World Cup 2014: How to feed the footie-fans

The controversy over the kick-off times for this summer’s World Cup in Brazil – the BBC recently reported officials calling the lunchtime starts for matches in the hot north-east as “inhumane” – isn’t confined to the world of sports.

The late starts – England’s first match won’t start until 11pm on Saturday 14 June – take UK pubs into unfamiliar territory as well. And it means that, for once, this World Cup is as likely to be as much about the food, as the beer.

“No one has experienced a tournament like this when kick off times are so late,” says Adam Marshall, managing director of Grand Union, an eight-strong chain of London pubs.

“Success will be about getting people in early and keeping them there, and the food offer will be a crucial part of it.

“Football and the World Cup are important to us. During the last World Cup one of our sites generated £98,000 in sales in one week, which is a 100% uplift. This year we’ll be aiming for more of the same.”

The group will be channelling the Brazil party vibe in its pubs, particularly those with outdoor space (three of its venues have gardens that can hold in excess of 600 people). Staff will be dressing up, and Brazilian beer and cocktails will be on offer, however the menu will remain resolutely centred on its core burger range.

“None of the food will be Brazilian, it just isn’t on our radar,” Marshall explains.

“Instead we’ll be stripping back our burger menu to just three (a standard, a spicy and a vegetarian option) and there’ll be hotdogs, pizzas and sharing platters as well.”

“We need to keep it simple because we’ll be keeping the kitchen open later; offering a simplified version of our standard menu ensures the standards and speed of service remain high even when it gets really busy.”

Burgers and bacon rolls​

Steven Dryden-Hall, retail sales and marketing manager of the Charles Wells Pub Company, agrees with Marshall.

“Create a small match menu with food that is quick to prepare and easy to hold in hands,” he advises.

“Burgers and bacon rolls go down particularly well and consider putting on special sharing offers as well, such as a deal for a four-pint pitcher of beer and a bucket of chips.

“You should also think about encouraging people to pre-order their food before kick-off. It can then be served at half time to reduce congestion at the bar and it gives you plenty of prep time.”

Big Al’s Foodservice suggests getting a tray of burgers ready for when the full-time whistle is blown in a bid to tempt hungry football fans.

“The smell of a delicious burger is difficult to resist,” says UK Foodservice manager Ed Robinson. “You can even serve them in burger wrap or takeaway boxes to reduce washing-up.”

Robinson says chicken wings are also a popular option for feeding fans.

“A bucket, basket or platter of chicken wings presents the ideal sharing snack for customers to enjoy while they watch the match,” he explains.

“They can be quickly prepared to order, can be cooked in high volumes when required, and generate very little washing up, which is ideal for times of high footfall.  Try serving them with a range of spicy sauces to add a kick.”

Brazilian classics​

For licensees who want to be a bit more adventurous, there are some authentic Brazilian dishes that fit the bill.

“Brazilian food could be a key player,” says Alan Todd, head of catering development at Punch Taverns.

“It isn’t as defined a cuisine as some other countries, as Brazil itself is so diverse. Brazilian food can be everything from meat platters and barbeque chicken, to freshwater fish from the Northern Amazonian regions, or coconut curries from the Bahian East coast, so there is plenty of potential if operators want to go for it.”

To help its publicans, recipes for Brazilian dishes will be available through the Punch Buying Club website and the catering development team, Todd says.

Eduardo Dantes is the Brazilian-born chef-owner of Enterprise pub the Wheatsheaf, in London’s Vauxhall, from where he runs Tia Maria, an exclusively Brazilian food, drink and music venue.

As you might expect, Dantes will be going all out during this year’s tournament with live music, outdoor screens and a huge temporary marquee to accommodate the extra crowds.

He’ll be offering the classic Brazilian stew Feijoada, which he says is perfect for busy periods as it can be made in advance and served quickly as a sharing dish.

“For those that do know a bit about Brazilian food, they mainly love the meat and so I’ll also be offering a Brazilian barbecue,” he says.

“The key to this is its simplicity, just good cuts of meat with rock salt – it must be rock salt – and pepper added before, and during, chargrilling.

“The most popular barbecue dish we do on the menu is a specific cut of beef called the picana, which is a cut of the rump. We serve that with salad and farofa (see box).”

Pub favourites with a twist​

Pie specialist Pieminster is also making it easy for licensees wanting to offer a Brazilian twist on pub favourites, with a pie based on Feijoada.

The 270g pie is made from British chicken, chorizo and black beans, with sweet potato and Chipotle chili in a tomato sauce.

“As with all Pieminister's award-winning classic pies, the Brazilian is the perfect dish to serve up in a busy pub or bar,” says Tristan Hogg, Pieminister managing director.

“Made with the very best quality ingredients, this pie offers an easy solution for often over-stretched kitchens with limited facilities - particularly during busy periods such as World Cup match days.”

Meanwhile, the Chilterns-based Snug Bar chain has developed its own Brazilian twist on a pub classic - the £9.95 Rio Burger.

