High Steaks: How Piccolo Me Increased Sandwich Sales with Sous Vide Protein

Running a multi-site hospitality group means every decision gets multiplied. A great product choice scales beautifully across your whole network. A poor one? Same deal. That is exactly why Nicholas Faddoul, Food and Beverage Operations Manager at Piccolo Me (FABE), takes protein sourcing so seriously.

With nearly 50 locations across Australia, Piccolo Me needs menu items that taste incredible, cook consistently, and require minimal staff training. When raw steak started creating headaches at the grill - resulting in inconsistent quality, franchise staff unsure of technique, and unnecessary food waste - Nicholas knew something had to change.

The answer came in the form of the Few & Far Food Professionals chargrilled sous vide steak. And the results speak for themselves.

The Challenge with Raw Protein at Scale

Steak has always been a crowd-pleaser, but it is one of the hardest proteins to execute consistently across a franchise network. Different skill levels, different grill setups, and different timing all create variables. At Piccolo Me, raw steak was on the menu - but it simply wasn't working.

The search for a better solution led Nicholas to the Few & Far Ready to Heat Steak. This premium Australian beef steak is cooked consistently via sous vide, then chargrilled and packed, leaving it ready to heat in just two minutes on the grill. No guesswork, no training drama, and no waste. Just the exact same standard, every single time.

"This one was simple and easy. It’s precooked. Two minutes on the grill and it’s done. Our steak sandwiches are perfectly made every time," Nicholas says.

Enter: The High Steaks Sandwich

Re-launched across Piccolo Me’s corporate stores in early 2025, the ‘High Steaks Sandwich’ quickly became one of the brand’s standout menu items. The build is simple and deliberate: the chargrilled, sous vide steak is flashed on the grill and served in a square brioche bun with aioli. The sweetness of the bread and the richness of the aioli create the kind of flavour combination that brings customers back.

The steak has also found a second home on the menu as a premium protein topper for salads. Ask Nicholas if that has been a popular addition to the green menu, and his answer is pretty clear: "Hell yeah."

The numbers back up the enthusiasm. Since switching to the Few & Far Ready to Heat Steak, steak sandwich sales across Piccolo Me’s corporate stores have increased tremendously.

Across a scaled operation, that kind of consistency in both product quality and sales performance is exactly what a brand needs to thrive.

The Smash Burger Effect

The High Steaks Sandwich isn’t the only success story at Piccolo Me. Nicholas and his team have also been using the Few & Far Food Professionals Formed Burger Patty to elevate their burger game.

Smash burgers have exploded in popularity for good reason. The technique - pressing a ball of beef hard onto a screaming hot flat-top - maximises the Maillard reaction, creating an intense, caramelised crust that traditional pre-formed patties often struggle to replicate.

However, Piccolo Me has unlocked a hybrid solution using the 150g Few & Far Formed Burger Patty (100% beef, nothing else), smashing it to order for a crispy-edged, juicy result that hits all the right notes.

The key advantage for a franchise group? The structural consistency that a formed patty delivers. Same weight, same fat ratio, and same cook time - every single time. There are no thick spots, no thin spots, and no over- or undercooked results to frustrate staff and disappoint customers.

"With raw mince you’d get them too thick, or not cooked through, or overcooked and dry," Nicholas explains. "With the Few & Far formed patty, you just press it a little, and it’s done. The result is consistent across the board."

The operational shift has paid off significantly: burger sales at Piccolo Me have surged since adopting the Few & Far Formed Burger Patty, seeing an increase in sales.

Operational Impact Across the Network 

For a group the size of Piccolo Me, the operational benefits are just as compelling as the sales numbers. Few & Far proteins have changed the game in three key ways:

• • Training is now a non-issue: Piccolo Me provides simple training videos for each franchise. The straightforward nature of the product means that even new team members get it right from day one. Less variation means less re-cooking and less stress during peak service.
  • Food waste is down: Raw steak oxidises quickly in the fridge, and cooking mistakes lead to immediate wastage. The chargrilled sous vide steak has a refrigerated shelf life of 4-5 days once defrosted - significantly better than raw beef. Because it cooks perfectly every time, there is far less product going in the bin.
  • Portion consistency is locked in: Every steak is the exact same weight. Across dozens of sites, that uniformity is invaluable for strict cost control, predictable margins, and brand consistency.

"Consistent quality has improved across the whole brand," says Nicholas. "Every venue is making it up the same way. That’s what you need when you’re operating at scale." 

What's Next for Piccolo Me?

Nicholas is already thinking ahead. With FABE, the parent group behind Piccolo Me, recently acquiring SolBowl and Bean Bar, the group’s culinary footprint is expanding. He sees Ready to Heat proteins playing an even bigger role across those new venues in the future.

His message to other QSR and multi-site operators considering a similar switch is simple.

"The feedback from customers has been a lot better since we made the switch. The product is tender, juicy, consistent - and the team can execute it every time. If you’re running multiple sites, you need that reliability."

Ready to Heat. Ready for Your Menu.

The Few & Far Food Professionals Ready to Heat range includes sous vide steak, chicken breast, diced beef, and chargrilled meatballs, alongside slow-cooked lamb shanks, beef short ribs, seared and bar-marked proteins, and premium cooked burger patties. All items are fully cooked, frozen, and specifically designed for commercial kitchens that need to deliver fast without cutting corners.

Whether you’re running a single local cafe or a national franchise group, the range is built around the same core principle: premium proteins that make service easier, reduce waste, and keep customers coming back for more.

Explore the Few & Far Food Professionals Ready to Heat range at https://few-far-foods.com.au/professionals/products/premium-sous-vide