Upper Crust to shake up menu to beat inflation

UPPER Crust owner SSP is planning to offer customers less choice as it frequently changes its menus to adapt to fluctuations in meat and fish prices.

SSP chief executive Patrick Coveney said his company was “working hard to rebalance the choice of proteins” in an attempt to keep its food affordable during the cost of living crisis.

Mr Coveney said: “We’re looking at how we move between ingredients such as salmon, tuna and prawns, and chicken, pork and ham, and working to tweak ranges to manage inflation.”

SSP, which also owns the Caffe Ritazza chain, operates primarily in travel hubs, such as train stations and airports. It said spend per passenger was on the rise compared with prepandemic levels, as holidaymakers who had saved up during lockdowns were now splurging on getaways, including at the start of their trips in airports.

Sales in train stations are, however, yet to rebound to pre-covid levels.

The signs of pressure over rising costs were echoed by other food businesses, including the owner of Wagamama, which said it was now expecting food and drink inflation to come in at between 9pc and 10pc for the full year, from earlier forecasts of 5pc. None the less, the Restaurant Group said it was keeping its forecasts unchanged.

Sandwich maker Greencore, meanwhile, warned that “the inflationary environment remains volatile”.