Restaurants love the holiday season as much as musicians love the Grand Ole Opry. But the pandemic has prompted a Nashville-area restaurant group to sing a new tune, adding family packs and buffet boxes as meal kit options.
Like many operators, the owner of six Puckettās Grocery & Restaurant locations needed to get smarter this year about to-go sales. Even as some of the A. Marshall Hospitality groupās restaurants were able to operate at full capacity, others faced capacity limits and customers who were reluctant to dine indoors.
So they created the Puckettās Family Pack to build a market for their famous smoked meatsāpulled pork, brisket, chicken, meatloaf and even burgers. Each kit feeds four to six people and contains two pounds of meat, two quart sides and a choice of bread. Itās packaged in a branded box that can be ordered ahead for pickup. The meat and side options offer customization that never grows old, and people are able to select add-ons like the daily cobbler or iced tea.
āItās something we started when we were closed to the public in April, but we still offer it and plan to through the holidays,ā says Director of Marketing Sally Flinck.
Adding a twist to the meal kit concept, Puckettās partnered with Vanderbilt University and the Nashville Predators NHL hockey team in the fall to create logo boxes they market to customers for sports watch parties. Itās an option operators anywhere could consider for local colleges or favorite sports teams.
Counting on catering
With holidays fast approaching, the A. Marshall group hopes to keep sales humming along, expanding on its meal kit idea with catering buffet boxes at some locations. Itās a build-your-own buffet designed for pickup. Customers can make it a family meal, or it can feed a small office celebration.
āWeāre not seeing or expecting huge parties inside our restaurants, so weāve had to change things and bring food to them and serve them where theyāre most comfortable,ā Flinck says. āThe buffet boxes provide a do-it-yourself experience.ā
For example, Deaconās, the restaurant groupās New South culinary concept in downtown Nashville, offers a grill-at-home steak box. Raw aged steaks are vacuum sealed and accompanied by the butter and seasoning used in the restaurant.
āItās something we did during Motherās Day and Fatherās Day and weāre continuing for the holidays,ā Flinck says.
The restaurant also plans to promote its popular fried chicken during the holidays. āItās kind of like an upscale bucket of chicken that can feed a whole family.ā
Thinking outside the meal kit box
Deaconās also has created an āAdult Snack Packā that riffs on its charcuterie board. It comes in a box with meats, cheeses, olives, almonds, sourdough bread and a bottle of wine.
āItās a great thing to grab for a holiday party or to give yourself something special during the holiday season.ā
In addition to the meal kits and boxes, the restaurants have expanded on their merchandise offerings with a Christmas gift pack. It includes bottles of Puckettās signature barbecue sauce and spice containers, all wrapped in festive cellophane so customers can grab it at the store or order online.
Managing other holiday staples
Inside the restaurants, holiday limited-time offers will focus on using ingredients already on hand to reduce extra inventory, Flinck notes. Ordering special ingredients for a short amount of time and ending up with unused products is a risk when guest count is unpredictable. āKeeping inventory under control has been a priority all year.ā
Another holiday feature will be gift cards. The restaurants conduct a buy $50, get $10 sale every year, with incremental increases for larger purchases. Thereās no added attention being given to gift card sales this year, but Flinck points out that itās a big boost to the seasonās revenue and a great way for people to remain socially distant, buy presents and help the restaurant business.
āAll of our restaurants are full-service, and we take great pride in hospitality and serving food like youād get at mamaās house when you go home,ā she says. āEven though itās different this year, the holidays are still a big deal and weāre doing our best to help people celebrate safely.ā