ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - January 25, 2002

I have been in central Michigan all week working with a long-time restaurant client. This weekend, I head off for a week of staff training sessions in Florida.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS
The good news is that we are going to have a nice crowd at the Orlando roundtable on February 4-5. The bad news is that I have had to cancel the roundtable scheduled for Las Vegas -- there just has not been sufficient registration to make it viable. If you have been thinking about Las Vegas, it is still not too late to consider Orlando . . . but the clock is ticking and space is limited. If you are new to the EHC and the Hospitality Industry Winter Roundtables, you can download more information here.

SMALL PLATES, BIG IDEA
I recently read an article in The Washington Post about what is being called Small Plates. See if the opening lines say anything to you

Sometimes, the rhythm of our lives has a natural order: Night follows day. Spring follows winter. Reaping follows planting. Our eating patterns have their own rhythms too. Lunch follows breakfast. Dessert follows dinner. Entrees follow appetizers. Or at least they used to. These days in restaurants in town and across the country, the sequence of the evening meal is experiencing a quiet revolution. Some of the hottest menus around have jettisoned predictable soup or salad starters (followed by the inevitable protein, starch, vegetable main dish) in favor of artfully assembled, intensely flavored dishes called Small Plates. Not exactly appetizers (though they could be), not quite entrees (though they could be that too), small plates have altered the way diners think about ordering.

I sent the article to my guru in all things related to food -- Phyllis Ann Marshall of FoodPower -- and she said, "The article is terrific; well written, full of examples and information and the kind of thing that I keep assuming everybody knows. This is a boon to menu engineering, breaking high price points and leads me to think that I need to be focusing more and more on these kinds of trends. In fact a restaurant without a little of this is truly on its way to pasture."

I agree with Phyllis Ann that the idea of small plates is an exciting shift of perspective on how we might merchandise our wares. Click here for the full text of the article. PS: I am thrilled that Phyllis Ann will also be a featured presenter at the Hospitality Masters Super Summit on April 29-30 in Seattle. Details on this event will be forthcoming.

NEW LOOK, NEW LEASE ON LIFE
Five years ago, I came here to central Michigan for a client with a restaurant that was badly in need of help. The only solutions that made sense to me were either a total re-concepting . . . or arson! I laid out what I thought would work and was thrilled when they actually had the courage to do it! I saw the results for the first time this week and I am blown away! Not only is the new restaurant beautiful but in the 2+ years since the remodeling was completed, sales have increased nearly 300% from the previous levels. The project now is to help them fine-tune the concept and take their food and service to an even higher level. I hope to have some before-and-after pictures on the website in the next couple of weeks. I will let you know.

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