.
He says that Bidvest offers authentic ingredients for cooking from scratch, as well as branded concepts comprising the ingredients, cooking equipment, takeaway packaging and point of sale material. These include Lee Kum Kee’s Hot Wok Kitchen range, and an Asian and Chinese concept from King Asia that includes snacks like salt and pepper ribs and chicken in batter.
The distributor has also teamed with Santa Maria to offer ingredients for Mexican dishes such as 10” plain tortillas, fajita seasoning and squeezy bottles of guacamole and soured cream. “We also offer ingredients like gluten-free spicy shredded beef and refried beans, black beans and Mexican rice as part of our own brand range – all perfect for building spicy burritos,” adds McMaw.
“Hot dogs make another good street food option; trend-wise, we are seeing a preference for bold flavours – often with plenty of heat. Our concept includes condiments and gourmet toppings, plus recipes for pulled pork dogs and chilli dogs.”
Recently, Country Choice launched three food concepts in ‘serve-over’ and ‘grab and go’ formats to support the growing flavour profironto combines cooked pasta with a hot Italian sauce, Tuk Tuk is a fusion of rice or noodles and a hot Pan-Asian sauce, while Hudson’s is an American-style gourmet hot dog and burger concept featuring precooked hot dogs and burgers with Tex-Mex toppings in a brioche bun. Each concept is interchangeable by switching around the removable branding and POS. Packaging has also been designed so that it acts as a carrier for the food to make eating on the go easier.
“Each concept is available in a fully branded, mobile cart format that looks just like a stand that you would see at a typical street food market,” explains Neil Lindsell, concepts development manager – foodservice. “For the grab and go solution, we have adapted one of our units to hold the meal hot for a short period of time enabling consumers to help themselves.”