As temperatures climb, so does bar traffic. This summer, boost check averages with small high-impact touches that score presentation points without slowing service. These three ready-to-use solutions tick the box for efficiency with premium-feel appeal.
Beat the Heat
Summer days are made for ice-cold beverages. Even after the sun goes down, bar traffic continues to heat up. Hit the sweet spot with frosty sips from iced lattes to margs — paired with dishes with satisfying crunch — all made uniquely premium thanks to easy-to-use options that help your team stay cool even during a scorching summer slam.
Fruit Up
Whether boozy or NA, today’s sippers want drinks that stand out. Dehydrated fruit wheels from brands like Garniche understand the assignment. Not only do they add striking visual and aromatic appeal to every glass, they’re shelf-stable — so they’re always ready for their close-up. And Garniche scores bottom-line bonus points by saving valuable prep time, eliminating waste, and boasting a consistent 365-day price point.
A full roster of sliced citrus plus stunning pineapple wheels gives you all the creative juice you need for everything from simple garnishes to crafty taste and color combos. Completely edible, they also do double duty as infusions for spirits, syrups, and teas.
Think beyond the rim with creative ways to float, flame, skewer, and scorch these fruit wheels. Or grind them into powder for wow-factor rims, mixed with swicy flavors like tajin, present them au naturel, or classically pair with salt or sugar.
Use Garniche to style any of this season’s trending bevs: gimlets, spicy margs, tea tinis, and kombucha-plus-anything. Accessorize newbies like a Mazagran, the Mediterranean coffee and lemonade mashup, or a Garibaldi, an Italian low-ABV citrus sensation. Or just to add a consistent, cost-effective, eye-catching twist to an old fashioned or a crisp gin and tonic.
Milk It
As the mercury rises, steaming mugs sit the bench. When serving iced coffees and lattes, mouthfeel matters, and Perfect Taste® Plant-Based Milks transform everyday into exceptional. Creamier and slightly richer, these premium barista-grade dairy-free milks mix and froth just like cow’s milk but add smoothness and depth no bovine can match.
Plant-based milks are cross-utilization superstars, across dayparts as well as behind the bar — think a morning Blueberry Lemon Superfood Smoothie, afternoon milk teas, and anytime milktinis. No summer menu is complete without a milkshake or few, and these milks spin up shakes to please every palate. Go classic or boozy — or both! I recommend the sweetly summery “Peachy Cheeks” Milkshake.
Not to be forgotten is new-kid-on-the-block dirty soda, which gets a creamy, dreamy upgrade with these premium plant milks. Get funky with flavors by mixing craveable concoctions guests can’t get anywhere else. Need inspo? Try the Red Velvet Dirty Soda with Cheese Foam. For more funky fun, tee up an LTO dirty ube latte with oat milk — a luscious, layered, lavender-colored surprise.
Crunch Time
Pair the season’s icy-cold best with apps and dishes that add crunch appeal, delivered by three ready-to-use VIPs that get noticed: Contigo® Tri Color Corn Tortilla Strips, crispy onions, and West Creek Croutons.
Made with premium masa, these tortilla strips are perfect for salty-crunchy pops atop Happy Hour guac, dips, and salsas, as well as side salads, grain bowls, and soups like a summery gazpacho (give watermelon a try!) or a chilled sweet corn soup. Add textural contrast to shareable tacos or kick up a Bloody Mary or Maria with tortilla strips as an unexpected garnish.
Not to be outdone, crispy onions add palate-pleasing umami as well as crunch to popular bar snacks, plus they take flavor up a notch on burgers, sammies, and wraps, or sprinkled on everyone’s nostalgic summer bar fave: deviled eggs.
Last but certainly not least, look to West Creek’s lineup of croutons to add flavorful crunch and dimension to everything from salads to shareables. Homestyle croutons are large and sturdy enough to sub-in as a whimsical cracker alternative on charcuterie boards and dip plates. And finally, lean into panzanella salads with ready-to-use cubes and get inspired by seasonal produce (hello, grilled peaches), briny olives, protein-packed chickpeas, or burrata.
When summer heats up, all three of these efficient ready-to-use solutions will have your guests — and your team — walking on sunshine all season long.
*Content provided in collaboration with Sugar Foods®.