Offering diners’ favorite comfort foods even in uncertain circumstances

In college and university cafeterias, comfort food is a staple offering. Comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie and lasagna offer diners of all ages a familiar meal they can rely on for lunch or dinner, and for operators, they represent a sure win on menus. After all, who doesn’t love these classic favorites? But with the current pandemic forcing most college cafeterias to close, operators may be wondering how they can still serve the campus. For residents still on campus or nearby, serving comforting food is still welcome and appreciated. Of course, with onsite dining all but shut down, operators need to explore different avenues for delivering the comfort foods people love, such as offering grab-and-go options as well as takeout and delivery.

Stouffer’s^® White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, Tuscan-Style Vegetable Lasagna and Chicken Pot Pie are the perfect solutions for ensuring operators can offer comfort foods that don’t need to be eaten on-site.

Versatile and perfect for grab-and-go, takeout and delivery

Whether diners are planning to grab something to eat on the go or place an order for delivery or takeout, easy-prep entrees and sides from Stouffer’s^® fit the bill. Macaroni and cheese is a great side to many entrees, but it can also be served as an entree on its own—and can even be customized if students or other campus diners want to add in tasty toppings such as sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled bacon, broccoli or jalapeno, just to name a few.

What’s more, options such as Stouffer’s^® Chicken Pot Pie can be offered as preportioned slices or as a whole pie—and if consumers place an order for a whole pie, operators can also offer the option of letting consumers heat it up on their own, saving even more labor. By stocking ready-to-heat options, operators can feel confident in knowing they always have quick and tasty options ready to serve both on-site and off.

 Planning for the future

Prepared options from Stouffer’s^®, including macaroni and cheese, lasagna, pot pie and more, are all easy-prep options that are frozen and ready to heat, meaning operators don’t have to worry about perishables with a short shelf life in the refrigerator, nor spending hours on the labor needed to prepare those foods from scratch. This is beneficial now more than ever, when traffic is significantly less than normal.

However, this isn’t the state that foodservice will always be in, so it can be helpful for operators to use this time to plan for what’s to come.

Stouffer’s^® prepared foods offer a five-day shelf life in the refrigerator once they’re baked, meaning operators can prep in advance for an upcoming events or days when traffic is expected to be higher, such as family days on campus or during other special events.

By using ready-to-heat options from Stouffer’s^®, operators can ensure comfort food options are always available and that off-site dining orders can be fulfilled quickly and easily—without sacrificing quality or taste.

Find out more about Stouffer’s^® convenient, ready-to-heat options at nestleprofessional.us/stouffers.