FEATURE: MENU DESIGN

Winter winners for the creative kitchen

Seasonal menus in clubs should have an increasing focus on better procurement and quality produce rather than getting food on a plate at the cheapest possible price, reports Grant Jones.

WITH THE PUSH to attract lower age brackets into the club space, executive chefs should be looking to create clever club menus that will appeal to an increasingly discerning diner – and the time to do that is now.

While it’s a well-known club truth that some menu items will never leave a menu – we are looking at you schnitzel, steak and fish and chips – improving and expanding options with seasonal items provides the opportunity to change. Allan Forsdick from Future Food said clubs are now looking at a more differentiated strategy than they have in the past, with venues needing to be aware of their changing marketplace.

Pan-seared salmon with cauliflower puree, beans, toasted almonds, fried capers and buerre noisette at Wagga RSL.

“Are you still targeting a senior membership base, and aging demographic, yet the area around you is changing? Are young professionals moving in and no longer looking at the $12 roast? And that also lends itself to a great kids menu,” he says. “Having the kids drive the spend is a huge things for parents, particularly if you are looking to attract that 40-50 year-old market in the inner city suburbs.”

If there have been no changes to a menu of late, changing with the seasons offers the perfect opportunity to introduce new options.

Forsdick says clubs are looking at a more differentiated strategy than they have in the past.

“I think they are aware that their customers want a greater range of offers over a greater range of the day. Very typically it’s been the bar and the bistro or the buffet.

“It’s still a moneymaker for some of our clients, particularly in Queensland there a couple of our clients still run a buffet because its too much of a revenue earner to turn it away. But other clubs are looking at a diversification.

Pork cutlet with spatzle (German noodles) and winter spiced braised cabbage, pork jus and crackling pieces at Wagga RSL’s Henry’s retaurant.

“I think the idea of procurement within food and particularly in professional culinary terms for chefs is to adopt greater procurement to work with good ingredients and do the best they can, as opposed to perhaps a more volume-based strategy to get something in at the cheapest [price] which allows us to get it on plate at the cheapest possible price,” he says.

“I think there is a shift in that mentality and customers are very aware of the quality of food they are putting in their mouth. That lends itself to what we’ve seen in an explosion in plant-based and green-based food in the past two to three, even five years.”

Farm to fork

Wagga RSL Executive Chef Scott Clapham couldn’t agree more. Seasonality and price point are the focus of his menu changes, particularly when it comes to the seasons at the club’s restaurant dining option, Henry’s on Goonigul. This coming autumn/winter Clapham’s menu will continue to feature a host of local suppliers who he visits throughout the year.

“Many of the suppliers have become really good friends of mine and they have invited me for lunch and dinners,” he says. “A lot of the time that I take to visit these guys is often personal time.”

Wagga RSL’s Vietnamese pork pizza with hoisin BBQ sauce, coriander, spring onion, sesame, salted peanuts and nuoc cham.

Such is his high esteem of local producers Highfield Farm and Woodland in Mt Adrah, that he nominated them for the Harvey Norman Delicious Awards, resulting in Highfield’s owners David Bray and Louise Freckelton picking up NSW Winner in the Paddock category for their grass-fed Dorper Lamb in 2021. The previous year, the small eco-focused farm won both the NSW title and the gold medal in the national level competition for the same product.

“The Riverina is the food bowl of NSW but I don’t think a lot of places really take advantage of that,” Clapham says. But it pays to stay in touch, especially small producers.

“Louise just sends me a message saying, ‘This is where we are at’, ‘This is what we have got’. She will sell the premium cuts in town, but I’ll take the lamb necks, lamb ribs, the secondaries, so I’m really trying to help them move their product at the same time.”

Post-covid, Clapham says there has also been a mindset change to support small local businesses.

“You start supporting these local people and they spread the word at the same time,” he says. Other local suppliers include Wollundry Grove Olive Oil, Happy Wombat Hazelnuts in Tumbarumba and Back Creek Meats with its Riverina scotch fillet and rump. That relationship also helps with pricepoint.

“I have a good relationship with these local guys so I usually get a bit of a discount as a result, so we pass on that to the consumer,” he admits.

Chicken breast with risotto, broccolini, chicken jus and crispy onions.

Lunch and dinner menus also differ to suit varying demographics: “We tend to find that we will attract older people during the day and then at night we have a good mixture off all generations.”

Clapham starts working on new seasonal menus three to four months out and test drives them, promoting individual dishes on Facebook posts and inviting patrons in to try. This winter, it could be anything from chicken breast with risotto; or pan- seared salmon with cauliflower puree; to pork cutlet with spatzle and winter spiced braised cabbage.

“It’s just trying to drive people to give us feedback. Sometimes we just have minor changes and other times we just go, ‘That’s not going to work.’”

