Blog posts tagged with 'platters'

Looking for new specials to offer for the fall / winter season? What about doing a limited time offer special on risotto? Risotto is not only what I would consider an adult comfort food but can be a low cost menu item made wonderful with some white wine and seasonal vegetables.

If you have risotto bowls on hand this is an easy special to consider. Risotto bowls are one of those versatile restaurant dishes that can not only be used for risotto but also for stacked salads or interestingly plated main entrees.

To help get your inspiration juices flowing I’ve rounded up some restaurant-worthy recipes that can be easily featured in a risotto bowl of your choosing. Check them out below:

Risotto with Parmesan Peas by Chef Michael Smith

Parmesan cheese…farm fresh peas…..white wine…have I got your attention yet? Chef Michael Smith is known for his simple, healthy and fresh cooking style while being a passionate ambassador of the lovely Prince Edward Island and its resources. Risotto with Parmesan Peas is a fresh, delicious risotto worthy of a spotlight on the specials menu as a side or entrée.

Check out the full recipe here.

Sweet Vanilla Risotto with Poached Peaches and Chocolate by Chef Jamie Oliver

A twist on the classic risotto, and similar to a rice pudding, Chef Jamie Oliver once again innovates a risotto into a delectable dessert. Per his website, Jamie states that this recipe "...has to be one of the best rice puddings I've ever made! It's lovely served with the peaches, but you could also use apricots, strawberries or rhubarb."

Check out the full recipe here.

Cheddar Cheese Risotto by Chef Nigella Lawson

A grown up and (I’d like to think) sophisticated version of a classic and comforting macaroni and cheese, Chef Nigella Lawson has perfected this fall classic in risotto form. A perfect blend of sharp cheddar and starchy rice, this risotto is relatively easy to make (as far as risottos go!) and would pair perfectly with a delicious white wine.

Check out the full recipe here.

Stacked Caprese Salad by Chef Tyler Florence

Photo source: www.steamykitchen.com

A risotto bowl is still a bowl and as such is perfect for stacked salads or a seasoned salmon nestled on a bed of saffron rice. To switch up the recipes and if you don’t already have it on the menu, a stacked Caprese salad makes a great option plated on a risotto bowl. Chef Tyler Florence pairs succulent tomatoes with mild bocconcini cheese with the classic balsamic and olive oil for a simple yet scrumptious special.

Check out the full recipe here.

I hope these recipes spark your creativity in some of the options that exist for warm fall menu specials. And if you need a guinea pig, I also don't mind being the taste tester to your new inventions – just sayin'.

In a world that expects so much and expects it now, it can be difficult to truly please your customers. Yes great food and great service will help in achieving that end but what if you want to really stand out? Is there anything else can you do? You should consider adding Amuse Bouche to your offering, even if it's just once or twice a month.

To start, what is this "Amuse Bouche" I speak of? Amuse Bouche is French for "Mouth Amuser" and is, by design, the chef's choice of a small bite-sized sample that is given free of charge to entice, excite, and delight your customers. An Amuse Bouche is often a window into the chef’s vision of what their food is.

So why is this right for your restaurant?

When is the last time you received something for free at a restaurant? Was it by chance right after they made a mistake? Maybe they brought out the wrong item, made you wait forever, forgot something you ordered, or maybe they cooked your food incorrectly. Each occurrence was a disappointment followed by a fix which in reality may or may not have actually fixed anything. Now what if you gave your customer’s something for free without it being the solution to a mistake? Well that would be pretty great wouldn't it! When a customer is given something without expectation or of monetary cost to them, more often than not they're so thrilled with the gift it prompts evangelism – making this the first reason you should consider Amuse Bouche.

Try something new

In most restaurants it's not every day that the chef gets to change the menu except when you offer OR limited time offers Amuse Bouche. This is a great opportunity for your chef to showcase future dishes, try something new, expand their creativity and maybe even have some fun! It could even offer your kitchen staff the chance to expand their skills by having one of them offer an amuse bouche of their choosing. Perhaps you even use it as a team building exercise or motivation contest to increase the innovation and drive in the kitchen.

A way to use up small portions

It's not a secret that there's waste that exists in the kitchen of a restaurant. Another reason you could consider utilizing Amuse Bouche offerings in your restaurant is as a way to minimize your food waste. What if you only have a handful of protein, starch and vegetables left over from a limited time offer you've been serving? Your chef can utilize these leftovers to create amuse bouche offerings thus minimizing the food waste.

But why use Amuse Bouche as a way to delight your customers? The White House Office of Consumer Affairs found that it costs businesses of all industries 6-7x more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. Despite this fact, only 7% of consumers say that their service experiences with a company exceeded their expectations. Think about that...if you could find an inexpensive way to not only retain but also delight and excite your customers to the point that they generate positive word of mouth for you, why wouldn't you offer Amuse Bouche?

Photo Caption: Vollrath Refrigerated Curved Drop-In Display Case

Temperature controlled food counters are in any deli, bakery or grocery store and used to safely display food at their optimal temperature while allowing potential customers to view. Oftentimes, food is displayed on porcelain platters, or porcelain bowls. Melamine platters or bowls would work equally well as melamine works well in a temperature range of 2°C – 93°C (35.6°F - 200°F). Anywhere below zero degrees melamine platters and bowls will get quite brittle and breakage will more easily occur.

