Charcuterie and Cheese Board

Starting a Charcuterie Business

The demand for charcuterie, especially housemade charcuterie using locally farmed meats, has grown steadily for the last several years.1 Consumer interest in these photogenic appetizers shows no signs of waning, and sales have reflected that predilection.2 From Instagram to Pinterest, the seemingly never-ending array of boldly colored and artfully arranged charcuterie portraits prove that many people actually do like to play with their food – and they like it enough to broadcast it proudly on their social media profiles.

For entrepreneurial culinarians, capitalizing on this trend is an appetizing prospect. Many people, however, are unsure how to go about implementing a charcuterie menu at their venue, or unclear what exactly qualifies as "charcuterie" in today's world. To clear up some of the confusion, we'll cover some basic charcuterie definitions, as well as ingredients, tools, and terminology used in contemporary applications. Finally, we'll get down to the meat of the matter: estimating startup costs and creating a charcuterie business plan.

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Why Do People Love Charcuterie So Much?

As the food delivery craze begins to peak, many customers are returning to the shared dining experience with gusto – and it turns out many people like to casually graze on their food instead of chowing down on heavy, full-sized entrees. A salad doesn't always fit the bill either. Charcuterie satisfies the customer's desire for variety and scratches the itch to snack without purchasing several expensive, filling, and often high-calorie appetizers.

Elite Global Solutions charcuterie serving board

Charcuterie provides diners with rich visual and gustatory stimulation.

Charcuterie presents diners with choices of meat, cheese, and other foods, encouraging them to consider all the elements of the board and decide how to mix and match them for the best combinations. This can inspire consumers to slow down and focus on their food, savoring each bite. Shared grazing appetizers often stimulate conversation at the bar or table and can help contribute to a more leisurely, attentive eating experience. After all, when people decide to dine out, they're paying for the ambiance and experience just as much as they are for the food.

The charcuterie trend also addresses consumers' increasing focus on sustainability, 3 as many charcuterie products are made with parts of the animal that have traditionally been discarded. Many products can be locally sourced, as well, reducing the environmental impact of shipping. Due to the preservation methods of charcuterie, many of the ingredients have very long shelf lives, staying fresh for weeks or months at a time.

When thoughtfully implemented, serving charcuterie boards in your restaurant can increase profits, help promote local agriculture, shrink your establishment's carbon footprint, and reduce food waste. For today's adventurous, environmentally conscious consumer class, charcuterie offers an explosion of possibilities in terms of texture, flavor, and responsible dining.

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Understanding Modern Charcuterie

The word charcuterie historically referred to a collection of cold, cooked or preserved pork products prepared in a range of diverse styles; it also refers to a delicatessen-style shop in which such meats are sold.4 A person who prepares and/or sells charcuterie is known as a charcutier.

Today, the colloquial version of the term charcuterie typically refers to any plate, board, or platter on which a variety of fresh, preserved, and dried foods are artfully arranged. A quick google will return thousands of results including everything from traditional smoked and dried meats to chocolate, breakfast, dessert, holiday themed, vegetarian, and vegan "charcuterie" boards.

While the meat is the centerpiece of most traditional platters, customers expect other items such as cheeses, crackers, toppings, and garnishes that complement the meats' flavor profiles and textures. Traditionally, charcuterie meats were mostly pork, but modern charcuterie platters may also include beef, chicken, turkey, duck, or seafood products.5

For a more detailed introduction to charcuterie board components, check out our Charcuterie 101 article.

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Running a Charcuterie Business: Benefits & Challenges

There's no question that starting a charcuterie business can be a lucrative prospect for many entrepreneurs and adventurous chefs, but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for every establishment. There are many aspects to consider when expanding your menu into a whole new area of cuisine, some of which are listed below.

Benefits of Serving Charcuterie

  • Charcuterie production enables "nose to tail" eating, providing restaurants with many opportunities to make use of their meat scraps. Many other components can be made with produce trimmings and scraps, reducing waste and recovering additional profit from existing material.

  • Charcuterie platters offer flexibility and encourage inventiveness. Well-planned boards provide a wide range of textural and flavorful experiences compared to typical appetizer fare. Charcuterie can be a simple way to provide a memorable dining experience and help your restaurant stand out from the crowd.

  • Most charcuterie items have long shelf lives, so they're easy to store and won't go to waste as quickly as fresh or par-cooked meat and produce. Some items can be easily produced in-house, giving you complete control over ingredients and flavor combinations.

