Pages:
Flights
of Fancy
Related Trade Secrets:
Small
Plates, Big Impact 
The
Power of Sampling
For more great Trade Secrets and tools, take a look in the Archives!
Tasting menus are popular these days. Very popular. Nearly every white tablecloth restaurant has jumped on the trend, with super-star chefs like Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, and Georges Vongerichten (whose seven-course truffle tasting menu costs a mere $220!) showcasing their talents and culinary artistry with multi-course meals.
Wineries and micro-breweries have always sampled their products this way. A "flight" as they call it, is nothing more than a predetermined progression through a category of wine, beer or food.
It's perfect for today's dining experience. According to Restaurants and Institutions, the standard menu is expanded daily with specials in over 80% of casual- and family-dining restaurants. People are looking for something new and fresh! Food flights offer the diner an opportunity to try something new without a big risk. And flights work in just about every type of operation with any type of menu.
Here are some food flights that offer a variety of samples
of a single type of food:
Oysters
on the half shell, one in each of six varieties
Three
different caviars served with the traditional accompaniments
Pasta
topped with your signature sauces
Green,
red and yellow Thai or Indian curries
You can put these on your menu as an entrée or
an appetizer. But food flights can also be offered as a comp... a very
unique selling proposition. How about:
House-made
chunky salsas served alongside warm yellow, blue and red tortilla chips
Warm
pretzels with a trio of dipping sauces
Bread
with a selection of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, or herb-infused butters
And don't forget beverages and desserts:
Wines
~ Why choose one Chardonnay when you can taste three?
Desserts
~ Luscious cheesecake bites, cool sorbets, rich cheese samplers
Coffee
~ Do we really know the difference between French Roast, Kona & Colombian?
Chefs will love the food flights because they can experiment with variations on a theme. And you have a chance to break out of the mold of the standard menu, or a challenge to come up with new ways to prepare standard ingredients. Guests will love food flights because it's fun, adventurous, and not-too-risky.
The marketing opportunities are numerous, too, and so is the potential for adding incremental profit to your bottom line. So get creative and watch your sales take off with your food flights.