Profitability of Pasta

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Now that dining areas have reopened, pasta will be considered more often as an option for a customized, individual entrée. Pasta dishes are a win in terms of both labor and ingredients cost, even when made from scratch. Not everyone offers fresh pasta, so be sure to advertise this and charge a premium for it. If you are not serving pasta dishes, you should strongly consider it, especially if you have a heavy dine-in dinner crowd.

Reasons to offer pasta dishes at your restaurant:

Sell More Items

Pizza is often shared, pasta is not. Here in the U.S, we typically order a large pie that costs around 15 to 20 dollars and share among at least 3 people. When we order pasta we usually get one dish per person, whereas one pasta dish alone costs around 15 to 20 dollars. As you can see, you can make up to 3 times as much on sales on a party of 3.

Relatively Low Cost of Goods

Low cost of goods equals high-profit potential. The pasta itself is fairly inexpensive. If you use portion control methods along with the right training, pasta can be very profitable.

Cross-Utilizing Ingredients

Get creative and use ingredients in pasta dishes you already have in inventory such as using the broccoli for your pizza topping in a creamy fettuccine dish. You should consider using the same type of pasta for multiple dishes, for example, ziti and penne pasta. If fresh, use your lasagna sheets for other pastas like manicotti. Make your marinara sauce in-house? Find ways to use the sauce in a variety of dishes. Take advantage of the ease and low labor of alfredo sauce dishes. You most likely already have the ingredients on hand needed; parmesan cheese, heavy whipping cream and butter.

Customization Option

Customization is a trend in food service that has been used across various segments in the industry, from casual to fine dining. The option to add ingredients into pasta entrees for an additional charge is used by many restaurants as a profitability method. Consider letting them choose from add-ons such as shrimp, chicken, meatballs or sausage.

Lastly, be mindful of the number of pasta dishes you offer. It ends up being more profitable if you cut back the number of pasta dishes to the ones you sell the most of. This will make it easier for the customer to make a decision as well.

So, before you focus only on pizza, consider how promoting pasta as well could boost your sales.

Ask your sales associate about our Marino line of pasta products and other authentic Italian pasta brands we offer.