Month: June 2018

greek yogurt with granola for protein snack

5 Energy-Boosting Snacks To Keep In Your Office

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Falling asleep at your desk but already met your caffeine limit for the day? Try one of these energy-boosting snacks instead of going for another cup of coffee. They’re simple and can give you the energy you need to power through the rest of the workday.

1. String Cheese

If your perception of string cheese is that it’s just a snack for kids, think again. String cheese has great benefits that can keep you going. In addition to carbs from the milk, there’s a good dose of protein and calcium. There’s even a ‘light’ option that’s healthier as it has less saturated fat. You can even mix it up with some fruit or beef jerky if you’d like.

2. Trail Mix

Not just for hikers, trail mix is an excellent source of good fats, fiber, and protein and is always a good choice when it comes to snacks that give you energy. Even if you don’t like the varieties offered by snack brands, you can always make your own with the exact kinds of nuts and fruits you like.

3. Hummus and Vegetables

A Mediterranean dish that’s made from chickpeas, sesame seed paste, olive oil, and lemon juice, hummus is full of fats and protein. Combined with some vegetables, this snack is an easy and healthy way to help sustain enough energy to get you through the workday.

4. Yogurt

Yogurt–particularly Greek yogurt– is a great source of protein. You can easily add fruit, granola, or oats to keep yourself full and going longer.

5. Oatmeal

Carbs are your body’s primary source of energy. While the extra boost you get from them might not last as long as protein (since protein takes longer to break down), whole grains such as oats do last a little longer and contain B vitamins like niacin, thiamin, and folate, that work together to help metabolize energy.

3 Basic Needs For Hotel Pantry Setup

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Considering a pantry for your hotel? It’s a wise choice. As guest preferences change and become more focused on convenience, a hotel pantry is an optimal way to provide snacks and beverages that are easily accessible.

But if you currently don’t have a pantry, where do you begin? While it can seem overwhelming to have one installed, it’s really not too difficult. With some planning and an understanding of three basic needs to get started, you can have a hotel pantry up and running sooner than you think.

1. Space

Making sure you have the room to install a pantry in your hotel is the first decision to make. It doesn’t need to be huge, but large enough to accommodate the amount of snacks and beverages you will need for guests. When deciding on where to put the pantry, keep in mind that the goal is to have it in a place that is easily accessible and highly visible to attract guests to it. A pantry does no good if it’s tucked away in a dark corner where guests don’t frequently go. Right in the lobby is typically the best choice. It’s convenient for guests and easy for staff to manage.

2. Establish a Budget

There are two primary costs for managing a hotel pantry: the hardware, such as shelving and cabinets, and the products to sell. The cost for installing the shelving units cabinets will depend on the size of your pantry. Generally speaking, the millwork runs about $2,000-$2,500, while the coolers for drinks cost around $3,000 each. Most pantries will use two coolers, so the total cost will be about $9,000. (That might seem expensive, but it’s a fixed price, and with a well-managed pantry, you should make it back within the first several months.)

As for supplies, you’ll need to establish a monthly budget to purchase them. But how do you know how much product to order? There are two options here: First, you can purchase plenty of items and stock them as you run out while keeping track of your sales. Second, you can use a supply delivery service that helps you gauge how much you’ll need. Keep in mind, however, that you don’t want to limit how much you can sell based on a fixed budget. If you find the pantry consistently selling out of product, go ahead and purchase more if it means more sales…therefore more profits.

3. Designate a Manager

A pantry won’t manage itself. For it to be successful and yield profits that add value to your hotel, you need to take it seriously. Designating someone to oversee its operations is important to ensuring the pantry adds value. Develop a system to help keep track of sales and replenish empty shelves when necessary. The worst thing for a hotel pantry is empty shelves. It doesn’t look good and can become an inconvenience for guests.

With these strategies in mind, you’ll be off to a successful start when installing your hotel pantry.

comparing cost of snack delivery services

How Much Does A Snack Delivery Service Cost?

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One of the main concerns of using a snack delivery service is how much it will cost. The answer, however, isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Different factors can influence how much you’ll pay for snacks and beverages, so we’ll do our best to address them all to help you best judge what the approximate cost will be for your company.

