Be Ahead of The Curb – Leverage Your Menu and Capitalize On The Change of Seasons

“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.”

[Indian Summer]”

 ― William Cullen Bryant

As we face the transformation of the warming days of summer, to the flood of leaves scattered everywhere falling from trees. The autumnal equinox, day becomes shorter than night, and in anticipation of this change, the plant world starts to move inward during the fall. Grasses convert from green to brown, with their energy moving downward and inward toward their initial roots. Fruits, leaves, and seeds start to fall from trees and bushes as these plants start to close up and prepare for the drop in temperature. Interesting enough, we too are in need of more concentrated energy in the cooler autumn weather and the denser foods that the autumn harvests offer are ideal for ourselves but most importantly our customers.

Autumn Appetite

Here are some examples of ideal foods during the fall:

The root vegetables including:

• garlic
• onion
• carrot
• potato
• sweet potato
• yam
• burdock

as well as the dense above-ground..

• squashes
• gourds
• winter squash
• acorn squash
• and pumpkin
• Also the dry, energy-rich nuts and seeds including
• walnuts
• sunflower seeds

All of these options are all part of the fall’s best food choices.

It Might Be a Different Season, but You’re Still the Main Character of the Show

It’s time to remember that cuisines are seasonal, regardless of how homogenized North American chain restaurant outlets try to impose on us. You’re are still the star of the show and it’s time for you to show everyone you can adapt and acclimate to the new environment.

As we begin to embark on this slow transition period into cooler weather, your view on how you utilize your menu should change as well. Even the most basic ordinary restaurant menu can be adapted to the various seasons through your knowledge of the various dishes. Surely I would hope during this past summer that just finished, you’ve been efficiently recommending some of the lighter fare and pair it with lighter wines, of course if it is applicable to your restaurant.

Now is the time when to consider dishes with more substance, especially as we approach the middle of October into the beginning of November. Here we are looking for heartier sauces, more substantial cuts of meat, bigger, chewier, more refined, opulent red wines. Sweet potato mash or some luscious red meat paired with some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon will never steer you wrong as a recommendation. Look for items on your menu you can recommend that include any of the foods mentioned earlier.

It’s a crucial component for you to recognize these changes in your workplace in order to guide your guests to a better choice of selection for their meals, but I will say you will see your guests will naturally start instinctively choosing more autumnal food and drink options on their own. If you’re ahead of the curve, you’ll flow right along with it.

Let’s put it this way,  “The fewer surprises, the better…”