  • Charcuterie is on-trend and sought after by the same type of customers who are willing to spend a little more money for a unique experience and/or a higher quality of food.

  • There are endless options for application; seasonal boards, dessert boards, cheese and fruit boards, brunch boards, themed boards – the only limit is your imagination.

  • Recommended beverage pairings and a la carte add-ons offer ample upselling opportunities. And, because it's packed with flavor but not overly filling, charcuterie makes an enticing option for consumers who want a light appetizer to snack on but don't want to overeat or get full too quickly.

  • Opportunities abound for kitchen staff to experiment with unique offerings such as housemade pickles, bread, dips, toppings, chutneys, flavored or candied nuts, fruit, or bacon.

Challenges of Adding Charcuterie to the Menu

  • Some ingredients can be costly and hard to source reliably. Jamon Iberico, for instance, is an expensive cured meat that's often included with pricier charcuterie boards, as are toppings and garnishes such as bottarga, truffles, saffron, or caviar. If you plan to offer upscale charcuterie, it's a good idea to speak with potential suppliers and get a cost estimate for rare or expensive comestibles, if they're available at all.

  • Describing, upselling, planning, and plating charcuterie boards can be complex and difficult to learn at first. Expect to invest some time into staff training before launching your new charcuterie menu.

  • An investment of capital is required up front to stock up on a variety of cheeses and meats as well as the equipment needed to process and serve charcuterie.

  • If you choose to make your charcuterie in-house, you'll need a lot of equipment and space to do so. Buying whole or half pigs is fairly expensive, and requires kitchen staff to have extensive butchery knowledge to make use of the entire animal and recover maximum profits.

  • Keeping space set aside for brining, curing, and drying meat means you'll be paying higher leasing costs for a larger space, and/or losing out on seating areas for additional customers. Depending on your location, you'll also need to apply for special meat-processing licenses, which can be expensive and time-consuming.

  • Customers can become bored if the items on the charcuterie platter are always the same – expect to spend some time planning seasonal changes to the menu and/or hunting for new meats and cheeses.

  • Because it's so popular, there's heavy competition in the world of charcuterie – it can be very lucrative, but it takes some effort to stand out.
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Making a Charcuterie Business Plan

Staring a charcuterie business can be a fun and rewarding way to expand your establishment's bottom line and offer an in-demand product to consumers. Depending on the route you choose, it can be as simple as offering a couple of appetizers, or as complex as building an entire charcuterie menu featuring housemade meat products and accompaniments. For the uninitiated, the world of charcuterie can be overwhelming, and many entrepreneurs aren't exactly sure how to start a cheese and charcuterie business.

To provide some guidance, we'll cover some important aspects you need to consider when building your charcuterie business plan.

Cost & Logistics: In-house vs. Premade

The first thing you must decide is whether you'll make the charcuterie yourself or outsource it. Charcuterie made in-house is always a customer draw and guarantees unique flavors, but ordering premade meats and then slicing and prepping to order can be a faster and simpler way to add the new menu items. Each method has its own advantages.

Making Your Own Charcuterie

Charcuterie made in-house has an undeniable appeal to guests and can command a higher price point on the menu. However, it also requires a significant up-front investment. To produce your own charcuterie, you'll need special equipment such as humidity-controlled walk-in coolers or a curing cabinet for drying and aging meat, and a butcher room to handle meat as whole animals come in. You'll need to either hire a butcher or train your chefs in butchering, and you'll have to go through a licensing process with the state for meat processing.6

It sounds like a lot of trouble, but it allows you to make use of every part of the animal, from prime chops down to the bones for broth, and lets you have complete control over the quality and flavor of what you're serving your customers. It's also a good way to cut out the middleman and widen your charcuterie profit margins. Buying a whole pig and processing it yourself, for example, enables you to acquire high-quality meats at a lower price per pound than if you buy premade, packaged cuts – but only if you're able to use all of it. Due to the level of investment required to create charcuterie in-house, it's typically only done in fine dining restaurants or restaurants that serve mostly charcuterie.

Buying Premade Charcuterie

Another option is purchasing premade meats and then slicing and assembling them to order. One potential drawback of purchasing premade charcuterie is that product quality might vary from one batch to another, or items might go out of stock with very little notice. You also won't always be able to anticipate pricing fluctuations that could quickly eat into your profit margin.

American Metalcraft Charcuterie Display Board

Suppliers may offer design and marketing help.

