3 Ways You Can Revitalise Old Recipes
One thing you can do to see how your dishes are doing in your restaurant is to take a week or a month and track the orders. You are bound to see that there are clear crowd favourites and other dishes that barely touch the grill. You are at a crossroads, keep the non-favourites on the menu or take them out completely. Both have their merits. Keeping them on means, you are giving them a chance. Taking them out means focusing your food budget to areas that matter. There is a third option; reworking the dishes.
- Play with proportion
Before committing to significant changes, try changing the proportions first. Look at the size of the ingredients, the ratio of parts, and the amount of seasoning and spices. Do this to double check if the lack of popularity is a technical issue that can be fixed by increasing portions, adding more salt, or making the dish more aesthetically pleasing, or if the problem is in the flavour.
Take the time in your preliminary tests to check if the issue lies in the sourcing of ingredients. You can switch it up by ordering from other suppliers like www.kiril-mischeff.com to see if the quality is vastly different from the others on your menu.
- Change the spices and seasoning
Revitalising an old dish does not mean replacing it. Edit the recipe down to the basics and work within that framework. Is it a pasta dish? A soup? A starter? Keep it that way. Also, do not replace the main ingredients, let the chicken stay as chicken. What you can try to change are the condiments, spices, and garniture. If you cannot find a better version by changing the supplement ingredients, then maybe you should get rid of the dish altogether.
- Third-party taste test
It could also be a “standing too close to the elephant” problem. You’re memories and efforts could have added a bias that prevents you from making the necessary changes. Distance yourself and have friends try the original dish and your new iterations. Listen to their feedback and cross reference the comments. Are there points that have been consistently brought up? It may be the reason why it isn’t selling well.
Advertise it well
After you have revitalised the dish, it is time to reintroduce it to your customers. Do not just mention it when taking their order, present an opportunity. You can create a set meal or Tuesdays’ only special as a way to show that this revamp of an old classic benefits them as consumers as well. Make sure people know it is there. It may prompt people who didn’t like it before to give it a second chance.
It is hard to let go of dishes that aren’t doing well. There could be two to three people who genuinely love and would be disappointed to see it go. However, that love cannot sustain a dish that is in the red. Before you chuck out the recipe give it a chance to prove itself. Who knows, it might be a crowd favourite ten months down the line.