2003 Best Merchandising Ideas: Fondues

Fondue. It's one of those wonderful words that speaks not only of equipment but also of the food itself. The word takes its name from the French word fondre, which means to melt, but fondue is so much more than the melted cheese it was once known for. Celebrate the fun and practicality of fondue cooking with great displays, promotional contests, and specialty classes.

Fondue Party

Entertaining family and friends at home is a snap with today's versatile fondue cook sets. While we might think of setting up a beautiful fondue display in the winter months or during holiday times, fondue cooking is suitable for any time of the year. A fun display is an outdoor fondue setting that illustrates this cooking style's versatility and ease of use.

Create a display that evokes a sense of outdoor entertaining by setting up an outdoor bistro table with all the accoutrements of a fondue meal. Incorporate high-quality paper goods and unbreakable tabletop into the display, along with outdoor beverage services and tropical drinkware. Make the setting fun and whimsical to give customers new ideas for outdoor entertaining aside from the traditional barbecue theme.

You could even further accent the fondue cooking style by setting a color-coordinated table, assigning each dinner guest a specific color that matches their colored fondue skewer. Coordinate the colors from drinkware to plates to napkins to table settings. Box these sets up for your customers to buy as add-ons for their fondue purchases.

Complete Meal

Fondue is not only a fun way to entertain and prepare dinner for friends, it can also provide a health-conscious meal with fish, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables cooked in a hot stock. Using a broth base for fondue turns mealtime into a fun, low-caloric, and low-fat way to cook.

Fondue doesn't require any cooking skills to prepare and requires less work by the host since the guests cook their own food. Fondue is also "table theater," as it provides both entertainment and a meal. It's an interesting way for your customers to express their personalities.

Create a display that showcases the ease of hosting a fondue party by listing sample menus of three-course meals. Menus may range from informal ones for family entertaining to formal ones for special occasions. To tell the story in your display, select a variety of equipment with varying price points.

Examples should include three-in-one services to single-style fondue cooking. Be sure to include accessories for the single-serve selections, such as porcelain, ceramic, or earthenware inserts for cheese and chocolate fondue.

Consumers need information and direction to create fashionable fondue meals, so complement your displays with cookbooks and other resources. Include tips for customers to follow to get the best results from their fondue preparation, such as using a tender cut like tenderloin since a fondue pot cooks meat quickly. Other tips include using a candle warmer to keep chocolate fluid and warm, since Sterno burners that come with fondue pots are not suitable unless used with a diffuser because the heat may be too intense for the chocolate. Highlight fondue pots with adjustable flame controls suitable for all styles of fondue cooking. Safety concerns are also directing customers toward utilization of cooking gels versus liquid alcohol-based flames.

Promote fondue through a contest calling on home chefs to create simple three-course meals via fondue cooking. Ask contestants to create a theme - whether it's French, Italian, or backyard barbecue - and provide recipes, decorative ideas, and complementary drink suggestions. Honor the best entry by giving the entrant a complete fondue entertainment collection from your Outdoor Fondue Display.

Take a Dip

One of the best parts of fondue, aside from the cooking, is all the fun sauces and dips you can create to accompany your meal. Hold a class on fondue cooking into which is incorporated a bevy of sauce recipes. The start of the class can focus on creating these sauces and exciting the class about the meal they will prepare in the end. While the sauces are chilling, students can begin chopping vegetables, cleaning shrimp, and preparing the broth for cooking. At the class' end, everyone can sit down and celebrate the art of fondue.
Sauces are also a great focus for demonstrations. Instead of making sauces for demos, select items from your inventory that complement the meal you are preparing. Salad dressings and horseradish blends are great dipping sauces for vegetables and meats. Open a jar of fresh cocktail sauce for seafood fondues or sample specialty mustards with meats. Remember, fondue demonstrations are not only a great introduction to this entertaining style of cooking, but they can also help you promote various other categories in your store.

Quick Tips

Create a display that evokes a sense of outdoor entertaining by setting up an outdoor bistro table with all the accoutrements of a fondue meal.

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Promote fondue through a contest in which you call on home chefs to create simple three-course meals via fondue cooking.

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Hold a class on fondue cooking and incorporate a bevy of sauce recipes. The start of the class can focus on creating these sauces and exciting the class about the meal they will prepare at
the end.

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