Menu Diversity

Thinking back a couple years, we were connected with a new bar client.  Upon the first consultation, we discovered that they were having some issues getting food out in a timely fashion and that their fryers were regularly backed up during service.  As I was combing through their menu, something stuck out to me.  Their entire appetizer section was all fried options.  I asked the owner, “Why do you have so many fried options as starters?”  Their response was “That's what our customers want.”  On top of the app section, I noticed there were a lot of sides that were also fried, along with french fries on sandwiches, burgers, etc. that went with some of their highest selling dishes.

I made the suggestion that we develop some fresh menu items that would not only entice your guests to want to try them, but help alleviate some of their ticket time issues and their fryer being jammed up.  They mentioned they had been doing this for years and were not really receptive to making the menu adjustments.  We also pointed out that many other local competitors in the market had similar menus, lots of fried foods, many buying the same products from the same vendors, most likely.

I took it upon myself to put some fresh ideas together and present the menu ideas to the client.  They were quite impressed and said they would like to see these live so they could taste.  We packed up some food and went in about a week later to cook through with them.  They loved the ideas and asked for support to implement.  We started off with a couple of them as specials and to the owners surprise, they were selling like crazy.  A couple weeks later, we helped implement and train their staff on the new prep and station layouts to make everything fit accordingly.  The culinary team was very impressed and you could see the excitement in their eyes when they put up some of the new food.  

The moral of the story here, menu diversity is crucial to the success of your business.  Having too many fried/grilled/roasted options can cause a ripple effect to the kitchen, jamming up equipment, delaying ticket times, and creating a not so great experience for the guest.  It’s also important that as operators, we identify what the competition is doing, so that we can separate ourselves from the pack, providing a unique guest experience whether you’re a bar, quick service concept, high end restaurant, etc.  This also creates a menu variety that would appeal to all diners and create a recipe for success, driving new business and return business through the doors.