Nicholas Del Franco has helped many restaurant owners succeed in what can be very challenging times. For instance, he recently gave a speech on crafting a high-quality menu that will draw in as many customers as possible. These tips are outlined below and may be useful for those who attempt to fill in the gap left by the many Covid-related restaurant closures.
How Nicholas DelFranco Creates a Good Menu
Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that restaurants with a focused and streamlined menu succeed where others fail. Nicholas Del Franco believes that a good restaurant should have no more than two or three various kitchen stations that utilize many of the same ingredients to produce meals. And Nicholas Del Franco believes it is essential to decide your meals before you begin.
For instance, Nicholas Del Franco states that taco restaurants should utilize the same types of meats and toppings in most of their meals, such as similar types of cheese and various types of vegetables. Try to have at least 4-5 big-name dishes in which you specialize and use them to influence your appetizers and other dishes. Nicholas Del Franco finds this can be a fun challenge.
So if you have five different types of tacos – such as a chicken taco with pico, a beef taco with tomatoes, a tofu taco with beans, etc. – Nicholas Del Franco states that your other dishes should include many of the same ingredients. For example, you can have refried beans as a side dish or appetizer, as you’ll already be drawing on beans for other meals you are producing.
The trick here is to create diversity using only a handful of ingredients. Nicholas Del Franco strongly emphasizes the importance of utilizing spices to boost menu diversity. For instance, you can spice taco meat using traditional taco seasoning or a spicier alternative. This clever approach allows Nicholas Del Franco and other restaurateurs the chance to create a broad range of options out of one dish.
Beyond this step, Nicholas Del Franco also emphasizes utilizing the same preparation techniques, focusing on just a handful of different cooking methods. For instance, if you are making tacos, you can use a specialized commercial stove to cook your taco meat, mixing in your specialized spices, such as cumin, chili powder, paprika, and onions. Nicholas Del Franco also believes it is important to share your spices in this way, such as using similar types of peppers and flavorings for burritos and other meals produced in your restaurant.
These tips are helpful not just for taco restaurants, Nicholas Del Franco emphasizes. For example, if you run a steak restaurant, you can focus primarily on high-quality meat products and use potatoes – whether baked, mashed, or fried – not only as a side dish but in many appetizers as well. Remember – diversity doesn’t mean you make 20 unconnected dishes but 10 unified options.
