Core Capabilities

• Culinary Consulting
  Something as simple as perfecting a recipe for macaroni & cheese to sourcing genetically verifiable natural angus beef
• Concept Development
  We have assisted owner / operators from paper concepts to site location, physical plant design, capital equipment purchases, recruiting and staff training
• Menu Concept Research
  Using the process of “discovery” to develop an encompassing knowledge of cuisine and service styles for a specific operation
• Menu Engineering / Ideation
  From menu item inspiration to the science of driving sales from your menu layout and design
• Consumer Culinary Trends Research
  Information you need to make menu and operations decisions provided in a concise format
• Foodservice Operations Consulting
  From receiving the first deliveries of the day to running the nightly “Z” report we have the experience and partner knowledge to assist you in developing operating best practices

Hospitality Marketing Capabilities

• Foodservice Marketing (Manufacturers)
  Delivering your capabilities using our “partners” business model offers a focused message with value
• Foodservice Marketing (Operators)
  The capability to capture the attention of your target demographic across media formats
• Food & Menu Trends Research
  What is currently trending in hospitality regarding consumer demands, menu innovations and flavor trends

The Menu Spring uses a “partner” business model to better allocate the resources of our associates to provide a better value for our clients.  While our core team is trim we can bring the full force of a spectrum of services to a project or ongoing services at the desired level to best service the budgetary needs of our clients.

Our “Guide” is Tim Nicholson whose industry experience spans five decades.  Practically being born into the hospitality industry didn’t hurt when he started as a bellhop at age 11 carrying guest’s luggage for tips in a resort hotel on eastern Long Island, NY.  Tim’s experiences included stops at the front desk, maintenance, housekeeping, guest services as a beach attendant and finally in the resort kitchen where he found his passion beginning as a breakfast cook.

Tim followed that desire to provide service to the hospitality industry by attending culinary and hospitality operations management courses within the SUNY system where he earned a culinary degree and was voted the “most outstanding graduate” of his class.  The thirst for knowledge that was sparked in culinary school lead him onto a BA in hospitality management and finally a MA in tourism.

We invite you to learn more about our passion for food and hospitality and encourage you to contact us so we may begin learning and sharing from each other.

Trips Diner, Seminole / St. Petersburg, FL

• Menu Item Revision: Analysis and review of the sauce and soup menu categories to perform an evaluation to determine potential for flavor profile upgrades. New recipe development and product introduction to elevate revised menu items.

La Segunda Central Bakery, Ybor City, Tampa, FL

• Catering Program: Development of off-premise catering program to include menu development, layout and printing.  Creation of program policy and procedures, catering director position description, standardized recipe development, catering event order and catering production order form creation and production.
• Sales and Service Training: Development of a customer sales and service training program to include trainee / instructor manuals, policy and procedures, conflict management, uniform standards, sales and service techniques.  Concept creation, script development and production of a training video to support an upgrade of service standards and to drive new sales.
• Café Menu: Menu development to include standardized recipes, staff training, menu revision / engineering, new menu items and purchasing guide to support the roll out of a new Café Menu including photo shoot, graphic design and printing management to support the Centennial Anniversary of an iconic bakery brand in Tampa, FL under continuous family ownership and operation for over 100 years.
• Competitive Review / Menu Analysis: Review of local market independent and chain competitors within the Bakery Café segment to determine clients’ market position.  Menu Sales Analysis of client breakfast and lunch product mix to determine core menu items for new Café Menu (above) and items to be designated a place on their “secret menu”.

Sunday's Delicatessen, Ybor City, Tampa, FL
Provided a custom, independent online ordering system for both a la carte and catering menus in partnership with takeout-button.

The Stone Soup Company, Ybor City, Tampa, FL
Conducted an evaluation of the current menu (menu engineering sale analysis) to determine any necessary revisions to drive sales of high contribution margin items to increase overall sales.


Toppers Pizza, Whitewater, WI
Culinary research and development project to create new LTO pizza's, dipping sauces, cheese blends and "Toppers Stix" (appetizer) menu options.


