Make the SKU work for you SMARTER MENUS, INTELLIGENT INGREDIENT USAGE AND LEANER STOCK ROOMS LEAD TO STRONGER MARGINS. While there are encouraging signs that inflation is stabilising, margin pressure is still top of mind for hospitality professionals. With labour tight and food costs still volatile, few of us can afford to carry passengers on the menu – every SKU needs at least one job, preferably more. In 2026, cross-utilisation has become as much of a strategic lever as a waste- reduction tactic. It simplifies the kitchen, protects your gross profit and helps build a flexible menu without the need for overstocking on too many items. Cross-utilisation doesn’t dilute creativity – it sharpens it. A tightly-built menu encourages stronger flavour direction and better execution. Keeping it simple Cross-utilisation isn’t about restriction – it’s about intention. Every additional SKU carries a cost. From ordering to prep time, wastage risk and cognitive load for service, having an unnecessary SKU can be a silent margin killer for your business. And if just one extra SKU carries that big a load, think about the impact when you have several, or even dozens, of them. The main culprits are single-use ingredients. That dressing you only use on one salad; the luxury garnish that only comes out of the fridge a couple of times a week; a protein that lacks versatility. Reducing your SKU count by just 10 per cent can reduce waste, improve yield and lift your margins without the need for price adjustments. Smarter SKUs A hardworking SKU is one that appears in a number of formats, across multiple dayparts, and delivers consistency, simply and effectively. It’s operational discipline – and ultimately, competitive advantage. The biggest wins Proteins Aim to utilise cuts with higher yield and greater versatility, that are more forgiving in prep, and more adaptable on a menu. Replace chicken breasts with thighs, pork loin with shoulder, sirloin steak with flat iron. Sauces & bases A well-built mother sauce can underpin multiple dishes without reading repetitively. The same base can hold multiple identities, in glazes, purées and dressings, and winter pies and casseroles. Seasonal vegetables Designing your menu around adaptable seasonable vegetables gives you the ability to evolve without reinventing. A butternut pumpkin, for example, becomes a soup, pasta filling or sauce, warm salad ingredient, purée, hummus, curry sauce, or bread topping – all from one ingredient. PAGE 16 | BIDFOOD – ON THE MENU
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