8 minute read
FEATURE: BAR FOOD AND DRINKS MENU
Behind the bar
From gourmet bites to crafty cocktails, clubs are transforming bar menus with extensive options to cater to modern tastes and preferences. By Aimee Chanthadavong
IN THE PAST, bar food offerings were often limited to salty nuts and packets of chips. For clubs, the attention was focused instead on getting patrons to purchase more drinks.
“A bar snack from yesteryear was to encourage drinking,” according to chef consultant Paul Rifkin.
“The salty nuts and other assorted freebies would make the customer thirsty, hence they would purchase more drinks.”
However, this has changed dramatically. There are now as many food and drink options at the bar as there are at the club bistro or café. Rifkin pointed out that hygiene and a decline in excessive drinking behaviours have been responsible for this shift.
“Today, there is an expectation that more variety is available, although the salty chips and nuts are still sold at most bars,” he said.
Catering HQ founder Steve Sidd agreed that bar food menus have diversified significantly. Catering HQ is the hospitality partner of several NSW clubs including Cronulla RSL, Club Parramatta, Castle Hill RSL, and Pittwater RSL.
“We still offer deep-fried items because it’s just the food that people want, but we’ve introduced things like spicy chicken wings, baos with pulled pork and slow-cooked beef, as well as steamed dumplings and dim sums,” he said.
Sidd emphasised the importance of designing a bar menu that’s easy to eat. “It can’t be anything too big that people can’t pick up with their hands and it can’t be too messy or dirty, especially because in clubs if a patron is going into the gaming room with food, we don’t want dirty greasy fingers touching machines.”
People’s standards for food and quality of staff have increased, especially these days where people are more cautious about how they spend disposable incomes.
Marc Thompson, Currumbin RSL marketing manager
He added bar food options don’t necessarily have to be unhealthy either. “Some of our clubs are connected to swimming pools and gyms, and so quite often we get a lot of people who are actually health conscious coming in, especially in the afternoons, and they want healthy options such as protein balls, which we make in-house, and we sell them as snack items.”
For Sarah Rowe from Birch & Waite Foods, she’s increasingly seeing Asian flavours infiltrate bar menus.
“At Birch &Waite, we’ve noticed Japanese and modern Asian are common cuisines that feature heavily in the casual dining scene,” she said.
“Our new Miso and Roasted Sesame Dressing has premiumised the popular, creamy, and nutty dressing with a new authentic, multidimensional dressing featuring miso, tamari and rice vinegar to round out the dressing’s rich umami quality.
“With freshly roasted deep flavours, this dressing is perfect drizzled on soba noodle salad, poke bowls, or grilled meats. Its rich umami flavour will also enhance any roast vegetable or fish dishes.”
Filling the gaps
Offering a wider variety of food at the bar has meant clubs can cater to those seeking a feed in between typical lunch or dinner services.
“The 2.30pm to 5.30pm gap doesn’t cater for the tradies and morning shift workers, who often arrive in this time slot. With a similar situation occurring later when the late shift workers pop in for a drink,” Rifkin said.
“This presents a great opportunity for those clubs to create an offering that fills these gaps.”
Currumbin RSL is one club that has capitalised on this opportunity and has developed a bar menu that boasts “delicious food all day”. There are plenty of substantial food items including a crowd-favourite sticky chilli koji chicken wings with fermented chilli and crispy onions, loaded pulled brisket nachos, as well as snackable popcorn cauliflower and salt and pepper calamari.
Patrons can also order pizza from the club’s La Bocca pizza restaurant.
“We’re trying to uphold that no matter what time of day you come here, you’ll have a good meal,” Currumbin RSL marketing manager Marc Thompson said.
“People’s standards for food and quality of staff have increased, especially these days where people are more cautious about how they spend disposable incomes. If you’re going somewhere, you want to ensure you’re getting the best value quality.”
Sidd concurred, noting the rising cost of living means clubs need to create an exceptional bar dining experience to attract patrons.