Imagery helps, too. The executive chef is starting to put new menu items on various screens throughout the club so people can actually see what they are getting. One screen promotes the main menu, the second screen is the specials and the third screen includes a scroll through of images of new menu items. That also applies in the kitchen, with chefs looking at pictures so plating is consistent.

The club’s new autumn/winter menu will go live mid to late March or early April with a new outdoor smoker also set to get a workout.

“Our focus here is fresh and housemade, we do very little opening of packets and putting things on plates. But we do have a classic menu area and that will never change,” he says.

“But what’s really big at the moment is to make sure there is a plant-based menu item. I’m looking at putting on a miso-smoked eggplant with some Asian greens.”

Meanwhile, Forsdick says while larger club venues with multiple food offerings have no real need to rotate menus, mid-sized and smaller regional clubs need to consider what their local attraction is if they are offering up the same thing, week in, week out with the same chef of 30 years.

“His (the chef’s) exposure is likely to be with that club and that club only. And his exposure to what good looks like in 2023 is unlikely. Does he get out to have a look around at Bondi or the CBD? Has he been down to Barangaroo and seen the amazing offers that Crown has put together or just the Barangaroo development as a whole?

“It’s education, it’s exposure. Does he read magazines? Does he read Club Management? I don’t know, but there is that element of needing to evolve and augment the culinary capability of those kitchens in many clubs.”

Even if a menu hasn’t been changed in a generation, it’s never too late. All you have to do is give it a crack, and seek feedback –from your members, from your team, from local suppliers and even from industry consultants.

“That’s our most frequent request,” Forsdick says, “to ‘fix’ club menus that are stuck in a time warp.”

From ribs and roasts to bacon and burritos

TWO OUT OF three foodservice venues feature pork on their menu so if pork isn’t on your menu this winter you may be missing out. It’s now Australia’s most popular meat after chicken and is served as anything from ribs and roasts to bacon and in burritos, so now’s the time to try out some new autumn/winter menu ideas.

Australian Pork’s new series of on-trend and affordable autumn/winter recipes have been developed based on insights identifying the most popular dishes in on-premise venues. Stir-fry was identified as the number one pork meal consumed out-of-home. Some of the more classic dishes that are firm favourites with punters are grilled pork or roasted porchetta.

A spread from the new Australian Pork series of on-trend and affordable autumn/winter recipes.

While burgers remain the most popular food type in out-of-home purchases, according to Foodservice Research prepared by Thrive Insights for Australian Pork Limited, other winter menu options, such as their Porchetta Burger, combines two of the most popular items on a club menu.

“Our insights are showing a rising trend of customers wanting to see a great sandwich on the menu. The autumn/winter recipe booklet offers the solution with a pork schnitzel sandwich and porchetta burger on your menu,” a spokesperson says.

While favourites have their place, with pork on two in three menus, it also might be worth including on-trend dishes such as pork and miso eggplant stir-fry, pork neck ragu with olives and pecorino or a parmesan crumbed schnitzel sandwich with bacon, buffalo mozzarella and pesto.

Dishes that say ‘Eat me!’

It’s time to strip off your summer menu and rethink stale winter dishes, says chef Paul Rifkin.

TRADITIONALLY THE COOLER months are, what I call, ‘the eating season’. The focus is off the beachwear and it’s time to wear the bulkier clothing. This mostly translates into your customers wanting to eat heartier meals with less focus on dieting.

It’s a great opportunity for you to develop interesting offerings, to entice them to be a more regular diner and help with your sales growth.

Share plates for starters that are a step up from your norm will create interest and extra revenue: think hot dips, spicy numbers, pull aparts.

Lamb shank has always been a favourite, but have you done it to death? Instead add in eggplant parmi, beef cheek ragout pie, briskets and other smoked meats, slow cooking shoulders overnight. Light curries with seafood or just fish, and don’t forget the vegans, Thai green curry eggplant a firm favourite.

Freeze-dried fruits and compotes are an easy way to make any dessert more visually appealing.

Desserts are the perfect item to sell, and with the correct training your staff can entice your customers to ‘want’ to have dessert. Remember, most people want it, but will say no. Your upsell techniques can change this and improve spend per head. Seek training for your staff on how to upsell, it’s worth the investment!

Create desserts items that say ‘eat me’ with visual appeal through table talkers or display cabinets. Mix it up with both hot and cold items, use eyecatching garnishes like Persian floss, freeze-dried fruit or chocolate soils and maybe fruit compotes.

Whatever you end up doing, don’t forget to keep it as simple as you can, and be sure your staff can manage it when staff challenges occur. Think revenue, ensure all your items can produce the highest gross profit. With a well thought-out menu you will increase total sales while improving gross profit and wages at the same time.