Menu Spring Bites

            While Mark Twain once said, “The report of my death was an exaggeration” the demise of the lengthy restaurant menu is already in motion.  For years from quick service to casual dining restaurant operators have offered menus with up to 100 + items on them in a strategy of “quantity over quality” and the fear of the “veto vote” by one or more in a dining group who believed the offered dining option did not meet either a culinary or dietary need.

Food & Beverage in Perfect Balance

            So many restaurateurs are experts regarding their cuisine and service style offered to their guests but at times may struggle when they approach the alcoholic beverage category on their menu.  No one operator can be an “expert” in all things hospitality but knowing that you need a beverage program that complements the quality of your cuisine is a great first step.

Fast-Casual OR Fine-Casual  

Your Market Could be the Determining Factor

           Central to the menu often the next major decision for food service operators is the service style they will offer their guests.  We have a client who was torn between fast-casual and fine-casual.  Their business district location suggested they should use the faster service model; however, the upscale quality of their cuisine created a guest perception closer to fine-dining.  Ongoing is a recent uptick in new high-rise residential space so our client wanted to evaluate the opportunity to cater to this young, educated demographic as well.

Many Restaurateurs possess an undying passion for their business and rely upon skills such as creativity, communications and a great service approach.  Sadly there remains the “red-headed” step-child known as operations often overlooked since it’s not sexy or flashy such as a new culinary creation or hyped-up marketing campaign.

Craft Beer, what could I say that all the experts haven’t already said about its’ double-digit growth and “no-end-in-sight” potential?  I could lay out sales statistics such as the categories 21% sales growth in the last 52 weeks.  Perhaps calling out regional growth to include southeast at 24.7%, mid-west at 23.9% and south central U.S. at 19.7% might raise an eyebrow or two?  Actually there’s no mystery to the regional growth since the industry was practically born in California and the Pacific north-west which have only seen single-digit growth for the same time period.