Changing the Menu - or not

Changing a menu of an existing restaurant can be a difficult task. The chef who has developed the menu, the manager and the customers - all have a stand and all are used to the existing one and might be uncomfortable with any changes. So, why would I suggest to change a menu then?

It all depends on how long the menu is in place, how it has evolved (or not) over time and if it still has a fresh feel to it. Restaurants are not only defined by the food served, decor or furniture. It is also defined by the customers & diners. If you are starting a new restaurant, you have free reign but if the restaurant has already a faithful followership, you need to be careful not to alienate these diners.

I am like most people - a creature of habit (in some restaurants I always order the same dishes) and I don't like drastic changes to my favourite restaurants. The old familiar is comfortable and soothing but can tend to be boring. Will it entice new diners to return, does it make diners to talk about the food in the restaurant to their friends and families? Will customers go out of their way to visit the restaurant?? I doubt it. It might be alright when I am passing to pop in for a quick bite to eat but would I consider a visit when I am planning a night out with friends and we are discussing where to go for a nice meal?

So, how does one go about it to introduce changes? Small steps, small changes at a time. I am working with a client at the moment and we were discussing changes in his restaurant and he was quite open when it came to implementing processes & guidelines to guarantee standards and consistency but we had a bit of a dead pass when it came to the menu. Dishes are rotated on a regular basis over several weeks that is should create the feel of a regular changing menu. This can work for quite some time but it can also prevent a menu to evolve with time & trends.

Working with the chef is key here. Bringing ideas to the table and getting input from the kitchen team is necessary to introduce small changes. My ideas might be great and innovative but do I really know the existing diners? My job is to suggest, plan and implement with the help of the entire team. I know food, trends and the general diner - the team knows the regular customers. Bringing both expertise together should result in a synergy that will bare fruit to amazing ideas. I am looking forward to seeing these changes happening and being part of it.

Looking in from the outside

You might not know but I am consulting on a few local restaurant and food businesses and it is great fun, meeting all these amazing people who are dedicated and hard working and have a passion for what they do.

I am currently working with a local business that is kind of an institution - I am going here for years and love the laid back atmosphere, the feel that time just stops here and that I am not hurried out to make space for the next guest. The menu rotates regularly with favorites being always on the menu. So if you came regularly, you would know the menu and when what special would be on. Nothing wrong with that but the time has come to adapt to the changing dining market.

Teamwork is essential for success

And this is where the challenge for me and the team lays. You still want the feel of the place to stay the same, want to keep existing diners but need to attract new ones. Food trends need to be considered and of course special dietary requirements need to be transformed into tasty dishes. And all that while a hard working team is unsure if they will like the changes and how guests will react.

What I have to keep in mind is that everyone has a comfort zone and it is not easy to penetrate this zone (I know just too well as I have my own comfort zone and protect it when endangered). Tact and diplomacy is the key here. Trying to convert skeptics into believers - the chef who has worked hard on the menu, the restaurant manager who is worried on being left out and the staff who work hard behind the scenes - is the key to create a team that works towards a common goal.

I am the person who is coming in from the outside looking in - I have a clear view as I am not manipulated by processes, history or worries - but do I know the place? No - not as well as the staff who work here for years, who have seen transformations before, who have built up relationships with diners and who have given their time and expertise. So do they need me?? Yes, they do - to show them different ways to achieve the common goal, to bring expertise that is not bound on processes, history and worries. But I need to keep in mind that I can't do it alone. I need this team behind me to achieve with them the changes needed to bring this amazing place into new territory.

So my job starts with listening - to their processes, history and worries and learning from their experience. This is what I am doing at the moment while doing research into food trends and customer profiling.

I really love this job - watch this space for updates in the coming weeks on how we implementing changes.

Food Centre of Excellent in Cork City

I wrote to Minister Simon Coveney today. Yes, I did. If it will reach him is another question but I wrote down my thoughts on the plans of installing a food centre in Cork City. This is all based on an article in the Evening Echo which kind of outlined the plans from Cork City Council. I have read similar articles about the development over the last year with more or less the same content. No specific plans and decisions but a lot of 'maybes', 'we could' and 'under consideration'. 

We are talking about the old Capitol premises in Grand Parade close to the English Market. Do I believe we need a food centre? Hell yes, I think we do. But it needs to be thought through. Don't make it another copy of some other European or American idea. Be inventive, be the first and show the way. 

Cork, City & County, has a rich heritage in food production and is thriving through recession. And it could grow if it is made approachable and accessible. We don't need to have another shopping centre and the English Market covers the food mall idea pretty well. Here are my ideas on what Cork City and County really need and these ideas are based on my experience working with starting food producers and helping them through the struggle in getting their product to the market:

• Incubation spaces that is affordable for starting food producers. It is essential to have space where producers can produce and store their products before getting it to the market. Appoint a mentor to help novice with advise and expertise.  

•  Retail Space for starting food producers, maybe even regular events to introduce new food products to the public. It is hard to get your product to market. A shop area where customers can go and see what is new and try it. Buyers from supermarkets and deli shops could call in to consider placement on their shelves.

• Training Centre to help budding food producer and chefs to learn the trade like HACCP etc. How often did you see interesting training courses but they are all outside of Cork. Bring training into the city and give it where it is needed. 

• Information Hub – it is very difficult for starting producer to get all legislation material in one place. An information hub in the food centre would make it easy to get the right information for the right business. Requirements are different for people who handle dairy, meat & fish. Getting the right information at the start of a venture will save a lot of heartache and time.

• Meeting Points & Forum for food producers to learn from each other. Experienced food producers can share their expertise in forums, talks and meetings. What better way of learning than from people who have started and succeeded already. 

So, these are my ideas - can they be realised? Yes, with the right attitude and the right people in command. I am looking forward to the development and can only hope that someone is listening and that Minister Coveney is reading my letter with an open mind. 


I am actually a big fan of Simon Coveney. As far as I know, he is the only minister who actually knows what he is talking about, being from a farming background himself. So hopefully, he has the vision to create something in Cork that sets us apart from the rest.

Mr Coveny, I am available anytime for a chat :-)