Operator's Edge® | Elevate Your Asian Offerings with Build Your Own Noodle, Rice, and Soup Bowl Service Models

Elevate Your Asian Offerings with Build Your Own Noodle, Rice, and Soup Bowl Service Models

August 1, 2021

As COVID-19 recedes and food service begins to return to normal, the challenges of labor shortages and increasing consumer demand are more acute than ever. More than 15% of non-com foodservice operators don’t expect to regain staffing at pre-COVID levels until 2023.¹ And per a recent Yelp survey, food business has already recovered to 92% of 2019 levels, requiring operators to find labor-saving solutions that will allow them to meet consumer’s hunger for tasty, on-trend dishes.² A Build Your Own (BYO) Asian Bowl station can meet the need for an easy-to-execute service solution that delivers on-trend food without any additional ingredient or labor costs.

Operationally Simple

A BYO station is ideal for any kitchen no matter the size or labor constraints. One line setup can be configured to adeptly serve noodle and rice bowls, hot or cold, as well as soups with simple pantry ingredients. It also gives you the ability to offer add-on appetizers like dumplings and eggrolls. A 2019 survey found that 48% of customers will add on an eggroll to their Asian meal, meaning a BYO station with authentic appetizers will not only drive consumer interest but help increase the check ring.³ With the added flexibility to serve BYO bowls to both dine-in and to-go customers, you will be able to meet consumer’s demand for delivery and take-out which currently exceeds 2019 levels by 189%.⁴

Meets Taste Trends

Not just operationally simple, BYO stations meet current taste trends and drive customer participation. Industry surveys have shown that Asian food is one of the most craved cuisines in the U.S. and is expected to see a growth in menu adoption of 3.5% in the next 4 years.⁵ BYO bowl bases like Asian noodles are considered the 2nd most popular Asian starch.⁶ Dumplings have seen a rise in popularity in recent years both as an ingredient and appetizer; a 2021 survey found 42% of customers would buy dumplings if offered on a menu.⁷ A BYO station can also drive a lot of excitement and foot traffic into your operation- 54% of customers recently polled said that they’d try a restaurant specifically for a BYO noodle or rice bowl concept, and over 50% saw a BYO soup bowl as highly unique menu offering.⁸

Executing Your Own

Setting up a BYO station in your own operation doesn’t have to be difficult. All you need is a combination of pantry ingredients and a core set of products like Asian noodles, dumplings, eggrolls, and sauces that taste delicious and are easy to customize. Inspire your patrons with delicious flavors like Spicy Chicken Lemongrass Dumpling Soup or a Spicy Szechwan Vegetable Noodle Bowl! Learn more here about setting up your own BYO bowl station.