Tuesday, March 20 marks the first official day of spring in the northern hemisphere; while
some areas aren’t necessarily seeing the light at the end of the tunnel just yet, it’s still
possible to plan to welcome back Spring, and in the process reap some rewards. A little
planning, the right restaurant equipment, and imagination is all it takes to create an event,
concoct some recipes, and create an atmosphere of renewal.
Think about a Spring-themed event
It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to come up with an appropriate, themed event to
welcome in Spring; one of the major advantages of the season is that really exciting
ingredients are starting to become available, which on their own can inspire dozens of
dishes. Some examples to get the ball rolling include asparagus, morel mushrooms,
rhubarb, and spinach, but there are dozens of produce items you can choose from.
If you already have the desire to create a Spring-themed event, putting things together is
simple enough: you can offer a prix fixe menu of dishes that highlight the best things of the
new season, and decoration can be as simple as early flowers or pastel accents, according
to existing decor. Of course, depending on how quickly you can plan and get it together, it
may not be possible for you to put the event together for the exact start of Spring, but
within a few weeks of the official first day will probably work out well-- especially if you’re
located somewhere that hasn’t quite fully warmed up yet.
Within this category, you can consider too whether you want to hold a private event,
perhaps for some of the best customers you have and by invitation only; advance booking
ensures that you will know what the budget and profit for the event can be. Not only will
patrons at your restaurant be flattered to participate in something so exclusive, but they’ll
also almost certainly talk your event up around all their social circles-- generating even
more interest in your restaurant.
Consider a Spring special menu
Even if you don’t decide to have a separate event, you can benefit from the bounty of the
season by building up a special menu of a few items geared especially towards Spring
produce and other foods. After this year’s particularly long winter, creating a few dishes
with fresh flavors, and a different palette of ingredients, can not only invigorate the kitchen
but also the customers! Of course the best way to plan this would be to create a handful of
special items, available on a more limited basis, in addition to the usual menu-- there’s no
need to go overboard and overhaul everything.
The wonderful thing about Spring ingredients is that many of them don’t require a lot of
additional effort to transform into something delicious: a little prep work can turn Spring
greens like spinach, radicchio, endive, watercress, or a mixture of young greens into a
delicious salad to freshen up the palate, or transform peas and asparagus into the base of a
“primavera” dish to signal the end of winter. With strawberries and rhubarb just coming in,
you can make simple desserts that will liven up the palates of everyone who eats them.
Best of all, since Spring ingredients and components are just in season, they tend to be less
expensive than out-of- season produce and meats, which means that the cost to produce a
Spring menu or event for your grateful customers won’t break the bank. While it may take a
little extra effort both in the front and back ends of the restaurant, a Spring special menu
can bring in new business and build more customer relationships.
So take advantage of the coming of Spring!
With a little bit of creativity and some thought, you can create an event, or a menu, that will keep people coming back into your restaurant
again and again. It may require a little bit of an increased budget on restaurant supplies,
but the kinds of products you would need are ones that will fit into your kitchen
seamlessly, with plenty of use throughout the year. Enjoy the coming of warmer weather
and the availability of fresh, exciting ingredients, and celebrate the new season; don’t be
surprised if the excitement that starts in the kitchens extends well out through the front of
house and into your customers, creating a helpful buzz that will bring more people into
your business for months-- maybe even years-- to come.