“I always used this analogy with my team where if I’ve got my last $50 to spend, am I going to go to a restaurant where I get served by a waiter … or am I going to go to a club where I have to go up to order my food and drink. Of course, I know where I’m going – I’m going to a restaurant because I want to be served on,” Sidd said
“So, what I say to my staff is we need to provide the best food and the best service at a really good price, so those customers choose our venues over a restaurant.
Clubs are changing more into that restaurant environment rather than your typical club.
Steven Sidd, Catering HQ founder
“When they come to us if that customer is going to spend their last $50, we need to make sure that we give them the best possible experience because if we give them a mediocre experience and underperform, they’re going think that was the worst experience and they’ve just wasted their last $50.”
He added that growing competition has increased pressure on clubs to deliver quality bar food.
“Clubs have changed in a big way; clubs are now competing with the local cafe, the local restaurant, and health bars,” Sidd said.
“We’ve got a lot of competition, so clubs have to up the ante to really have a point of difference so that people know they can come to a club and not get the typical experience they’ve seen in the past.”
Make every drop count
Currumbin RSL has placed a similar emphasis on quality in the drinks it offers. While there are always the favourite mainstay beers, the club’s bar prides itself on supporting local breweries and wineries.
“There are beers by Burleigh Brewing, which is 10 kilometres down the road, Balter, which is just a kilometre around the corner,” Thompson said.
“And it goes with our wines as well. We source all different ones from Australia and New Zealand, as well as internationally. Some people only like to drink New Zealand wines, so we try to make sure we have a spread and interesting ones from Spain and Argentina.”
Currumbin RSL even has a generous selection of creative cocktails. In addition to old favourites such as the espresso martini and Aperol spritz, other options include a tiramisu martini, spiced mojito, and a pineapple and chilli margarita.
“We’ve always had this many cocktails and I think this is what sets us apart from other venues. If you were to go to another local venue around here, you might have a list of eight to 10 cocktails only, but we’ve got some really interesting ones and ones that get you excited where you actually want to order it,” Thompson said.
“There’s something for everyone, even for someone who might not be that keen on a cocktail. They’ll probably just want to trial one because they just look really great and taste good.”
For Catering HQ, it’s about appealing to health-conscious drinkers when it comes to designing new cocktails.
“In our cocktail lists, we’re using fresh flavours and juices, and we’ll spice it up a little bit or do something a little different like use native herbs, which is becoming a real trend, and that can really bring the beverages to life,” Sidd said.
“It also makes it really palatable without needing to use lots of sugar. It’s also about letting the natural flavours shine.”
Sidd believes clubs have an opportunity to service the pre- and post-dinner crowds with a more extensive drinks menu offering.
“We’re starting to see clubs offer aperitif to start or pre-dinner cocktails. Wine lists are also starting to grow by introducing more premium and boutique wines,” he said.
“We’re also starting to see after-dinner drinks happen as well, with fortified wine or a dessert wine options. Clubs are changing more into that restaurant environment rather than your typical club.”
According to Rifkin, clubs are pursuing to provide patrons with higher-quality drink options. He said that although the volume of alcohol being consumed is lower, younger people and professionals prefer to drink higher-quality alcohol.
“Drinks menus have developed to include good whiskies, bourbons, gins and other spirits,” he said.
It’s a similar story at The Surf Club Mooloolaba. General manager Bryan Jones explained how some of the club’s best sellers are its cocktails and fresh Mooloolaba king prawns.
“Espresso martini, frozen cocktails, New Zealand wines, and Great Northern Super crisp on tap are popular. The buckets of large Mooloolaba king prawns are one of our best sellers along with steaks and our seafood marinara,” he said.
He adds that beverages have moved toward craft beers and that there’s been a resurgence in cocktails. In saying that, wine sales are still very strong, Jones noted.
He adds offering all-day dining is also a must. “Being in a tourist location, patrons are less governed by the time of day they eat. This initiative is extremely popular.”
