MENU 12 MIND-BLOWING, MONEYMAKING MENU MOVES TO STEAL FROM COMMERCIAL RESTAURANTS POWERED BY
Photo Courtesy of Island Fin Poke
SAVE THE TRIM AND REPURPOSE INTO A ZERO-WASTE APP OR SNACK The Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao butchers meat in-house and saves the trim for an appetizer of empanadas at Bar Fogo filled with ground beef trim. “While everyone is paying attention to Chicken stars in an unlikely place, pic- tured here: A poke bowl at Island Fin Poke. “Chicken sandwiches, chick- en wings, it’s just all taking off in the restaurant space,” Maze said. “It makes a ton of sense. Chicken, in the U.S., is the most popular protein. You can do all kinds of different things with it and you can make it delicious. Beef is prob- ably in a two-year inflationary cycle, so you’ll have higher prices.” SWAP IN CHICKEN: AS BEEF AND SEAFOOD GO UP, CHICKEN REMAINS A BARGAIN
Photo Courtesy of Fogo de Chao
waste, it pays to get creative and turn it into a shareable or sandwich or other chef-driven item,” Cobe said.
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST: BUILD DEMAND AND FOMO WITH SHORT-LIVED LTOS “The most popular of these was a Pop- eye’s chicken sandwich in 2019 and sup- plies ran out,” Maze said. “The brought it back in the following November and basically kicked off the chicken sand- wich wars. That FOMO (fear of missing out) is really powerful. If you find a way to capture that, it can really generate some strong interest.”
ADD A BOOST AND CHARGE EXTRA
Wellness-boosting ingredients to add on or “boost” a menu item can add up nicely for your operation. “Protein powder or yogurt is a smart way to add protein to a smoothie or bowl and charge a dollar or two extra,” Cobe said. “You can also add a boost with antiox- idant-rich ingredients, like spirulina.”
Photo Courtesy of Lazy Dog
TELL A STORY: MENU DESCRIPTIONS, SOURCING DETAILS SPUR SALES
“At Lazy Dog, the menu describes how the cheddar cheese curds are made with Ellsworth Cooperative Cream- ery’s all-natural white cheddar curds,” Cobe said. “They’re located in Ells- worth, Wisconsin, which is also known as the Cheese Curd Capital of Wiscon- sin.” Reportedly, the dish is a crowd pleaser that pairs well with beer.
Photo Courtesy of Smoothie King
FSD QUARTERLY
Q3 2024
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