The most significant decreases we saw during October were for lettuce (down 37%), and tomatoes (down 29%). Lower prices were also recorded for ham (down 9%), and sausages (down 7%). Soft drinks have decreased by 2%, cheese is down 4%, and sauces are down 3%.

Significant price increases were seen from lamb (up 9%), and potatoes (up 8%). Bananas have also increased in price and are now up 6%, and apples are 8% more expensive than last month.

Fruit and vegetable prices have fallen by 9% this year. Lower prices were recorded for tomatoes (down 29%), lettuce (down 35%), broccoli (down by 40%), and avocados down 52%.

Since the beginning of the year coffee has increased by 19%, bread by 6%, ice cream by 7%. Also restaurant meals have increased by 7%. How much have yours changed?

It also reports that Bart Littlejohn, who has owned Sails Restaurant in Auckland’s Westhaven Marina for 20 years has been forced to freeze the prices of most of his main course meals at $39.90.

I believe this shows that costing recipes and knowing the true margin of every item on your menu any day of the week is more important than ever.

The article suggests that diners are considering a lot more when choosing where to dine these days. Things such as bill-splitting and public holiday surcharges are increasingly driving dining choices.

Bart says he’s been approached by six different deal websites which he declined. This would suggest that more and more diners are using these websites and choosing where to dine based on discounts. I’m certainly not a believer in discounted food as this leads you to question the quality, but maybe we have to adapt in these changing times. What are the areas we can save some money and pass these savings on to diners? Increased party sizes, booking ahead or at quiet times/ nights… Do we need the deal websites if we are using social networking sites as we should be? Let me know your thoughts.

• Supreme Award for Excellence: Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
• Personality of the Year: Ron Taylor, Little Rock Bar & Nightclub, Nelson
• Best New/Redeveloped Bar/Restaurant: The Riverhead, Auckland
• Best New/Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel: Amora Hotel, Wellington
• Best Bar: Suite, Auckland
• Best Restaurant: Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
• Best Accommodation Hotel:Fiordland Lodge, Te Anau
• Excellence in Customer Services: Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland
• Excellence in Gaming: The Zookeepers Son, Auckland
• Excellence in Marketing: Rydges, Wellington
• Best Country Hotel: Karamea Village Hotel, Karamea
• Excellence in Training & Staff Development: Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland
• Best Sports Bar: Four Kings, Wellington
• Best Music Entertainment Venue: Sale St Brewery Co, Auckland
• Excellence in Host Responsibility: Little Rock Bar and Nightclub, Nelson
• Best Beef: Cafe Izone, Rolleston
• Best Lamb: Mount Bistro, Mt Maunganui

Luckily we have had some reprise on the prices for tomatoes, lettuces, and bananas, meaning that overall fruit and vegetables dropped in price by 6% from last month. Good growing conditions in Central America meant that we had a temporary increase in banana imports, and prices were the cheapest they have been since August 2006.  In the last 12 months however lettuce prices have risen by 44% and tomatoes are up 39%.

The price of cheese has fallen by 5% since last month, and yoghurt has had a decrease of 6%.  Coffee has also decreased by 7.5%.

Fresh chicken prices have fallen by 4% over the last month, however sirloin beef steak rose by 5%.

The most significant increases came from broccoli (up 67%), tomatoes (up 34%), lettuces (up 21%), capsicum (up 29%), and cucumber (up 21%). Tomato prices averaged at 13.25/ kg in July.

While we expect vegetable prices to rise during the winter months, prices for tomatoes and capsicum were largely influenced by lower than usual imports from Australia following the Queensland floods earlier this year.

Meat, poultry, and fish have increased by 4% this year. This is the largest increase since they rose by the same amount in September 2008. The price of lamb is at an all time high and has risen by 8% this year. Fresh chicken has risen by 9%, pork 7%, and processed meat 3%.

Dairy prices have stabilised somewhat, however yoghurt has increased by 15%.

The largest decrease came from seasonably lower prices for nectarines (down 35%).

Welcome on board to our new suppliers!

Aquiferra Olive Oil, Callaghnan’s Bakery, Clays Poultry Farm, Fresh to the Chef, Grande Gourmet, Provida Foods, Volare Bakery, Mr Salad, and Maison Therese Ltd. We look forward to working with you.

Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Awards Announced

Congratulations to the following establishments. It’s great to see so many clients here!

• Supreme Winner – Merediths, Auckland
• Best Smart Dining – Metropolitan – Merediths, Auckland
  Runner-up: Ambeli, Wellington
• Best Smart Dining – Regional – A Deco, Whangarei
  Runner-up: Boutereys Restaurant & Bar, Nelson
• Best Casual Dining – Metropolitan – Arbitrageur, Wellington
  Runner-up: Ponsonby Road Bistro, Auckland
• Best Casual Dining – Regional – Joint winners: Palate, Hamilton & Riverstone Kitchen, North Otago
• Best Specialist Restaurant – Cocoro, Auckland
• Best Winery Restaurant – Joint winners: Black Barn Bistro, Hawke’s Bay & Pegasus Bay, Canterbury
• Restaurant Personality of The Year – Jonny Schwass

Two weeks to kick off!