On the other hand, buying premade requires less time, energy, space, and resources than making your own. It's also a much smaller commitment – if your charcuterie sales sputter out, you won't be left with thousands of dollars of specialized equipment that's now just sitting around taking up space, and you may even be able to sell off your unopened stock.

If you choose the premade route, consider appealing to the locavore crowd by finding a local meat supplier that practices sustainable agriculture. Being able to advertise a local brand of charcuterie speaks to the socially conscious consumer and follows environmentally friendly eating trends.

Such brands are often smaller and willing to work with restaurants to create attractive and lucrative charcuterie boards. Because of the more personal relationship with the farmer as well as reduced transportation costs, charcutiers can often source unique, high-quality meats at an affordable price from local producers. Some companies even offer consulting services to help establish a restaurant charcuterie program.7

Trimming Costs

No matter which route you choose, there are some ways to keep costs down and minimize your up-front investment when starting a charcuterie business. Because charcuterie platters often contain basic ingredients such as sausage, cheese, bread, fresh fruit, and herbs, there's plenty of opportunity for cross utilization with other dishes on the menu. This can make stepping into the world of charcuterie a little easier, since you can always repurpose the ingredients you've bought for other recipes if they're not being turned over quickly enough with charcuterie platters alone.

Whether you start a complete charcuterie-making operation or buy prepared meats from a supplier, there are still many platter components that can be easily made in a standard restaurant kitchen – often with scraps that would have otherwise gone to waste. Rillettes, pates, headcheese, and terrines are often included on charcuterie platters and don't require special storage, drying, or aging to make. Jams, jellies, chutneys, tapenades, brined vegetables, and other dips and toppings can often be made with produce scraps, taking existing material that may have gone to waste and repurposing it into a money-making product.

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Buying Charcuterie Supplies

After you've decided where your meat is coming from and how big your budget must be, it's time for the next step in developing your charcuterie business plan: Making a list of any necessary equipment and supplies you need to purchase, as well as the cost to do so.

Charcuterie boards: Charcuterie is most often presented on a serving board, giving it a more rustic appearance that calls to mind country farms and old-world preparation and serving practices. Boards made of several varieties of wood are available, as well as bamboo, slate, and melamine. Melamine boards are made to resemble wood or stone but are much lighter and more durable. If you want to play up the rustic element, boards are available with bark lining along the sides, and there are round trays made to look like pieces of wood sliced straight from a tree trunk.

Ramekins & serving bowls: Ramekins and sauce cups are often placed alongside the sliced meats, cheeses, and bread on a charcuterie board. These small dishes are excellent for holding single servings of toppings and garnishes with the various meats.

Slicing & serving knives: Having the correct charcuterie cutlery on hand also is important to a charcuterie service; after all, how else will customers cut their cheese or spread their pate? Below are some cutlery pieces used for preparing and serving charcuterie boards.

Spreader Knives

Spreader knives have wide, blunt blades for spreading pates, terrines, and creamy cheeses on crackers and pieces of bread. These are available in many designs, so there may be a piece that matches the flatware pattern you're already using in your restaurant. When purchasing spreaders, keep in mind that you'll need to have one for each spreadable item on the platter, and estimate how many charcuterie boards might be served simultaneously.

Carving Knives

Carving knives are helpful for preparing large cuts of meat, such as hams and roast beef, for charcuterie boards. These knives are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, and may have handles made of plastic, stainless steel, or wood. Because many meats need to be sliced very thinly and neatly, it's also a good idea to keep a honing steel on hand to keep your carving knives as sharp as possible.

Cheese Knives

If your charcuterie boards include cheese, you'll need cheese knives, to either send out with the boards for customers to use at the table, or for cooks to use in the back of the house to prep the cheese before it's served.

There are three main types of cheese knives to consider.

  • A standard cheese knife is made with a blade and handle like a standard knife, except the blade often has a double-spiked tip and sometimes has holes in it to prevent cheese slices from sticking. Some larger models have handles on either end of the blade to make getting through very hard cheeses easier.
  • A cheese slicer, which is a T-shaped tool with a wire stretched taut across the top, is another option. The wire makes slicing cheese easy, but isn't well suited for very hard, aged cheese.
  • You may also choose to buy cheese planes, which look similar to cake or pie servers. These tools have a horizontal blade built in to shave cheese from a block, and a wide, triangular shape for lifting and serving cut cheese.

