Soups can be nutritious, exciting, comforting, calming, and cost-effective menu items, beloved by customers. In fact, a restaurant owner should always offer a seasonal soup choice, and preferably a variety of two or more, on their menu.

Soup is comfort food

By and large, people love tradition. We find something we love, and it becomes a ritual or habit. These rituals and habits bring us comfort and make us feel secure and connected. Be sure to serve some well-known soups that will resonate with your customers. Have a soup of the day to satisfy the palates of those who want to be taken on a new flavor adventure, but offer traditional-flavored soups as well.

Soup is flexible

Didn’t finish a soup today but want to offer a new flavor for tomorrow? Make your leftover soups part of a new offering by adding different types of vegetables and coming up with surprising new combinations and flavors.

Soups are an outlet for creativity

Because soup is flexible and easy to prepare, leftovers ingredients or even leftover soups can always be used in new combinations – soups offer a chef the opportunity to create exciting, surprising new tastes.

Soup is cost-effective

Soup is one of those items that cost little to prepare yet allows room for a nice profit. Customers will appreciate being able to enjoy a hearty meal at a good value. 

Soup is healthy

Soups involve cooking in stock/water, where all of the nutrients normally stay in the dish as a thickened broth. The best foods for humans to consume are grains, legumes, seeds, fruits, and veggies, the same ingredients that make for fresh, delicious, and substantial soups.

Soup is a great vegetarian or vegan option

It seems there are more people looking for vegetarian and vegan options each day. Not every restaurant is prepared to go full-on vegetarian, but soup is definitely a good area to start offering satisfying options for vegetarian customers. There are so many ways to create healthy soup options for your customers.

Soup as a food waste solution

Soups are an efficient way to maximize usage of vegetable trimmings, surplus ingredients, or an over-supply of inexpensive seasonal vegetables coming in from suppliers or local farms. Chefs have an opportunity to lead the way in reducing hunger and environmental impact by demonstrating their innovation and skill in using potential food waste to make delicious soups.

Chef Jomi Gaston
Custom Culinary, Inc.