Need menu ideas

[FeatsofClay]

For my restaurant.

What, at a decently upscale coffeehouse/gallery, would you want to eat.

Our menu canbe found here if it gives you our starting point http://www.getsmartart.com/cafego.html ...we plan to slowly keep upscaling it. We don't fry anything. Oven-baked only.

Thanks for suggestions!

[PWD]

I think you dropped a link there... otherwise I'm just too dumb to find it.

[FeatsofClay]

I think you dropped a link there... otherwise I'm just too dumb to find it.

sorry bout that. :) Added it back in.

[PWD]

You're going for arty right?

I'd try to include more faux-peasant type stuff that's still cheap to make and sell, but sounds very upscale.

Lots of grilled veggies, roasted red pepper, sundried tomato, that kind of stuff. Cheap but upscale-sounding cheeses to kick it up a notch from the basic mozzarellas.

Emphasize fresh artisan breads/buns from local bakeries. Dress salads and sandwiches with balsamic vinegrettes, walnut oils, that type of thing.

[Pigs in Space]

My opinions:

(are you doing breakfasts? Consider an all day breakfast option, you should have eggs florentine, eggs, benedict, a smoked salmon omelette, a breakfast wrap, ricotta pancakes, a selection of toast, fruit salad, as a minimum.) That basically means you have to have some hollandaise in the fridge ready, the rest can be prepared quickly from ingredients.

For light meals/lunches (which seems to be the thing):
Don't make sandwiches. Make bagguettes or foccacia's, or turkish bread. Use smoked salmon, cream cheese, asparagus as ingredients too.
You should have some more platters available, I suggest:
- bruscetta
- a "troika" of dips -> scordallia, hummus, turkish beetroot dip, served with tasty crackers.
- an antipasto plate
- a cheese plate: Should have 3 or 4 cheeses, camombert/brie, a matured, a goats cheese, a blue. Should have a glace fig, or quince paste and some really upmarket crackers to eat with it.
- consider a carpaccio platter too.

I would not have cookies/muffins on the menu (biscotti yes) the cookies should be at the counter for someone to choose.

I would have a selection of cakes available, people can order a slice.

I also think you should extend your coffee list to include macchiato's, mocha's, frappachino and baby-chino's too.

Are you going to serve larger meals, all that stuff is fairly light.

Also your prices are cheap, I would charge more. ;)

[TiQuinn]

Throw in a Caprese Salad: Cherry Tomatoes or Sliced Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella. Add in some chopped basil, and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and you have one of my favorites. Really easy to make too.

[mollygrue]

Coopers ideas sound delish--but after a decade dealing with food service fm diner to banquet facility, waitressing managing cooking and doing prep, i have to disagree about the breakfast ideas. strongly, possibly even vehemently.

JUST SAY NO to eggs. that way madness lies. people are unreasonable about eggs and breakfast items in general. Also, the price people are willingto pay for breakfast items is not sufficient to cover labor and food cost--most restaurants use the breakfast as a loss leader--but the whole issue of eggs is a logistical nite mare.

i dont know your area , but michigan has recently upgraded its health code to meet and or excede federal standards. this is a real headache. i took state and national certification ( safe serve classes etc) and eggs are always a problem area: storage, handling, means of preparation are all huge exposures to risk in the health depts. eyes--they recently added a requirement that all menus have specifically worded warnings about the dangers of the evil egg. also the only way hollandaise is feasible, unless there is tremendous volume,is to use a mix--and all the gordons/syscho mixes are pretty sad.

eggs items generally require either a designated set of good quality non stick pans, used only for the eggs--and they arnt cheap and are easily ruined by careless dish dogs--and or a separate cooking surface--whether burners or a flat top. people who order omeletes dont want them cooked on the same grill you are using for any strongly flavored items, meats, onions, etc.

if you do decide to do breakfasts ( god help you) then definatley limit it to one day a week--sunday for example--even people who never eat out otherwise often dine out on sundays.

any desert that you can order from quality local bakery in quantity is good--otherwise go for the frozen specialty desserts--do they have blue bunny out there? carrot cake is always popular and pie, like pecan which has a wholesale cost of abt 3.45 per frozen ( u-bake) pie then sells for about 3$ the slice, w 6-8 slices per pie =12 net profit per pie.---stay away from gooey pies--they break too much and arnt worth the effort--- cake never did well unless it was something really out of the ordinary. make sure that you garnish the hell out of anything you offer as a dessert--- the dinner java and i served time in together trippled their hot cocoa sales overnight when she started putting them in a clear glass irish coffee mug instead of a coffe cup. she slathered on the whip cream, and drizzled a tiny smidge of chocolate syrup--and we couldnt keep up with the demand for them suddenly. same exact product--cheap mix--different cup, drizzle of chocolate.

