Why comfort food is a recipe for success

Predicting trends is a funny thing – it doesn’t become a trend until it is one. Until then, it’s just an opinion based on variables.

My 45-plus years as a chef and six years as a consultant have shown me patterns in customer behaviours. Currently, comfort and value are the prevailing trends. Venues that tick these boxes are trading above figures from the previous year and continue to grow. However, establishments operating at the next level up tell a patchier story.

There is always a place for high-end dining, as there is plenty of wealth in the community. But what clubs choose to do with it has changed. Singapore serves as an excellent litmus test. I visit it multiple times a year and have always enjoyed the Michelin-level offerings, but I’ve now stopped spending like that. Currently, these restaurants in Singapore are experiencing a marked fall-off in trade, and as a result, there has been an uptick in closures – even among good venues.

On my last visit, a usually full mid-level seafood institution known for crabs and live seafood was empty. I’ve never seen it like that in 20 years. This leads me to believe that the demand for comfort food – which represents value and is a staple for clubs – will continue to grow.

Using simple ingredients is the key. Food and wage costs are at an all-time high, yet well-run businesses still turn a profit. How is this possible? Average prices have retracted, so ingredient use must be smarter. Secondary cuts, for example, are an opportunity: think skirt and hanger steaks. Cooked correctly, they are cost-effective and offer great flavour. Speak to your suppliers about alternative cuts across all protein categories to explore your options.

Flavour must remain at the forefront of all dish development. Dishes need to be simple but tasty. I believe the public is also ready to embrace nostalgic desserts, like in the 1970s when crème caramel was king. Customers are craving comfort food, so give it to them.

Meanwhile, with wages finally reaching appropriate levels for chefs, cost pressures for owners have increased. As a result, there’s a growing demand for equipment that offers control: faster, more accurate, energy-efficient, and simpler machines are now sought after to keep wage costs in check.

Conveyor impinger ovens speed up cooking and eliminate constant checking, resulting in faster processes. Speed ovens can produce items that would typically take 8–10 minutes in just 90 seconds, reducing wait times. Space-saving ovens with multiple chambers that cook quickly are game changers. They’re essentially three ovens in one, offering dry heat, combi, and steam settings at different temperatures. A 10-tray combi oven with microwave energy is set to launch next year, capable of cooking five full GN pans in half the time. Wow! Small benchtop steamers can steam full GN trays while consuming less energy than a combi steamer running all day.

Unfortunately, the rise of cheap equipment creates a false sense of savings. These units often require replacement after a short time, whereas high-quality units last longer and consume less energy. I see discarded equipment – sometimes only two to three years old – at the back of kitchens everywhere. It’s a false economy.

Paul Rifkin: Head Chef Mentoring and
Fine-Tuning Specialist for Club Catering
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