News

COVER: On the menu

R&D is critical. Are you doing it right?

June 22, 2008

Building on the reputation he established with his fine-dining cuisine, Wolfgang Puck has elevated the fast-casual menu beyond the typical sandwiches and salads.

With dishes such as the Chinois Chicken Salad and Tuscan Vegetable Pizza on the menu at his Wolfgang Puck Express chain, Puck knows how to give customers an upscale, sophisticated meal at an affordable price.

But picking what goes on the menu isn't always easy. Puck relies on a solid research and development team, spearheaded by vice president of culinary development Andrew Hunter to help with his latest menu creations.

While Puck has his hand in every dish served at his Express and Bistro locations, he looks to Hunter to transform his visionary creations into something the fast-casual environment can support.

"We translate Wolfgang's culinary concepts into menu items that take eight to 10 minutes to cook from start to finish," Hunter said. "Everything he says is very specific and it's really his vision. I work for a company much more willing to take a risk and to put something new on a menu."

Hunter doesn't work in a test kitchen tucked way in the corner of some corporate campus. Instead, everything he prepares is made and tested in the Wolfgang Puck Express flagship restaurant in Los Angeles.

"I get a lot of real-time feedback from guests," Hunter said. "So we're willing to take a chance."

The Express restaurant, similar to the newly launched Wolfgang Puck Bistro, incorporates a variety of seasonal ingredients.

And not every menu item in one location is what will appear on the menu in another.

"What might work in one region may not work in another," Hunter said. "So, it's very regionally focused, and it helps the restaurant connect with the community."

Follow the trends

Introducing a new menu item can be a risky affair for any fast-casual operator. While a successful rollout can boost sales, a flop can break a company.

Quentin Love, founder of Chicago-based I Love Food Group, has restaurants scattered throughout the southside of Chicago. Love and his team meet daily to develop new menu items based on the time of year and customer input and feedback.

Love's organization works to develop menu items that not only taste good, but are healthy as well. His concepts include Vegetarian Life, Quench, Soul Express, Five Loaves Eatery and Brown Sugar Bakery.

"We wanted to have restaurants that serve all people. Plus, most of the restaurants in these areas serve unhealthy foods," Love said.

Love and his team follow food trends to ensure customers get up-to-date menu items

and flavors.

"Just because I have a few locations doesn't mean I shouldn't keep my R&D team rolling," he said. "You have to understand the masses of the people."

A trend can mean a lot of things, said Aaron Noveshen, founder and president of San-Francisco-based Pacific Catch Restaurants and The Culinary Edge.

"Any size restaurant can look at something and capitalize on it," he said. But the item or trend should fit into the brand image and should be something customers will get excited about.

"Just because something is a trend doesn't mean it's going to fit on your menu. And that's a big mistake people tend to make," Noveshen said. "Don't just jump onto the No. 1 flavor thing and apply it to what you do. Test the waters on some things, but don't shoot for things and grab them from the air. I've seen more menu items be introduced that never should have because they weren't ahead of the curve and they didn't do enough testing."

As far as identifying new menu items, trends in the fast casual space are driven by number of factors, including items found on fine-dining and casual-dining menus.

Kara Nielsen, a trendologist at the Center for Culinary Development, said the organization looks at trends based on several macro consumer trends such as health and wellness, customization, ethical consumerism and cultural blending.

"The drivers are propelling these trends, they don't necessarily cause them to happen," Nielsen said. "It depends on which comes first and what the primary driver is. There's no set formula; whoever gets out in front of the pack will be the one driving the trend."

McAlister's Deli head chef, David Groll, is constantly reading women's magazines and other consumer publications to stay on top of culinary trends. Groll is the only chef developing McAlister's new menu items.

"I buy a magazine for $3 or $4, and suddenly I have three and four other members on my staff," he said.

He also reads three to four cookbooks per week to gain insight into what new trends may be coming in from other countries.

"One of the things we try to do in fast casual is try and replicate what is happening in the marketplace today," he said. "It's usually trends we see from all over the world. These are very influential trends that we see, and then we try to interpret that into our environment. I liken it to the fashion business."

Plan for success

Noveshen said operators should work about a year in advance of a new menu item rollout.

"Have a plan for R&D and have an R&D calendar," he said. "You're testing in some units things created a while back, but also creating the next great idea. If you're about fun things and experimentation and interesting flavors, you need to have a menu plan. Give a person another reason to frequent your restaurant."

Like the fashion industry, incorporating a new trend into the fast-casual industry takes time, especially when it comes to placing an item on a menu. Nielsen said culinary-trend adoption can take quite a few years to hit the mass market, but it is getting better.

"Chipotle took about 13 years to go mainstream where pomegranate took about six or seven," she said. "Trends take longer to develop than fads and last longer because they deliver some kind of benefit."

McAlister's Deli launches two to three new products every quarter, Groll said.

"It's a lot because we drive the menu on a seasonal basis, so the upcoming summer season we'll have three to four salads we're considering. We may put out 20 salads and pick 10, and have two or three that are top sellers, which get scaled down. We're constantly trying new products and see what guests respond to in regard to those products."

One thing operators shouldn't be afraid to do is continue to push the envelope.

"I think it's OK to push and test and expand what your operation can handle everyday," Noveshen said. "But, you've got to have good training and materials and good communication departmentally. The great companies are making the trends their own and are translating those trends into their own ideas."