“This is a nod to the traditional Brazilian rissole and is a minced beef patty, with shredded chicken, sweetcorn and cheese massaged into the centre. It will be served with a spicy sauce and guacamole,” explains co-owner Giles Fry.

Barbecue summer​

As the body behind British Barbecue Week (27 May to 2 June 2014) confirms, barbeque food is always a popular option for football fans and if you want to give your grill a World Cup feel, it recommends offering dishes from competing nations.

Chorizo sausage hot-dogs to represent Spain, grilled sardines for Portugal or beer-marinated chicken wings from Australia, for example.

For Brazil, it suggests a stuffed rib roast: boneless beef rib, rolled and stuffed with garlic, onion, carrot, smoked ham and frozen provolone cheese, or there is a simpler way to give barbecue food a Brazilian flavour in the form of a new Brazilian BBQ sauce from Encona.

“Sweet, spicy and tangy, Encona Brazilian style BBQ sauce is ideal for the barbecue season and lends itself perfectly both as a marinade for meats such as chicken and pork, or as a dipping sauce with everything from starters and mains to sharing platters,” explains a spokesman for Funnybones Foodservice.

A pre-match barbecue is a great way to increase food sales during this lucrative period, says BPEX, which has produced a collection of short films featuring a range of pork cuts which are ideal for the barbecue.

Top barbecue specialist and three times UK barbecue champion Andy Annat provides helpful advice and featured cuts include whole pork shoulder, pork collar steaks, pork loin steaks and pork belly blocks.

BPEX foodservice trade manager Tony Goodger says: “The six short films are packed full of ideas on how to make the most of pork on the barbecue; from injecting large pork cuts with fruit juice to help tenderise the meat and add flavour, to spraying the pork regularly to keep the meat moist.”

CASE STUDY: The Jolly Sailor, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Paul Egerton has been licensee at the Charles Wells Pub Company’s Jolly Sailor pub for eight years.

“Some of the World Cup matches are outside of our usual serving hours, however I’ll still be putting on food,” he says.

“We offer our customers hand-held food which is much easier for them to eat standing; chips, pies and burgers are all great options which fill them up!  

“Also, something we’ve done in the past, which works really well, is cooking off a load of burgers, wrapping them in foil and then taking them round the pub to sell them- this goes down brilliantly.”
He will also be putting on a barbecue, and using a loyalty scheme.

“We have a lot of regulars” he explains, “and to encourage loyalty we run a ‘season ticket’ scheme where people buy one ticket during the season which entitles them to discounts on food and drink, as well as other offers and we’ve sold almost 40 of those already so far.”

CASE STUDY: Jetlag Bar, Fitzrovia, London​

Licensee Scott Wilson will be featuring Brazilian favourites on a street food menu during the tournament.

“As all the games are evening affairs, food is key to attracting new customers and increasing spend per head – we will be looking at a 30% uplift over the four-weeks,” he explains.

“We’ll be introducing Brazilian favourites such as: esfirra, a soft pastry with ham and cheese (£5); feijoada – various cuts of pork, beans, farofa and rice (£12) and coxinhas – deep-fried pastry with chicken breast, cream cheese and jalapeno (£6).  

“These best-sellers will be joined by an Argentinian hotdog, the choripan (£9.50) with chorizo and chimmichurri sauce in a French baguette; Spanish platter of Iberico meats and Italian olives (9.50); Mexican sliders with mini nachos (£15); Greek souvlaki (£9.50). Variations on burgers include our Japanese Okinawa featuring katsu chicken with crispy noodles and teriyaki sauce (£12.50).”

EBLEX: Make the most of finger food

One quick and easy solution for catering during the World Cup is to scale down the portions of popular menu favourites to make them into a format that is easy for people to eat with their fingers, or just a fork, says EBLEX.

Classic sharing dishes such as tortillas topped with chilli beef mince, jalapeno peppers, sour cream & guacamole are not only popular, but easy to prepare and store.

Lamb kebabs served in pitta, and mini lamb or beef burgers placed on small rounds of bread are also appealing hand-held snacks that are easy to prepare.

But to really make an impact why not offer customers a ‘Beef Half-Timer’ using a chuck roast joint which can be sold in a buttered roll with horseradish or mustard, EBLEX foodservice project manager, Hugh Judd, suggests.

“By using a cost-effective cut such as boneless chuck roast and cooking it very slowly to reduce shrinkage and maximise tenderness, it will also deliver excellent profit margins,” he says.

Full specification details for chuck eye roast are available from: www.eblextrade.co.uk​

Classic Brazilian food

Feijoada​: considered the country’s national dish, this is a stew made with black beans and a variety of pork or beef, such as ribs, sausages, bacon or jerked beef.

Farofa:​ Toasted manioc flour, usually with added bacon bits.

Pastel:​ similar to a pasty, but consisting of deep-fried thin pastry envelopes containing anything from minced beef and chicken to crab or cheese.

Rissole:​ often filled with chicken, sweetcorn or cheese.

Torresmo:​ similar to pork scratchings