Here’s a little cold storage trivia for you: It’s the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday: What meaty food item is occupying a lot of space in our Auburndale facility?
Turkey? (No … I mean, let’s be honest, that wouldn’t be very “trivial,” would it?)
Brisket for smoking? That smells yummy, but no.
Ham? Well … you’re in the right species.
It’s hot dogs and hot dog buns.
Honest.
Every year, in the lead-up to the holiday season, we get large shipments of hot dogs and buns. Many of the buns come from a local bakery and they all line the walls of the building. It’s a pretty interesting sight.
So why hot dogs at Thanksgiving? As near as I can figure, after the huge production of a Thanksgiving meal, Momma ain’t cooking anymore. At least for a few meals, the family can live off of cold leftover turkey sandwiches, or warm hot dogs on toasty buns. Toppings are up to you.
Hot dogs in November may be a little unexpected, but rolling with the unexpected is something we’ve all become experts at over the last year or so.
Supply chain problems? There are so many hiccups in the supply chain these days, it’s scary. Yet we learn to adapt to longer wait times. We plan accordingly.
Worker recruitment and retention problems? I believe we are getting used to seeing the “short-staffed” signs at our favorite restaurants and other haunts. We adapt accordingly. The staffing problem has hit us as well, but our loyal, longer-term employees have adapted to keep us on schedule while maintaining the quality service our customers have come to expect. We, and our customers, plan accordingly.
So while the hot dogs signal the beginning of all the goods we will store during the holiday season and beyond, we are ready. If, because of supply chain issues, our holiday storage load is a little smaller than in years past, we are ready.
Either way, these past 18 months or so have taught us how to adapt and survive whatever comes our way.
For that, we are thankful. And we hope you can be thankful, too.