Waterset Café, Tampa, FL
Sub-contracted to research and source locally produced food and beverage products for casual cafe concept in Tampa, FL market for Newland Properties operating group for Synergy Restaurant Consultants.


Nartowicz International Culinary Consulting, LLC, Orlando, FL

• Member of the Lead Chef Team in the supervision and execution of food preparation and production for a national retail chain for new hot entrée roll-out for the clients’ “Holiday Preview” Managers Conferences in Dallas, TX and Orlando, FL.
• Execution and presentation of new menu item concept preparation and production for regional retail chain for bakery, deli and entrée departments to support retail unit re-branding kick-off in New York.

Anheuser-Busch, On-Premise Division, St. Louis, MO
Developed menu concepts incorporating brewed beverage alcohol products for casual dining client operator menu items and specialty products.


Meyer Natural Angus, Loveland, CO
Developed menu item concepts and recipes for retail and food service clients, prepared food concepts for clients visiting their Blackfoot Valley Ranch, Helmville, MT.


McIlhenny Co., Avery Island, LA (Tabasco® Brand Products)
Culinary concept development including menu items, sauces and glazes using proprietary sauce products for food service clients and retail products.


Spice, Inc. Restaurant Group, Spartanburg, SC

• Assisted ownership with menu development, standardized recipes, line-staff training materials and trained both FOH / BOH staff for casual concept previously under development.
• Created Casual Pub concept to include menu, standardized recipes, management and line-staff SOP, line-staff orientation and training manuals, training of FOH / BOH staff, purchasing system and control procedures. 
• Developed off-premise catering operation to complement existing independent casual dining restaurant to include menus, standardized recipes, marketing and sales promotions.

Tampa Bay Partners, Safety Harbor, FL
Menu item concept development, preparation and execution of Focus Group study to include salad, sandwich, entrée and sauce testing for a national casual dining chain.


Kurdi's Mediterranean Grill, Tampa, FL
Conducted an Operations Assessment to determine potential efficiencies, cost savings and food improvements in service to the guest. Created a seven-point Action Plan to include revamp of service format, creation of standard operating procedures, menu/service revision to fit operational constraints, establish front and back of house management responsibilities, establish purchasing and receiving procedures, create a communication system for front and back of house staff and establish food handling and safety best practices.


Auger Enterprises, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Developed first employee orientation manual for a client in business 50 + years to include position descriptions, policy and procedures for two separate restaurants (upscale steak house and casual Creole cuisine concept) and nightclub with revenues exceeding $6 million annually. Developed first company-wide food and beverage purchasing and controls policies and procedures and executed implementation.

LaSegunda Training Video:
One of our capabilities is video creation and production for our clients who require additional platforms for sales or training purposes.  This video is a short clip of the work we performed to create a "Sales Training" program to increase our clients retail bakery and cafe sales.

Dining Out Radio:
We strive to provide "value added" public relations opportunities for our clients and created a "two for one" for two different clients with an appearance on a local radio show with a "dining out" theme.  The restaurant operator is a family owned and operated Italian cuisine casual dining operation and the industry vendor offers a custom "online ordering" platform.

St. Pete Saturday Morning Market "Taste Cart" program:
While we support our clients in their food service operations we also support the next generation through our volunteer mentoring efforts.  Here students from the St. Petersburg PTEC campus participated in a cooking and tasting demonstration at a local fresh market.

Pinellas Technical College culinary students from the St. Petersburg and Clearwater campuses prepared and served free samples of locally grown cuisine alongside taste cart curator, Tim Nicholson, and cookbook author, Mi Ae Lipe, at the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market on November 5. It is all part of a unique program to promote healthy eating using community sponsored agriculture that can be purchased at the popular morning market. PTC students prepared a Sauteed Radishes and Sugar Snap Peas with Dill recipe from the Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe. Dozens of visitors to the market enjoyed the student-prepared cuisine and the accompanying free recipe to make the dish at home.