If you have a refrigerated display case in that temperature range, melamine platters and bowls will work quite nicely with your food offerings.

Drinking places such as bars and pubs as well as restaurants and caterers that offer bar service often require bar supplies to ensure the bar portion of the establishment is running smoothly and generating revenue. Where to buy bar supplies is one more question that a foodservice operator doesn’t need in his/her life. To make it easier on you (because we know you’re strapped for time!) we’ve answered the question “Where to Buy Bar Supplies in Toronto” below:

1. Barsupplies.com:

Though online and based out of the United States, Barsupplies.com has a wide variety of bar supplies including corkscrews, cocktail shakers, bartender tools, and glassware. They ship to Canada and a multitude of other countries with products charged in US dollars. Depending on the level of shipping indicated, your order will vary in delivery between 5-12 business days.

2. BartenderOne Barstore:

BartenderOne Barstore is based in Toronto with locations right downtown, in Yorkville and in Mississauga. They offer a wide variety of bar supplies, similar to Barsupplies.com, but also have additional products such as videos/dvds & books to add value and enhance a bartender’s education. If you order online through their ecommerce site, it appears as though they partner with Barsupplies.com as depending on the level of shipping indicated, your order will vary in delivery by 5-12 business days. If you need it pronto, it definitely makes more sense to pop by one of their store locations.

3. KAF Supplies:

Located in Mississauga, KAF Supplies is a bar supply and restaurant supply store. They supply sodagun systems, spill-stop bartender tools, tableware, bar equipment such as industrial dishwashers & glasswashers, as well as a Coca-Cola distributor.

4. Nella Cutlery:

We’re written about Nella before, but they have their heads in most of the restaurant supply and bar supply spaces. Along with stocking their own brand of foodservice equipment and smallwares, Nella Cutlery also distributes brands such as Winco, Browne, and Johnson Rose. Because of this, they’re able to offer a variety of different bar supplies including cocktail shakers, glassware, free pourers & sure shot pourers, bottle openers, serving trays, bar strainers etc. While they do not have an online ecommerce site, they do have a 55,000 square foot showroom in North York as well as a smaller scale store downtown Toronto.

5. Hamilton Store Fixtures:

Yet another restaurant supply store that also ventures into bar supply, Hamilton Store Fixtures is located in Southwestern Ontario and along with serving your general tabletop supplies, also stocks measured and speed pours, bus bins, common bar glassware, bar tools, bar blenders and other special order items. Their normal website does not include ecommerce capabilities however they’ve got a separate site linked off their website devoted to online orders.

Hopefully this helps you on your search for local bar supplies to quickly and easily update your current or future stock.

Image Source: Jim Lee Eventos

If you’re a foodservice operator chances are you’re always looking for new ways to invent yourself, stay top of mind to consumers, and stay ahead of your competition. Creating a catering arm to your business could be a lucrative and exciting opportunity to consider. Every day is a different challenge for caterers and you’re constantly up to date with food and industry trends. Ensuring you have the tools necessary to make the transition from restaurant to caterer is vital. This blog post provides a checklist of 7 things restaurants and foodservice professionals should consider before starting a catering business.

• What type of catering do you plan to provide? Do you plan to be off premise, on premise, third party, full service, drop off, mobile / food trucks? Keep in mind that if you’re a restaurant with a specific style you need to ensure the type of catering offered works well with your restaurant style. For example Takeout/drop off/Third party/mobile catering lends itself to fast food & fast casual restaurants while Off Premise and On Premise lend itself to casual dining, family/buffet and fine dining
• Where do you find service & culinary staff? Often servers aren’t serving as their career and so availability can often be trying. Make sure you have a good rapport with staffing agencies or other caterers across the country. Often your slow season doesn’t coincide with theirs and those that are willing can serve events across the country.
• Do you have the proper licenses in place? Make sure to check with your municipality to ensure you have any or all of the following licenses: the Liquor Sales License with catering endorsement, Off premise catering license, insurance coverage, business license, special event liquor license, health inspections, insurance coverage, food handler certificate etc.
• Do you plan on serving liquor and if so, how do you plan on offering liquor? Full bar, beer & wine only, mixer packages, will you choose a corkage fee?, cash bar, package vs. consumption
• Do you want to own your own equipment or outsource (rent) only? If you want to own, where can you find the catering supplies including serving platters, serving bowls, porcelain dinnerware, stainless steel flatware? If you want to rent, who do you know or who can you build a relationship with in the party rental industry?
• How can you ensure food sanitation and safety when transporting food to the middle of the woods for instance?
• Do your menus include options for religious (kosher or halal), vegetarian or vegan, sustainable, allergies, organic?

An additional item to consider – ensure your customer is prepared for the service charge – you need to remind them they are paying for a moving restaurant and that includes the cost per hour for servers and other wait staff.

Hopefully this blog post provided you with some food for thought to begin working through the steps necessary to starting a catering business.