If you anticipate prepping and serving large amounts of charcuterie, purchasing a cheese slicing machine can streamline the process and reduce labor for your kitchen staff. Most cheese slicers also can slice meat with no problem, but meat slicers typically aren't built to withstand cheese slicing.

Commercial Slicer

If you slice and serve a significant amount of charcuterie meat, it may be a good idea to invest in a commercial meat slicer. This tool enables users to prep lots of meat quickly, but may require some additional training for kitchen staff to operate it safely.

For a prolific charcuterie program, you should consider a slicer with adjustable thickness, and a 1⁄3-horsepower or higher motor to withstand frequent cutting through dense or hard meats. You'll probably need a model with a 12-inch blade to accommodate all shapes and sizes of meat. If you're not selling a very high volume of charcuterie and plan to use one slicer for all your ingredients, make sure the slicer is rated for both meat and cheese slicing, as not all meat slicers can handle cheese.

For locations specializing in charcuterie and/or preparing and slicing meats in view of customers, purchasing a classic flywheel slicer can add a rich visual element to food preparation, conjuring visions of traditional small-scale meat production and heirloom farming practices. When placed in a prominent location, it also can provide entertainment and stimulate conversation as guests watch their food being sliced.

As they say, "everything old is new again," and charcuterie is no exception – customers are seeking more authentic experiences and flavors that hearken back to a simpler time, and going retro-rustic with equipment, accessories, and decor can help fulfill that desire.

Because a single slicer takes twice as long to slice meats and cheeses, and to prevent flavors from mingling, it's a good idea to have separate slicers for high-volume meat and cheese slicing. It's up to you to estimate how much meat and cheese will be sliced each day, and determine whether you need a commercial slicer, or even two slicers.

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Designing a Charcuterie Board

When designing your first charcuterie board, start with the meat. An appetizer board should include about 2 ounces of meat per person, while an entree-sized charcuterie board should have 4 to 5 ounces per person. Decide if the board will have a theme, such as Italian, Spanish, or French meats. Other themes can revolve around flavors: spicy, sweet, gamey, or tropical flavor sets, for example. Try to include some more adventurous options alongside the classic pepperoni and salami found on most charcuterie boards. Pork liver pate, fish terrine, or duck confit can add soft texture and compelling flavor to a meat selection, and they can often be prepared in-house without any special equipment.

Tablecraft charcuterie display serving board

Appetizer boards should include 2 ounces of meat per person; entree-sized boards should have 4 to 5 ounces per person.

The best charcuterie platters use contrasting flavors, colors, and textures that play off each other well. Consider choosing a hard sausage or salami, soft pate or rillettes, and at least one or two cured meats. Pair spicy meats with mild and sweet options and try to find a good balance between light and rich flavors. One expert suggests including no more than one smoked meat, as the smoky flavors can be overwhelming.8

Next, select cheeses to pair with the meats. Depending on the size and complexity of the board, you may want to include anywhere from one to four cheeses. Like the meat, cheese should be chosen for its complementary and/or contrasting texture and flavor. Creamy cheeses and harder, sliceable cheeses should be served with their own knives to prevent flavors from intermingling.

Once the meats and cheese are chosen and the board's flavor profile has been established, you can begin considering what other components, if any, will be included. Most boards include at least one to two bread products, with larger boards including up to four. Some popular charcuterie board options that can be prepared in-house are listed below.

Bread for Savory Boards

  • Sliced and/or toasted bread
  • Crackers
  • Crunchy breadsticks
  • Pretzels
  • Flatbread wedges
  • Pita or lavash bread

Bread for Sweet Boards

  • Cookies
  • Sweet wafers
  • Chiffon cake squares
  • Waffles

Fruit

  • Fresh or dried figs
  • Grapes, berries, or dates
  • Orange segments

Vegetables

  • Fresh, blistered, or sundried tomatoes
  • Pickled or roasted peppers
  • Brined or pickled pumpkin, zucchini, or asparagus
  • Freshly sliced cucumbers or other crudité

Condiments & Toppings

  • Aioli, pesto, tapenade, or chutney
  • Sweet, savory, or spicy jam
  • Fresh honey
  • Herbed dipping oil
  • Almonds, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts
  • Gherkins or cornichons
  • Capers, olives, or cocktail onions
  • Grainy mustard or horseradish sauce
  • Fresh herbs

Don't feel pressured to include all these elements on every board. Diversity is good but cramming your board with too many choices can leave consumers feeling overwhelmed or confused. Each item on the board should pair well with several other items, making it simple for diners to choose complementary flavor combinations. Toppings and garnishes are good for adding color variety to the board, but a little goes a long way. At the end of the day, the meat is still the star of the show.