With just two weeks to go now until RWC kick off, New Zealand will be well and truly in the spotlight. The hospitality sector is one area where people will talk so often talk about their experiences – positive and negative, so making sure you and your staff are at the top of their game becomes more crucial than ever. I wish you all the best for this important event.

How does your children’s menu rate?

With school holidays over for another term I think its time to give that childrens menu another look over.

With even fast food giants McDonalds and Burger King providing healthy options in their children’s meals, how much thought are you putting into the menu options for your younger diners?

Apple slices and water are now being offered as alternatives to the traditional fries and soft drink, a move which has been prompted by parents looking for more nutritious options when eating out.

All too often we see a children’s menu full of high fat, processed options such a chicken nuggets, fish fingers, hot dogs , and chips. There may be little or no vegetables offered as part of the meal, and the only drinks on offer are soft drinks.

Most of the children’s menus are very boring, and priced to reflect that. Is it reasonable to think that parents would pay a bit more for more interesting and nutritious meals? This is a good opportunity to re-evaluate your children’s menu and pricing. It’s dangerous to neglect this important item, as studies show parents usually examine this menu closely, and will often make decisions on where to dine out with their children based around the healthy choices available.

In the “My Profile” section of MenuCoster you can change the age group which the nutrition displays for. See how your recipes compare now! Best Value Fruit:

• Kiwifruit
• Lemons
• Oranges

Best Value Vegetables:

• Carrots
• Kumara
• Potatoes

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Gavin and the team at MenuCoster. ]]> http://www.menucoster.co.nz/public/news/food-prices-still-on-the-rise/feed 0 http://www.menucoster.co.nz/public/news/preferred-supplier-feature-announced http://www.menucoster.co.nz/public/news/preferred-supplier-feature-announced#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:25:37 +0000 janey@menucoster.co.nz http://www.menucoster.co.nz/public/?p=574 Preferred Supplier Feature Announced

If you haven’t noticed it already, all users now have the ability to add or remove suppliers they do or dont use. We can also upload contract prices from any particular suppliers. These prices show alongside ingredients, highlighted by a green tick.

§  Restaurant of the Year – Jet Park Hotel

§  Chef of the Year – David Schofield, City Life Heritage

§  Sommelier of the Year – Roy Assadi, Toto Restaurant

§  Service Professional of the Year – Manu Rosier, Accor Hamilton

§  Pastry Team of the Year – Moana Kastler; Cherng-Hann Ma – Auckland University of Technology

§  Commis Chef of the Year – Nolan Murray – SKYCITY Auckland

§  Training Food; Beverage Person of the Year – Kirsty Lister – NZ Defence Force Army

§  Hot Kitchen Excellence – David Schofield – City Life Heritage

§  Training Excellence – North Shore International Academy, Auckland

§  Secondary Schools Excellence – Papakura High School

§  Training Team of the Year – Auckland University of Technology

§  Bartender of the Year – Benjamin Taylor, Bungalow 8

§  Regional Team Challenge – Darren Wright; Gareth Evans, South Island

Chicken fell by 10.4% this June compared to May. Porterhouse/sirloin beef steak decreased by 7%, and bacon also decreased by 7%. The June 2011 price for bacon is the lowest price since September 2008. This year beef has increased in price by 7.5%, and lamb has risen by 15%.

For the year to June 2011, prices for dry goods rose 8%, restaurant meals increased 5%, and non-alcoholic beverages were up 8%.

The cost of tomatoes is at an all time high this month (up 57%), and capsicums have also had a significant increase (up 44%). These prices have been influenced in part by the Queensland floods earlier this year where a lot of NZ supply comes from this time of year.

Other fruit and vegetables which have increased significantly this year are lettuce (up 43%), nectarines (up 66%), cucumber (up 44%), and zucchini (up 60%).

We all understand food prices have increased significantly! We see this not only in our supplier invoices, but also through the media and at the supermarkets. Diners are aware of this as well. Food prices are not the only prices which have increased and this can be confirmed through the consumer price index published by Statistics NZ this week. Last quarter saw Statistics NZ’s Cost Price Index rise 1.3%.

Putting up prices can be something easier said than done and this can never be taken lightly. Knowing your cost price is crucial at this stage and this is vital to make any decision regarding pricing. There are two things which affect what you can charge – you can’t charge less than what an item costs to produce or more than the market is willing to pay. It’s about finding a balance in the middle. To find exactly what each item on your menu costs you today, give MenuCoster a go now!