Offer Both Savoury and Sweet Options
Despite the YouGov study finding that over 60% of Brits prefer sweet pancakes, caterers also need to provide a savoury option for those with less of a sweet tooth. After all, the versatility of pancakes is what makes them such a popular option, and you don’t want to end up alienating a large number of diners by failing to meet their dietary requirements.
Popular savoury toppings include bacon, mushrooms, cheese and ham, while you could even offer potato pancakes if you really wanted to go down the savoury route. A much more recent YouGov poll found that over half of Brits cite lemon and sugar as their preferred sweet topping, while maple syrup, chocolate spread and ice cream are also incredibly popular options.
Presentation is Everything
When it comes to serving pancakes, it’s all about the presentation. Nobody wants to see a messy plate filled with chaotic toppings, so you need to make sure you’re serving up dishes oozing with sophistication and packed with colour. Instead of just throwing on heaps of chocolate spread and sugar, you need to be much more delicate in your application; drizzling your toppings lightly over the pancakes and creating neat little patterns. After all, when the food looks so good, you’re bound to have customers coming back for more.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment with Fillings
The fact is that many people prefer to make their pancakes at home since so much of the fun lies in throwing and flipping food around their own kitchen. To stand any chance of convincing diners to leave their home and eat pancakes elsewhere, caterers need to provide something people just can’t get at home. Ultimately, this will involve a bit of experimentation.
Although some diners may want to stick to their preferred lemon and sugar toppings, the majority of people might want to try something a little different when they’re eating out. So, instead of just sticking to the old favourites, you might want to try creating colourful rainbow or red velvet pancakes; while it’s always worth mixing up fruit, nuts and other fillings to provide something truly unique.
Alongside a vast range of fillings, you can also offer a variety of crepes, pancakes and waffles, while Indian dosas and Russian blinis allow you to serve treats from all around the world. Besides, serving great pancakes is all about providing options.
Improve Your Cooking Methods
For you to serve the best pancakes, you’ll need to come up with the best recipes and cooking techniques. Simple. Cooking pancakes might seem incredibly straight-forward on the surface (which is why so many people choose to just make them at home), but there’s a certain art to making your pancakes stand out from the crowd.
For example, many people use excessive amounts of butter or flip their pancakes far too early, meaning that they’re never golden or crispy enough. Others, however, will actually use the wrong kind of frying pan, ultimately leading to a ragged-looking pancake that refuses to become unstuck.
By avoiding these common mistakes and working on your own delicious recipe, you can serve up a light, fluffy batch of pancakes which is incredibly hard for people to emulate at home. As the catering industry becomes increasingly competitive, you’ll want to make sure your establishment is the place to be this Pancake Day—especially since so many people are now enjoying pancakes all year-round!