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Marketing Your New Product

Creative, low-cost marketing solutions are vital to a successful charcuterie business plan. To provide some guidance for restaurateurs wondering how to start a cheese and charcuterie business, several tried-and-true marketing suggestions are covered below.

Once you have designed your restaurant's charcuterie board, you need to get the word out to help ensure its successful debut. Social media is a great way to initially announce that your business will offer charcuterie, and table cards provide a means of displaying enticing images that tempt customers into trying one of your boards. When listing the board on the menu, be sure to include the names of any local producers you have partnered with and highlight any limited time, seasonal, or housemade ingredients.

Share lots of photos on your company's profile pages, and make sure to vary the ingredients that are included from board to board. Make themed boards for holidays, local celebrations and festivals, or large sporting events, and time your photos and promotional posts to coincide with peak consumer interest in the event.

Epicurean charcuterie serving board example

Artfully arranged, high-quality photos are more likely to be shared on social media.

If you decide to make your own charcuterie and/or toppings, consider displaying packaged, labeled versions of the most popular items so customers can purchase their favorites to take home with them. As an added bonus, these products are likely to be shared with friends and family or given as gifts, further spreading awareness of your establishment.

To stoke additional interest and maximize social media shareability, restaurants can offer tickets to chef-hosted charcuterie seminars, focused on educating participants about meat and cheese pairings and giving them tips for attractively arranging charcuterie boards of their own. At the end of the night, participants can take their boards home with them to share with friends and family and stimulate conversation about your establishment. Adding an etched or engraved logo on the board provides them with a nice keepsake and ensures your restaurant is represented in every Instagram and Facebook charcuterie photo they share.

For locations short on space, similar classes can be hosted virtually, with participants joining via video chat. Instead of the hands-on experience of building a board together and taking it home, restaurants can provide a digital coupon at the end of the seminar, as well as a shareable graphic image suggesting potential beer and wine pairings for various meats and cheeses. Make sure to include a company watermark to direct secondary and tertiary viewers back to the original source – your business.

Capitalize on the takeaway trend by offering charcuterie kits to-go. Many people enjoy eating in the comfort of their own home, while others may be searching for a quick and convenient (yet impressive) appetizer for a dinner party or family get together. Preselecting complimentary meats, cheeses, crackers, and toppings makes it simple for them to quickly assemble a professional-looking charcuterie board on their own. Including labels or cards identifying various meats and cheeses and/or introducing locally sourced products and their history can add value to the experience and help stimulate conversation.

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How to Maximize Profits With Upselling

Because it's most often ordered as an appetizer or add-on to an entree, serving charcuterie is also a great way to boost check averages and draw in customers who are looking for a little value added to their meals.

One of the most important first steps in implementing a charcuterie program is properly training your staff. An enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff can help educate customers and spread that enthusiasm, promoting board sales and upselling adjacent products.

Upselling opportunities abound for well-informed merchants; servers can recommend wine, beer, or non-alcoholic drinks with complementary flavors to round out the charcuterie experience. Sparkling wines and highly carbonated beers are always a good match, as their light textures help cut the richness and fat of the meat.

Restaurants can also offer a la carte charcuterie add-ons, such as additional meats, fondue dipping sauces, chocolates, or housemade pickles and spreads to augment the items included with the standard charcuterie board.

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References

  1. See Why More Meat Consumers Are Hopping On Board the Charcuterie Trend. Midan Marketing. Accessed September 2021.
  2. Playing with food is a trend expected to grow in 2021. News.Italian Food.Net. Accessed September 2021.
  3. Survey: Consumers Want Restaurants to Do More for the Environment. PMQ Pizza Magazine. Accessed September 2021.
  4. Charcuterie History and the Cheese & Charcuterie Board. Foodicles. Accessed September 2021.
  5. How to Pick the Best Meats for a Charcuterie Board. Bon Appetit. Accessed August 2017.
  6. The Economics of In-House Charcuterie at Trou Normand. OpenTable. Accessed September 2021.
  7. Charcuterie Program Consulting. Charlito's Cocina. Accessed September 2021.
  8. How to Build a Charcuterie Board Like a Pro. Epicurious. Accessed September 2021.