As some of you may already know, we just launched our new catering menu. What you may not know is the challenges and tribulations that went into building the menu. It took us a total of 10 months to put together one of our most exciting menus ever. You’re probably saying to yourself…”10 months! It’s food so what could possibly be so complicated about it?” There’s typically some type of protein, veg and starch. But, what about all the flavor profiles, what about the trends, the costs, the pricing, but most importantly, what about all the likes and dislikes of our clients?
As a “Catery”, Lunch Wired faces many obstacles that few restaurant owners deal with on a daily basis. 
For starters one of our biggest concerns is “how well will this menu item hold up to the natural elements?” Will this Enchilada Bake serve better than pan seared salmon? Will everyone like what was ordered?
When we start these projects, the menu items are all things that we would love to eat, and usually the list is expansive and polar opposite. But when we dial in on the actual task, we have to ask ourselves “what do our patrons love to eat?” I could bore you with all the statistics and details of how we ID what our clients like to eat, how we build the recipes from start to finish, and how we introduce the menu to our team and then the public, but that would take days. In a nut shell, there are three basics steps that we go through to put together the ideal menu for you.
- ..are these new menu items practical for us to prepare in our kitchen for delivery?
- Preliminary Research…what are the foods trends today?
- Implementation…how do we execute this menu in our day to day operation?
I like to say that catering is the embodiment of a family meal. When you go to a restaurant with a group of people, typically everyone orders what they want to eat. Some may be more adventurous than others choosing a menu item that is daring and exotic verses the one that is safe and consistent. But when you order food from a catering company, that level of individuality disappears. So we have to ask ourselves “how do we maintain that excitement about food without cold-shouldering anyone?” We want to explore the flavor profile with spicy, sour, sweet, bitter and savory flavors in a way that is approachable to everyone.
Menu research and development is a labor of love. I often think about my mom asking us what we all want for dinner, and none of us giving any feedback giving her the ultimate task of preparing something delicious to bring us back to the table and away from our gadgets. When we write our menus at LW that’s our goal, to make you step back from the day’s struggles and to do lists, and for a brief moment, enjoy the day with something lip-smacking to eat.
Until next time…stay satisfied!
Lunch Wired 