Serious question, has anyone else seen a big shift in what customers ask for at the counter?

Five years back at my shop in Boise, it was mostly requests for specific cuts like ribeyes or pork chops. Now, at least half my day is spent explaining different dry-aging methods or breaking down whole primals for home cooks. The change really started after those cooking shows got popular on streaming services. How are you guys handling the extra time spent on customer education?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer_jenkins1d ago

Hold on, you're blaming cooking shows? That's wild. I've seen the exact opposite. My regulars just want good meat at a fair price, no fuss. All that dry-aging talk is from a tiny, loud group online. Most people walking in are still just asking for ground beef for Tuesday's tacos or a chicken breast. You're probably in a fancy area or something. I spend maybe five minutes a week on "education," and that's just telling someone how long to cook a roast. The basics still pay the bills.

adamr141d ago

Maybe in your shop, but the pressure is real over here. Customers come in with half-baked ideas from TV and get upset when we don't have some specific cut they saw Gordon Ramsay use. It's not just a loud few online anymore, it's changing what people expect to find at the counter. That five minutes of education is now twenty explaining why their Tuesday tacos don't need wagyu. Basics pay the bills until the guy down the street starts offering the fancy stuff they keep asking for.

river_allen1d ago

Exactly, and then they go buy the overpriced wagyu somewhere else anyway.