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Choice beef, and the cut nobody notices

At Greensleeves and Mike Fields BBQ, meat drove the cost, and moving to corn-fed choice beef raised margins.

The steakhouse at Greensleeves served grass-fed beef. Over at Mike Fields BBQ, the pricing model had to hold up on brisket. The question in both places was what drives our cost, and whether guests value it the way we assume.

In a kitchen, the cut and the grade of meat shift the numbers more than anything else. The cooking involves so much preparation that guests frequently cannot taste a difference. Some prefer the cheaper option.

We moved to corn-fed choice beef, and we used lower-grade cuts in dishes where preparation does the work. Guests liked the result better, and margins rose substantially.

In food, locate the ingredient that drives cost, then test whether your customer values it as much as you assumed.

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