Adam Deviney, CEC, Executive Chef of Traditions Club in Bryan Texas, unpacks his process for new menu launches.
A kitchen should be viewed as a living, breathing organism that is constantly evolving. A lack of organization will impede the growth process and keep the kitchen from reaching its full potential.
As such, I put together a system of checks and balances for all of our outlets, the pool grill, clubhouse grill and banquets here at Traditions Club (Bryan, Texas). These systems not only maintain the standards I put in place but they also help to keep the costs in line. The recent lunch menu roll out that we did is a great example of how we keep things organized.
The process starts with the menu and recipe creation. I hand out hand-written recipes on templates to the staff and have them weigh it out in grams. Each recipe is then scaled for production and re-tested. Once finalized, recipes and instructions are then immediately entered into excel templates. It is very important to weigh out the recipes in grams ensure that when it is multiplied, the results are accurate.
Once the master recipes are completed, they are printed out and the photoshoot begins. The line is set up with the new menu items and a station diagram is drawn up. Each menu item is then demonstrated by our Sous Chef, Joseph Hebert, for the staff to observe and take notes. After I approve the plating presentations, the dishes are then moved to the photo booth. Photos of each dish are edited and uploaded onto OneDrive.
Kitchen spec sheets are made for each dish with the recipe, service portion, photo, and food allergies. Both the culinary and front of the house team is provided with a menu specification book for them to review. A copy of each spec is printed out onto letter sized photo paper and hung near the hot, pastry and cold stations.
The new menu is proof-read and formatted inside the menu software. From there, it is posted on our clubs website. Touchless menus are made with QR code’s and paper copies sent to each dining area. Photo collages of the new menu items are created and posted to social media for marketing the new menu release. Station production sheets are updated to reflect new production items.
Rolling out a new menu can seem like an impossible task. As if our daily responsibilities as chefs were not enough, we must create and test an entire new menu while still offering our current one. If you do not have a solid game plan going into the process, it can lead to disaster. Although it is a lot of hard work the positive is that with every new menu roll out we do; our team gets stronger and the food gets better.
