Foodservice sales and customer participation at Manugistics, a software company in Rockville, MD, are up 20% since it introduced pizza, desserts and other items to its menu.
The dept., managed by Brock and Company, put a previously unused large-deck pizza oven and dessert case to work, and in doing so, increased the daily check avg. from $3 to $5.75.
Upscale pizza: "From the pizza oven, I serve 30 pan pizzas daily topped with duck breast, blue cheese, fresh mozzarella, spinach and feta for approximately $3.75 each," says Hussain Aziz, dir. of dining services. He also uses the pizza oven for quiches and quesadillas, which are cooked in front of the customer.
A previously empty dessert case now features fresh grab-and-go sandwiches and salads; desserts like chocolate mousse, pudding parfaits and cobblers during cooler weather; and a pastry display with whole cakes or to-go slices.
Brock serves approx. 200 Manugistics customers daily. Projected sales including catering are expected to reach $300,000, up from last year's $220,000.
Summer salad sales: Aziz also developed a low-carb meal promotion for diet-conscious employees to offset business lost due to summer vacations.
Salads based on diet-guru Dr. Robert Atkins' low-carb, high-protein philosophy are prepared from the hot line featuring a bed of mixed greens topped with grilled flanked steak, chicken or sword fish. They are priced between $4.95 and $5.25.
Aziz has also added vegetarian options, dollar dessert specials and a new sauté station.