definately expand your bread/cheese options: people love to order things they can neither spell nor pronounce, esp if it is labeled rustic, traditional, european, or peasant style

ask java, if you havnt already. she is wise in the ways of food and her husband manages a major brand name restaurant--used to work at the local country club.

i have an over the top offering--it sells remarkably well--and has been a popular item at the 3 different venues where i have offered it.

one generous slice carmel applenutpie ( chef pierre fm gordons works)
warm slice of pie in micro on a 10 plate

top with 3 large scoops french vanilla ice cream
surround with whip cream ---riches by preference
drizzle artistically with carmel syrup topping ( canned is easier than making)
edge plate with crumbles of brownsugar
dust the whole confection with cinnamon sugar

serve forth with a flourish. charge as much as you like--it always sold, esp in cold weather.

my apologies to any diabetics who may have been struck dead simply reading about this.

[Harry]

We don't fry anything. Oven-baked only.

:gnasher:

[Thoth-Amon]

Samosa.
Quiche.
Baking lots and lots of baking especially cakes.

[Black Angel]

Coops' ideas kick ass from a customer standpoint (although molly's stories do sound ugly from a preparation standpoint). That is the sort of thing we like to go out and eat. Breakfast I'm sure wouldn't be an everyday thing, but you could do weekend brunches or something of the sort.

Plus I also vote for quiche.

[mollygrue]

Coops' ideas kick ass from a customer standpoint (although molly's stories do sound ugly from a preparation standpoint). That is the sort of thing we like to go out and eat. Breakfast I'm sure wouldn't be an everyday thing, but you could do weekend brunches or something of the sort.

Plus I also vote for quiche.
yes-BA---i meant only from a prep. and logistics aspect--his ideas sound very yummy--and isnt he the one who makes humungeous omeletes at home ,too?

[Limper]

What sort of kitchen do you have? What is the normal entree price range for the area? How cosmopolitan are the folks eating at your place?

I ask these cause its not use thinking up big fancy exotic champaign sorts of menu items in a greasy spoon and beer area.

Have you concidered dishes that would in fact showcase varieties of ceramic ware you hand craft? This allows for an additional revenue stream more so if the food served in the funky hand made but appropriate serving ware.

Example: If you had a dip platter in the form of a painting pallet (like in your website logo) with each 'paint' being a colorful dip (or fondue) type thing folks would be able to enjoy odd sampling but it would also allow them to buy a serving set of this platter from you... you sell food and maybe sell some interesting pottery that they will show off to their friends... hopefully this will get the word of mouth going for both things and increase that revenue stream.

I know custom dining ware isn't high art but its the kind of thing that middle age women impulse buy.

Just an idea.

[Space Cadet B^3]

Pot pies and cottage cheese, a classic!

What?!

[Limper]

Pot pies and cottage cheese, a classic!

What?!

Properly done Pot Pies that come in a custom Pot that for an extra few buck you can take home with you is a damn good example. Its also the sort of thing that is inexpensive to make from the food side of the equation and most people like Pot Pies.

French Onion soup would be another that would work.

[JavaElemental]

Let's see . . . you've already got the Philly Steak, which means you could be offering a French Dip, also. Au Jus is cheap and easy to make. You've got chicken for your Greek salad -- if that's a breast that you slice up for the salad, then you could make that same chicken into panninis (sp?) on your Italian sour dough, with no additional food cost. Same thing goes for your ham and pepperoni -- on toasted sour dough with the greens and the pesto -- mmmmm, yummy, and no additional product, which means no additional food cost to undertake. Also, prep and cooking on items like that would be fast, and easy.

If you did decide to offer breakfast -- and I agree with Molly, a whole lotta pain in the ass for not a lot of return on the effort -- then I would stick to baked goods and sweet rolls that you can continue to offer all day. Offer lo-fat and whole grain varieties of muffins and sweet rolls, also, for the health fanatics.

[doc]

Will there be beer ?

Chicken wings
"home cooking" menu, healthy Meatloaf, potatoes and greens

I'll think on others

[FeatsofClay]

This has been a wealth of info kids, thanks.

Some fo this we had already thought of, some we had eliminated and some was left field genius. All of it is appreciated to get us thinking with more heads.

Hit me with anything you see or think of in the future please. If you go somewhere and have some awesomeness I would love to hear about it.

We did our first "Ploughman's Lunch" today. Formaggio, brie, assiago and a havarti with mixed greens, grapes and fresh baked bread. It was VERY popular.

[doc]

So this is a artsy fartsy hippy place :), do a Vegan menu. Buffilo burgers LOTS of snow peas

[Limper]

So this is a artsy fartsy hippy place :), do a Vegan menu. Buffilo burgers LOTS of snow peas

Pssst! Doc!

Buffalo is meat... vegans don't eat meat.

[doc]

Save a cow, eat a Vegan !

I know that ! it was a list you know Vegan stuff, Buffalo burgers for the Carnies