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Meeting Consumer Demand Without Blowing the Budget
Written by Nation's Restaurant News
Published: November 25, 2025
Why Independent Operators Should Turn to Well-Known Brands During Economic Uncertainty
Success in the restaurant industry has always been a balancing act, but today's economic climate has transformed it into a high-wire performance as consumers continue to watch their wallets and restaurants encounter a spate of uncertain conditions.
“Operators across all segments have been facing the same three-headed monster—labor, food costs, traffic—since before the pandemic,” says Lindsey Rice, Senior Product Manager at Tyson Foods. “What each segment and unique operator considers to be their number one challenge at the time is a constantly moving target as external pressures beyond their control affect their business and consumer behaviors.”
For many independent restaurant owners, the instinct during tough times is to cut costs wherever possible, often by switching to cheaper, lesser-known suppliers, or otherwise compromising their standards. But this approach can back-fire, potentially alienating customers and damaging their reputation, which likely took years to build.
That’s because even as restaurants contend with higher prices and labor shortages, consumers still expect the same quality and experience. And it underscores why restaurants need to focus on maintaining the excellence that keeps loyal customers returning as they aim to thrive in the long term.
When every decision impacts both customer satisfaction and cash flow, the supplier brands that have built their reputations on consistency and quality become invaluable partners. From menu optimization to helping streamline back-of-house functions, they contribute value in multiple ways.
Building the Ideal Menu
Although innovation is typically the name of the game in restaurants, diners still crave the comfort and reliability of their tried-and-true favorites. Successful independent operators must master this delicate dance that involves the optimal blend of exciting new offerings that attract customers or expand their ticket sales, with the familiar staples they anticipate.
The challenge has intensified in recent years as social media drives demand for Instagram-worthy presentations and unique flavors, while economic pressures make diners more selective about where they spend their money. They want to be surprised and delighted, but they also want to know they can count on that perfectly prepared breakfast sandwich or bacon-topped sandwich.
How to satisfy adventurous diners and comfort-food loyalists without spending too much on ingredients or creating dishes that are overly time-consuming to prepare? Restaurants are finding that partnering with established, trusted brands for core ingredients offers needed stability and consistency, yet also can create space for originality when they are reimagined into unique offerings.
Smart menu engineering starts with selecting proteins such as Jimmy Dean® brand’s wide range of bacon products that can work overtime across a range of recipes. For example, bacon is obviously a beloved breakfast staple, but it can also be used to elevate sandwiches, salads and wraps. By prioritizing multi-use ingredients, independent operators can help maximize their purchasing power and minimize waste and labor costs, a crucial strategy when every decision impacts the bottom line.
“The basics are a great place to start as the building block components of any pantry: grains, produce, sauces and proteins,” Rice says. “By sourcing a handful of hard-working and versatile products, an operator can more easily adapt them across their menu parts and dayparts.”
She suggests leaning into value-added products, such as par-cooked rice or fully cooked breakfast sausage patties. “They also allow the flexibility of seasoning or finishing, which can make for an efficient pantry,” Rice says.
One specific workhorse is proteins that maintain their premium appeal while offering maximum practicality. Protein is a coveted ingredient as a nutritional element that’s top of mind for most consumers. The 2024 Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) found that more than 70% of respondents say protein is the top nutrient they are trying to consume.
The foodservice products within the Jimmy Dean® brand portfolio can fit the bill. “The same fully cooked bacon can be used to adorn protein-centric breakfast platters, fill breakfast burritos, crumble into an omelet or even extend the breakfast daypart on burgers, salads and more,” Rice says. “A customer who can get a tasty, nutritious meal quickly in the morning is a customer who is likely to return for another great experience.”
Helping Reduce Prep Time and Costs Through Strategic Sourcing
Identifying products that can star in dishes throughout the menu gives customers variety, but it also can help streamline kitchen operations—and that’s critical at a time when many restaurants find themselves struggling to attract and retain associates. The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report confirms that labor shortages continue to plague operations, particularly in full-service restaurants.
Without attentive and timely service, customers are apt to go elsewhere. Rice notes that restaurants consistently grapple with getting fresh, hot meals to on-the-go breakfast patrons. “With the weekday breakfast meal part typically pressed for time, we know it’s important for operators to be able to keep their ticket times as low as possible, which means cutting down on preparation steps in the back of house,” she says. “A customer who can get a tasty, nutritious meal quickly in the morning is a customer who is likely to return for another great experience.”
Restaurants are seeing the advantages of having an ally in the kitchen in the form of ingredients that provide convenience by helping to simplify prep time and effort. Much of the Jimmy Dean® brand portfolio in foodservice is fully cooked offerings, including sausage links and patties, bacon, pre-made sandwiches and on-the-go handhelds.
“By not having to worry about cooking raw breakfast proteins back of house, staff can focus their time on perfecting signature sauces, plating dishes with care, meeting ticket time demands, keeping ingredients on the line fresh and at temp, maintaining the cleanliness of their stations and all the other factors that contribute to an exceptional visit,” Rice says.
The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast ranked convenience proteins as one of their top trends, mentioning how they can help save time during the prep phase so staffers can take on other tasks.
The Role of Premium Ingredients in Delivering Superior Value
Value never means compromised quality. In fact, it’s an attribute that encompasses far more than just an item’s price or the promotion of the day, stresses Rice. “Where quick-service restaurants have been leaning into value in the form of meal deals and ‘buy-one-get-one’ (BOGO), independent restaurants can offer value in many other forms,” she says. “Think about a unique experience, the quality of the ingredients, the friendliness of the service, the use of sustainable packaging or a dish with an appreciated health halo.”
The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report found that 64% of full-service customers and 47% of limited-service customers say their dining experience is more important than the price of the meal, and a 2025 study from Menu Matters finds consumers rank price and quality nearly evenly as the number one attribute that increases the value of a food item.
Value also comes through in the use of carefully selected ingredients that come from brands consumer trust: A 2024 survey from Tyson Foodservice found that Jimmy Dean® brand has a combined 95% awareness when it comes to its breakfast sausage and bacon categories, and according to Circana SupplyTrack Month ending March 2024, Jimmy Dean® brand was the No. 1 brand in breakfast sausages.
The Menu Matters survey further finds that 29% of consumers rank brand as an attribute that increases the value of a food item.
And as Rice points out, the Jimmy Dean® brand has been around since 1969, meaning that many consumers have grown up with its products served in their homes, evoking a positive association. “Nostalgia is a powerful draw with those consumers—Boomers to Millennials, as well as with the younger generations who have also started to grow up on brands like Jimmy Dean,” she says.
Smart Choices Eliminate the Need to Compromise
As they endure ongoing headwinds, restaurant operators may falsely assume they have to choose between customer satisfaction and profit margins. With a reliable partner like Jimmy Dean® brand, restaurants are finding they can have it all as they simultaneously optimize their menu and elevate their offerings.
By minimizing the number of ingredients purchased and emphasizing those that resonate with diners, restaurants reap several benefits: Staff can master fewer preparation techniques; inventory management becomes simpler; and food costs become more predictable, all while still delivering the diverse, impressive menu items that will please modern diners.
“We encourage our restaurant partners to think about how versatile ingredients can work harder for their business,” Rice says. “When you choose those that deliver consistent quality and familiar flavors across dayparts and menu categories, you’re creating a foundation for sustainable growth, both by helping boost kitchen efficiency and providing customers with a trusted brand that highlights your restaurant’s commitment to quality.”
Learn more about the Jimmy Dean® brand and visit our brand page.
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