Take-and-bake pandemic pivot
When the first lockdown in the spring of 2020 shut down one restaurant after another, owners of food businesses had to become creative about how to survive in a rapidly declining industry.
Spring of 2020 was also the time Mappatura, famous in Halifax Italian bistro fare, decided to transition temporarily to a takeout model.
Simone Mombourquette, who co-owns Mappatura with her partner Terry Vassallo, said while the shutdown knocked most businesses off their feet, they were thinking about how best to utilize limited storage in the restaurant and upscale the business.
That's when Mappatura created a new section in its menu, take-and-bake, where customers can choose to bring home lasagna bolognese, vegetarian lasagna Norma or baked ziti, to bake and enjoy in the safety and comfort of their home.
Mombourquette saw an opportunity right away.
"When pandemic hit, I thought great — this is the time to start this.”
Home cooking became a new normal, with a reported 35 per cent of Canadians learning a new recipe during the pandemic, as stated in Dalhousie University's COVID food literacy report published in February.
Mappatura sold three dozen take-and-bake items a week during the lockdown.
Even though the orders for take-and-bake items went down as they reopened, they don't plan to stop the initiative, said Mombourquette.
"It's been quite popular, even when the restaurant reopened. Customers love it. Some people buy a couple at a time to freeze and bake for the holidays, weekends or evenings when they don't go out," she said.
"We will definitely keep it up. We're having success with it, and we are known for this now."
PIZZAS AT HOME
Piatto Pizzeria & Enoteca in Charlottetown, P.E.I. launched the same initiative when the pandemic closed the pizzeria's door for visitors.
Nicole Vessey, one of the managers at Piatto, said take-and-bake pizzas were quite popular during the first wave of the pandemic but sales have dropped since they reopened.
"During the pandemic lockdown, we were selling 10 a day, but now we are selling 10 a week."
But the initiative already acquired regular customers, which can mean one thing.
"Take-and-bake will definitely stay on the menu for as long as people will eat them," she said.
Currently, Piatto offers five different take-and-bake pizzas, some of which are topped with mouth-watering fresh Fior di Latte mozzarella, calabrese salami and fire-roasted vegetables.
Even though take-and-bake became a global trend relatively recently, the concept always existed in different forms.
Macdonald's Bakery & Coffee Shop in Brudenell, P.E.I, has served take-and-bake pizzas on the Island for years.
Karen Gill had a different experience to share, saying their sales were average last year and not much different than before the pandemic.
"We have nine types of the take-and-bake pizzas, and they have always been popular," she said.
Similarly, Domino Pizza House in Stephenville, N.L. has been selling take-and-bake pizzas for decades.
The restaurant was originally a sub shop when it opened in 1957, said Loraine Estoppey, co-owner of Domino Pizza House.
Estoppey remembers playing with her father in the shop when the place was already selling pizzas, she said.
"I'd be standing on the trolley holding on for dear life with my father running around the place. I remember making uncooked pizzas when I was 16 years old, and I'm almost 50 now," laughed Estoppey.
"We do a lot of uncooked pizzas for people who travel back and forth for work. They take pizzas with them."
On average, they sell 10 take-and-bake pizzas a day to regular customers, not counting special store orders.
Take-and-bake pizzas are not pre-made, she explains, but made fresh as the orders come in.
Customers will often come into the store and buy two pizzas to go, and one uncooked to prepare for later at home, she said.
However, when Domino Pizza House closed for the lockdown, the sales of uncooked pizzas did not go up much. Because this option is widely known around town, sales of the take-and-bake pizzas are always steady.
"The best advertisement is word of mouth, right?" she said.
She points out that in her experience, people are inclined to go with take-andbake options on holidays more than in a lockdown.
"We get more orders when holidays or long weekends come around. People can be buying even five sometimes," she explained.
"People stock up, taking them home, taking them for camping."
SEASONALLY DRIVEN
Geoffroy Chevallier, owner and chef of Le French Fix Pâtisserie in Halifax, said his take-and-bake pastries are more popular during winter holidays than when the lockdown forced him to close his bakery's doors.
Besides French desserts like macarons, caneles, tarts and croustillants, Le French Fix Pâtisserie is also well known for its frozen regular and chocolate croissants. These take-and-bake delicacies are known to be enjoyed for breakfast with a favourite drink.
Chevallier has been selling take-and-bake croissants for eight years since opening the bakery, he said.
"We sell some in person, and many orders come from selling online."
“Currently, the bakery is open for one person at a time, so people still come in to buy freshly baked," said Chevallier.
"Take-and-bake is less popular now than it was on Christmas. On holidays, people think about creating a festivity in their home and having some pastries to go with it."