Educational Seminar Focuses on Menu Ideas for Restaurants in Guatemala

An educational seminar was conducted for management and staff of the La Estancia restaurant chain in Guatemala

Encouraging a major restaurant chain in Guatemala to offer more dishes featuring U.S. red meat was the goal of a USMEF seminar highlighting the quality and menu appeal of U.S. beef and pork. The seminar, held for staff of La Estancia Restaurant, received funding support from the Beef Checkoff Program and the Pork Checkoff.

A high-end steakhouse, La Estancia has 13 locations in Guatemala, including 11 in Guatemala City. More than 60 directors, managers and staff from the chain attended the seminar, which centered on a presentation by Saul Bueso, USMEF-Central America meat consultant. Bueso covered the attributes and characteristics of U.S. beef and pork, as well as the USDA grading system and classification of carcasses. He also demonstrated proper cooking methods for beef and pork.

Bueso detailed specific U.S. beef and pork cuts likely to increase sales of U.S. beef and pork dishes at La Estancia restaurants around the country. Because USMEF also works with importers that supply La Estancia, the seminar was “an integrated approach” to promoting U.S. beef and pork in the region.

USMEF introduced cuts of U.S. beef and pork to help the restaurant chain improve and diversify its menu

“One of the goals of this seminar was to bring different segments of the trade together,” said Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF marketing director in Central America. “We know the type of customer that La Estancia is trying to attract, so it is important to demonstrate – to both the restaurant staff and the importers that supply them – how dishes featuring U.S. beef and pork can help increase traffic and improve their bottom line.”