Many office managers have come to realize the benefits of providing free snacks for employees. This office perk can help increase:

  • productivity
  • happiness
  • efficiency

But the problem most offices run into is finding a way to purchase the products. Often, an employee is tasked with going to the grocery store and/or a wholesale supplier like Costco or BJ’s to get the items desired. This approach is time-consuming and can add stress to the employee.

A snack delivery service helps eliminate those problems. But, like many other products or services, there are different options for having snack and beverage items delivered to your office, each with its own unique approach that can affect the price of the service.

What Factors Affect The Cost Of Snack Delivery Service

The two biggest factors that affect the price of a snack delivery service are:

  • Number of employees
  • Snack preferences

It’s really no surprise that the number of people that work in your office will influence how much you pay for snacks. The more employees, the higher the cost.

Additionally, the kinds of snacks your employees want will also affect the price. Some products are more expensive than others. For example, healthy snacks are in high demand, but that could mean they’re going to cost more.

The type of service you choose will also factor into the cost. Let’s discuss the types of snack delivery services available for your office.

The Different Types Of Snack Delivery Services

Subscription Box

This type of snack delivery service provides customers with a monthly order of snacks via a subscription payment. There are many different options when it comes to subscription boxes, and a lot of them tend to focus more on healthy items. For example, Healthy Surprise offers snack bars, nuts, exotic fruits, and vegetables. Others provide brands like Clif Energy Bars and Pipcorn. The cost for a subscription box varies, but generally will be between $50 for smaller offices and can run up to $250 or more for larger locations.

Grocery Delivery

Another way to get the snacks you want to be delivered to your office is through grocery delivery services. Companies like Shipt, Instacart, and Amazon Fresh are some of the more popular companies in this space. These services have become popular of late, as you’re able to select the exact items you want. With grocery delivery, an employee of the service you choose will get your list of requested items, go to the store themselves to get them, then deliver everything. Pricing varies for grocery delivery services as well, and is typically a yearly subscription. The only downside to this is that it can be difficult for shoppers to find enough individual sized bags of products.

Wholesale Product Delivery

A wholesale snack delivery service is sort of a combination of both grocery delivery and subscription boxes. It enables you to order the products you want and have them shipped to your office right from the supplier’s warehouse. Here at Supply Wizards, we connect you with a local vending operator via our online platform so you can choose all the items you want and have it delivered from a local company. The cost is only as much as the amount of items you choose to have delivered.

The Bottom Line

The cost of a snack delivery service varies. When looking for a service, it’s important to know what will influence the price and understand all your options so you can choose the best service for your office.

iced coffee vs cold brew

What’s The Difference Between Cold Brew & Iced Coffee?

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Now that summer has (unofficially) begun, it’s time to ask your office coffee service about adding some cold options to the regular mix of coffee products. But before you put in the request, do your employees prefer cold brew or iced coffee?

Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee: What’s the Difference?

The short answer is that cold brew is made without any heat at all, while iced coffee is made the same way as regular hot coffee, except that it’s cooled and then poured over ice.

But that’s just the difference in how they’re made. What makes them different from each other is the taste, which is determined by the temperature of the water while brewing the coffee.

How Temperature Affects Coffee Flavor

A regular cup of hot coffee is typically brewed between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, more acid and solubles are extracted, which gives coffee its light and floral notes. So when making iced coffee (that is, pouring regular coffee over ice), it tastes similar to hot coffee, but it’s cold.

With cold brew coffee, the acidity levels are much lower because the water isn’t hot enough to extract the same amount as a hot cup. This decrease, however, means that more grounds are needed to make the coffee taste just as good.

Two Ways Cold Brew Coffee Is Made

There are two ways cold brew coffee is made: immersion and slow drip.

  • Immersion: This process involves steeping ground beans for 12-24 hours, and is better for home brewing as it is a simpler process.
  • Slow drip: Although faster, 3-5 hours, this process is more expensive due to the equipment needed. Ice water is dripped onto ground beans then collected in a carafe underneath.

Compared to cold brew, iced coffee is a lot easier to make. The good news is that both cold brew and iced coffee should be available through your local office coffee service, so you can have it delivered right to your office. You just need to do a quick survey to determine which kind is more popular among your employees.