Some Dishes Just Don't Sell
Goat Yogurt Mousse
Concord Grape Sorbet, Pumpernickel, Thyme
Would you order the menu description above if you were at a restaurant? What about the description does and doesn't appeal? For some reason, this is the one dish I have the hardest time selling. In my opinion, it epitomizes a balancing act of sweet, savory, refreshing notes, pop out flavor, and texture contrast. I think it looks pretty nice too. So why won't anyone order it? It's one of the more detailed and labor intensive dishes on the menu and it's such a shame to only sell a couple a night. Is it me? Or my audience? No, of course it's not the audience; they rule the roost and decide what's good and what's not. So it's me...and I've never liked being wrong. Would a different menu description make it sell more? What if I dropped the "Goat" in the description? Wouldn't that be kind of misleading to the diner? They think they're getting sweet "fro-yo-esque" yogurt, but then get hit with that distinct goat milk tang. Is it the pumpernickel and its (unintended) pastrami sandwich intimation? I really love seeing cheese and alternative dairy products on dessert menus, but maybe I'm only one of a few. The last time I tried making a cheese-y dessert (blue cheese cheesecake), the paper canned it. One success was a chilled strawberry soup with queso fresco ice cream. One out of three isn't good enough. This is definitely something we need to work on.
Concord Grape Sorbet, Pumpernickel, Thyme
Would you order the menu description above if you were at a restaurant? What about the description does and doesn't appeal? For some reason, this is the one dish I have the hardest time selling. In my opinion, it epitomizes a balancing act of sweet, savory, refreshing notes, pop out flavor, and texture contrast. I think it looks pretty nice too. So why won't anyone order it? It's one of the more detailed and labor intensive dishes on the menu and it's such a shame to only sell a couple a night. Is it me? Or my audience? No, of course it's not the audience; they rule the roost and decide what's good and what's not. So it's me...and I've never liked being wrong. Would a different menu description make it sell more? What if I dropped the "Goat" in the description? Wouldn't that be kind of misleading to the diner? They think they're getting sweet "fro-yo-esque" yogurt, but then get hit with that distinct goat milk tang. Is it the pumpernickel and its (unintended) pastrami sandwich intimation? I really love seeing cheese and alternative dairy products on dessert menus, but maybe I'm only one of a few. The last time I tried making a cheese-y dessert (blue cheese cheesecake), the paper canned it. One success was a chilled strawberry soup with queso fresco ice cream. One out of three isn't good enough. This is definitely something we need to work on.
