When it comes to raising the level of quality of your ingredients, it ultimately increases the cost of those ingredients as well. And while many QSRs and fast-casual restaurants do their best to not pass those costs along to customers, it can be difficult to strike a balance between quality and increasing cost of doing business at a higher level.

At a minimum, restaurants that choose higher-quality ingredients (fresh produce, animals raised without antibiotics, etc) can expect a two percent increase in their food costs.

Associated with this cost is something that many people don't often think about - the cost of food safety training for the proper handling of higher quality (and fresher) foods. The cost of this kind of training can be high - and with a generally high turnover rate in the QSR-fast casual industry, brands are looking at a lot of money spent on food - and training on how to properly handle that food.

So how do restaurants and chains offer premium dishes with higher-quality ingredients without breaking the bank? Here are three good examples:

1. Rotating the menu. By buying ingredients that are in-season and readily available, restaurants can cut costs and introduce fresh, new options for diners. Yes this means that a diner may not always find their favorite dish on the menu, but it means they may find another dish they really like. This build loyalty and create repeat customers.

2. Rotate the ingredient list. This is similar to point one, but it allows restaurants to maintain menu items but switch up ingredients based on what's in-season. So in the summer a restaurant may offer a dish with one particular set of vegetables. In winter, that same restaurant may offer the same menu item - but with different vegetables

3. Offer limited-time menu items. Often, a restaurant will be made aware of a low price of a particular premium ingredient that can be "locked in" for a certain amount of time. This item can be incorporated into a special menu dish that's only offered for a few weeks or months.

Customers need to feel as though they are getting high-value menu ingredients - so it's imperative that restaurant operators market their premium menu offerings accordingly to ensure maximum awareness. This awareness can often offset any resistance customers may have to slight price increases due to the use of premium ingredients.

Got a favorite premium menu ingredient you'd like to see incorporated into a menu? Let us know in the comments.