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Dressings in Solo Cups

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UncleNicksPizza

New member
Since I opened up, I have been using packets of dressing for my wings and salads. After looking at the cost, I found that I can save half the money by buying in the gallon and prepackaging in solo cups (time is not a big concern as we have enough down time that prepping them would not really cost any extra).

My question is if anyone has any experience on using the solo cups vs using pre packaged ones, and also how long I can expect the dressing (I use Golden Italian, Ranch, Blue Cheese, Greek, and Caesar) to stay fresh in the solo cup compared to staying in the gallon once opened (determining whether to prep all at once or as needed).
 
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I have been using the 2oz cups since I opened. I use them for dipping sauces as well as dressing. I only perp what I expect to use in a shift.
 
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Same here, I have always used cups for my sauces & dressings, only prep for bout 2 days worth, I have found out though that the lids (white) that have the hole in them by dart, you can not put any oil dressings in them like the seperating Italian, some reason the lids crack all over, some type of chemical reaction, so only do those up to order never ahead.
 
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daisy:
Same here, I have always used cups for my sauces & dressings, only prep for bout 2 days worth, I have found out though that the lids (white) that have the hole in them by dart, you can not put any oil dressings in them like the seperating Italian, some reason the lids crack all over, some type of chemical reaction, so only do those up to order never ahead.
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I have always used the transparent lids which do not have a hole. I have never had any issues with lids cracking or deteriorating.
 
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Same as Daddio. We use a ton of the 2oz black plastics with clear lid, not Dart but the same idea. Portion out what we expect to use for the day (mark the date on the Cambro or however you’re holding them to keep the Health Dept. happy).
 
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We also prep ahead using transparent cups and lids.

We use cups for dressings, sauces, icing, and dips.

We prep and store in the cooler enough for several days. Some dips like our made from scratch blue cheese dip and sour cream can be stored for over a week (we go through it too fast for that).

If it is kept in a cooler it can last longer than a shift or day.

We average 600 to 800 cups used per week. Using cups has saved us hundreds of dollars a month.
 
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We served them in solo cups for several years and then switched to Newman’s Own in 4oz packets.

The reality was that the 2 oz cup was not big enough even when employees filled them properly (which was often not the case), stock rotation was an issue as was sillage etc in the cars.

Benefit of using Newman’s Own packets is that the customers perceive value there which they do not with generic 2 oz containers.
 
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Bodega,

Being a big fan of Newman’s Owns business practices of donating to organizations and charities, this may be an option I’d like to take into consideration. Do you purchase them through a vendor (Roma, Sysco, Cheney) or direct through Newman’s Own (if that is the case where do you contact them) and what is the cost per packet?
 
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bodegahwy:
We served them in solo cups for several years and then switched to Newman’s Own in 4oz packets.

The reality was that the 2 oz cup was not big enough even when employees filled them properly (which was often not the case), stock rotation was an issue as was sillage etc in the cars.

Benefit of using Newman’s Own packets is that the customers perceive value there which they do not with generic 2 oz containers.
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We were also using the 2 oz containers, and like you, found that they just didn’t hold enough for the customer. We switched to the 3.25 oz containers. They hold plenty of dressing for a salad, and cheese for the breadsticks we deliver.
 
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we now use only 3.25oz cups…we used to use 4oz for large salads and 2oz for small salads but that was a pain so its just one size and honestly I wish we did that years ago. We do have problems especially in the summer months with having the lids “kinda open” with our house balsamic vinaigrette though.
 
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@ Uncle Nick, we get them from Sysco. I am not at the store now, but I think our cost on them runs from about 20 to 30 cents per packet depending on what dressing. But my memory was defective on size. They are 1.5 oz and we supply two of them with a salad. So we are looking at around 40-50 cents per salad. (We deliver a family size, not a single serving that prices out at $9.00)
 
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We use 2 oz solo cups for our Ranch & Signature Italian dressings. 4oz for marinara sauce. Side salad gets 1 cup, Entree gets 2, Family gets 3. We used to use 2 different sizes of cups, but it is so much easier using 1 size, plus the customer now gets a little more dressing. When we switched our ranch from packets to cups I didn’t notice too much of a decrease in cost, maybe 10% iirc? Would have to check again. I know cup & lid runs 3 cents per.

By the way, something I made to ease the holding of the cups and lids. Took some PVC pipe 4"? and cut about 25% off of it, leaving an opening down the length of the pipe about 2" wide. attached them to the wall with a piece of wood for the base. Drop the cups down into the “rack” and are able to lift them out when needed. Is so much better than them falling out of the plastic sleeve or stacks tipping over.

Dan
 
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we switched from packets to cups.dart cups are cheaper then solo.we use the clear ones,1 for a small and 2 for a chef salad.
 
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you may find the opaque ones cheaper by about 20% ofttimes. They don’t require ‘virgin’ plastic.
 
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Hi Guys:

Interesting conversation:

When I first entered the food service supply industry in 1953 everyone used some type of a container as I do not recall pre packaged being available.

Of course in those days lunch at most restaurants was one dollar.

George Mills
 
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