Last updated January 2026.
In 2024, takeaway food service revenue in Australia reached a 20-year high of $24.5 billion. This highlights an ongoing opportunity for supermarkets and grocery retailers to offer healthier, more affordable food-to-go meals for customers with busy lifestyles.
And one of the most popular food-to-go options? Hot chickens. By adding simple hot sides, retailers can boost sales and give customers a complete, ready-to-eat meal.
Maximise Convenience and Freshness with the Flexeserve® Hot Food Display
The Flexeserve® Zone is a revolutionary hot food display cabinet designed to maintain the quality of hot sides without compromising appearance or freshness, thus reducing food waste. With plug-and-play convenience, the Flexeserve® Zone allows operators to place hot food at the front of the store where visibility and accessibility drive impulse purchases.
Upselling Options with Your Food Displays
More Chicken
Upselling doesn’t have to mean changing your menu. Sometimes it’s simply offering more of what customers already love. Many business owners see success in adding hot items such as chicken wings or tenders alongside whole chickens. It’s an easy way to feed larger groups and cater to different preferences.
Hot Chips
Hot chips are always a customer favourite and one of the easiest sides to prepare and sell. Best of all, hot chips offer incredible margins of 70%+.
And there’s no need to install a kitchen. Our benchtop, ventless fryer, the Perfect Fry is safe, automated and produces a consistent, high-quality result every time.
The Flexeserve® Zone can then keep chips hot and crispy in a self-serve cabinet longer than other bain maries or serve-over cabinets, without unwanted condensation that leads to a disappointing, soggy chip.
Roasted Vegetables
Roasted potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and onions will maintain their crispy edges and tasty caramelisation in the Flexeserve® Zone hot food display, which can hold these products fresh for several hours.
Steamed Vegetables
For a healthier option, steamed vegetables such as peas, broccoli, and beans can be held in the Flexeserve® Zone. Many frozen vegetable products are also easy to prepare using a combi oven, making them a simple way to add nutritional variety to your hot food offer.
Rice & Pasta
Sides like rice or mac and cheese are the perfect accompaniment to roast chickens, with many supermarkets already stocking heat-and-serve versions of these dishes that can be preheated and held in a hot food display.
Gravy
Gravy remains a popular accompaniment, making it a simple and effective way to enhance the customer’s meal. You can buy pre-made gravy, or opt for individual serving-size retail packs that can be heated and sold hot or cold, and then displayed inside the display unit or in handy condiment baskets, also available from Flexeserve.
Hot Food Displays Drive Meal Solutions That Sell
Today’s customers expect more than just convenience. They want quality, variety, and freshness. A modern hot food display like the Flexeserve® Zone gives retailers the flexibility to meet those expectations while increasing revenue per transaction. From classic roast accompaniments to comfort sides, every food display is an opportunity to boost your bottom line.
Want to know more about setting up a high-performance hot food cabinet display? Contact Meris at 1800 265 771 or email [email protected] for expert advice.
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