The challenge is no longer simply finding the next new dish. Operators are looking for ingredients that can work across multiple menu applications, reduce back-of-house preparation and SKU counts, and still give guests a compelling reason to dine away from home.
That convergence has put sauces, marinades and finishing ingredients at the center of menu development. Kikkoman is responding with an expanding portfolio of gluten-free foodservice products, including its new Gluten-Free Korean BBQ Sauce. Built on a gluten-free tamari base, the ready-to-use sauce combines savory umami with the sweetness of apple, pear and orange. It is designed to move across applications ranging from marinades and glazes to dipping sauces, finishing drizzles and condiments.
Helping professional chefs translate those products into menu solutions is Chef Andrew Hunter, Executive Chef, Kikkoman Sales USA and a longtime research-and-development chef whose career has included menu and product development work across restaurants, agriculture and food manufacturing. “When you’re looking for a gluten-free menu, look for concepts that are already gluten-free,” Hunter said. Successful gluten-free menu development begins with a straightforward principle: instead of trying to duplicate dishes that traditionally depend heavily on gluten, start by identifying foods and formats that are naturally gluten-free. That can mean grilled meats, stir-fries, rice bowls, vegetables and fajitas served with corn tortillas. Rather than creating a separate culinary vocabulary for gluten-free guests, operators can develop items that fit naturally into the broader menu.”
Hunter noted that one of the major changes for chefs has been the development of gluten-free soy sauces, tamari and other sauces that provide the umami foundation traditionally associated with soy sauce. “When you taste them in what I call application, then you really can’t taste the difference,” Hunter explained. The approach becomes particularly important as operators rethink SKU counts. A sauce that works only for one signature entrée can add complexity. A sauce capable of moving from proteins to vegetables, bowls, tacos, appetizers and even pizza can become a much more valuable back-of-house tool.
Kikkoman’s Gluten-Free Korean BBQ Sauce was designed with that type of cross-utilization in mind. Its apple, pear and orange components do more than simply make the sauce sweet. “The fruit, like Asian pears or apples, tenderizes the meat. It adds a sweetness without just adding sugar. And then, of course, it has its own
flavor,” Hunter detailed.
Those characteristics can give chefs a starting point rather than a finished culinary instruction. Proteins can be marinated before grilling and glazed during cooking. Vegetables can pick up the same sweet-savory profile. Tofu can extend the sauce into plant-forward applications. Hunter suggested cutting tofu before marinating it so the flavor has more surface area to penetrate. In kitchens equipped for vacuum sealing, he sees another opportunity. “I would put the tofu in a pouch with the Korean barbecue sauce and vacuum seal it because that’s going to help drive it into the tofu,” he noted.
The same sauce can move well beyond a traditional Korean barbecue presentation. Rice bowls are an obvious application, but Hunter sees opportunities with tacos, grilled items and even pizza, provided the chef builds a coherent flavor story around it. “Pizza’s loaded with umami,” Hunter said. “This kind of a sauce that has a lot of umami built into it would also be good on a pizza.” There is an important distinction, however. Hunter does not see menu innovation as simply adding Korean barbecue sauce to an existing pepperoni pizza. “It needs its own world,” he added.
That philosophy reflects a larger lesson in cross-utilization. Fewer SKUs should not translate into fewer menu ideas. The goal is to find products flexible enough to support multiple distinctive dishes while allowing the chef to change surrounding ingredients, techniques and presentation.
Ready-to-use sauces can also address another major operating challenge: labor. Instead of purchasing and measuring numerous ingredients to create a sauce from scratch—and relying on multiple employees or locations to reproduce it consistently—a finished sauce gives the kitchen one standardized ingredient. “The beauty of a Kikkoman ready-to-use sauce is it’s really ready to use,” Hunter explained. “The cooking happens on the grill. It’s finishing, it’s maturing, it’s getting the sugars caramelized.”
That consistency becomes particularly valuable for multi-unit operators and kitchens dealing with turnover, training limitations and reduced prep staffs. “And of course, you’re saving on the labor,” Hunter added. “That goes without saying, but it is a really important component.”
Yet Hunter cautions that labor efficiency cannot come at the expense of the restaurant experience. “The last thing we want is to make food in restaurants that people can make at home,” he said. “We’ve got to give them something that’s a reason to go to dinner.”
Hunter also offered a very refreshing take on back of the house labor challenges and how Kikkoman’s sauce solutions can help maximize kitchen efficiency. “If guests value house-cut French fries, a signature smoked protein or a handmade component central to the restaurant’s identity, then stay committed to doing it that way,” Hunter concluded. “The goal with our Kikkoman sauces is to standardize and simplify everything else on the menu.”
That may ultimately be the larger opportunity behind the growth of versatile gluten-free sauces. They allow operators to address dietary needs without creating an entirely separate menu, while simultaneously supporting SKU consolidation, labor efficiency and menu innovation. For chefs, the gluten-free label is only the starting point. The end goal remains the same: signature food that guests crave.
Foodservice operators, chefs and distributors interested in Kikkoman’s Gluten-Free Korean BBQ Sauce and the company’s broader portfolio of gluten-free products can visit KikkomanUSA.com/Foodservice. Qualified foodservice professionals can also use the site’s Request Product Samples program to request products for professional recipe development and testing.
