Regular menu changes
are a fact of restaurant
life; without them who
would come back?

Before you put that first fork-full of linguine in your mouth, know there's more behind the creation of your favorite restaurant's meals than meets the eye. More than the food on the plate. More than what was written on the menu. And certainly more than the total to come on the bill.

    Behind the scenes, recipes get tasted and tweaked, ordering patterns are tracked by computers and waiters endure nightly quizzings about diners' reactions to the evening specials. Restaurant operators also spend countless hours, and dollars, tasting the competition. Tom Voss, who heads the award-winning food and beverage department at the Hyatt Regency San Diego, says he eats out every night of the week and travels to different cities to see what’s on the menu.

    Also subscribing to that investigative spirit is Doug Zeif, Chart House restaurant's v.p. of concept development. "You have to be aware of what people want to eat," says Zeif of menu planning. "Go to restaurants, see which are busy, which aren’t. What are people buying in the market?"

    In this atmosphere of constant experimentation, ideas flow freely, resulting in ever-evolving menus.

    At the Sheraton Grande Torrey Pines, the menu changes monthly at Torreyana Grill, says Dominique Piquemal, restaurant general manager. The freshness of the ingredients available plays a big part in what is presented, he says. Weather also influences menu offerings. "People eat a little bit lighter in the spring and summer," notes Zeif.

    Sometimes menu revision is part of a complete restaurant overhaul. Chart House is in midst of a company-wide revitalization process, affecting the atmosphere and menus at its restaurants. The Cardiff-by-the-Sea location is one of three where the make-over is complete. Among the additions is a new a la carte menu. "We were a little too pricey for our guests," says Zeif. "We wanted to bring the prices down; we wanted guests to be able to choose whether they want a salad."

    Taste, texture and flavor are the three primary considerations when creating a new recipe at Sammy's California Woodfired Pizza, says Jeff Moogk, corporate chef. "It’s a team effort," he explains. "We look at those three things, experiment, taste, then go back to the drawing board. I submit it to Sammy; we submit it to the cooks and waiters and get their response. Each process gets more refining."

    Gauging Customer Reaction

    Once a new item is introduced to the menu, Moogk gauges its success over a four- to six-month period. "Initially new items don’t sell that great because people come in knowing what they want to have," he says. But over time, customers try new things. By leaving a new item on the menu for a few months, Moogk can more accurately weigh its success.

    Many restaurants schedule regular menu planning sessions. "We review (the menu) on a biweekly basis," says Mike Recesso, who along with Barry Ross owns the new Trolley House Restaurant in Mission Valley. "If something is not selling, is it the price? A slight recipe tweak? We might try changing the recipe slightly, or bringing the price down 25 or 50 cents."

    Ross and Recesso also owned the Tony Romas restaurant that previously occupied their Trolley House's space in Hazard Center. Until corporate Tony Romas asked them to stop, they ran their own separate specials menu to offer customers more variety. Ironically, a couple of those items have been incorporated into Tony Romas' menu, reports Recesso.

    During their six years with Tony Romas, Ross and Recesso carefully took note of their Hazard Center customer reactions. Many of their lunch customers are executives and employees from nearby offices. "They asked for lighter fare at more inexpensive prices," says Ross. As a result, the Trolley House menu includes lunch items that range from $5.95-$6.25.

    The Customer Is Always Right

    Restaurant menus are sort of like pages on the World Wide Web: if nothing changes, people quit stopping by for a look. "Ideally you always want to keep the customer base enthusiastic," says Sammy's Moogk. "The menu changes with the clientele, and to their requests. (The chefs) have to throw their egos out the door."

    Action at the cash register also helps determine a menu's composition. "You don’t want to see 50 percent of menu sales for one item," says Ross.

    Ultimately, when push comes to shove, it is the customer who makes the final call. And that’s where a good wait staff is crucial. Servers are often the customer's voice as well as a source of information. "Your waiter should be able to recite the menu backwards and forwards," says Piquemal. "Ask questions."

    Don't just ask questions, though. Give feedback. The print-out of the bill will tell restaurant management what was ordered, but only the customer can express why it was enjoyed — or what might make it better. And your idea might be part of a new menu.