Why not for private brands?

The retailers with some of the best private brands programs in the nation are constantly watching restaurant menus and looking for trends that can be possibly turned into store-branded products.

So retailers might want to take note of the winners in the 2019 James Beard Awards — knows as the Oscars of the food world — which were announced May 6 in Chicago. They might want to scout the winning chefs and their specialties and — who knows? — turn some of their creations into private brands. 

And retailers might want to check out the menu at Philadelphia’s Zahav restaurant, which received the award for Outstanding Restaurant. Zahav specializes in Israeli cuisine and features items such as Turkish hummus, fried cauliflower, caramelized fennel, Moroccan eggplant and chicken shishlik.

Maybe some of the items that these awarding-winning chefs and restaurants produce are a few years down the road to adopt as private brands. But their creations can also spur other ideas for retailers looking to innovate and offer exclusivity.