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Guests may not know what to expect from a Nepalese-Indian-Chinese restaurant, but the biggest surprise on Yak & Yeti’s menu could be the Asian riff on an old favorite, listed right there with the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp and the Duck with Anandapur Glaze.
“It’s pasta,” says Mark Batdorf, executive chef of the Disney World hotspot. “We just call it noodles.”
The Disney take on lo mein is no more of a leap than the Jamaican-themed Rasta Pasta or the New Orleans-inspired Pastalaya he’s kept on the menu of Rainforest Café, one of the three “eater-tainment” concepts Batdorf oversees for Landry’s Restaurants. He also points to the Triassic Tortellini available at his third charge, the dinosaur-themed T-Rex. Sure, it’s tortellini with an appropriately Mesozoic name, but the point is, it’s pasta, on a menu chockablock with American favorites like ribs, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches and steaks.
“We try to be very well-rounded for our guests, so everyone will find something they like, and that’s how pasta fits our menu — it appeals to everyone,” says Batfdorf.
His 26 restaurants are hardly alone in taking advantage of pasta’s versatility, he acknowledges.
“Today there’s such a broad range to how it’s used,” Batdorf says. “You can see it on menus across the United States, in all types of restaurants, with all kinds of things going into it. It’s no longer, ‘Here’s a choice of three types of pasta with three types of sauces.’ Now it’s anything goes, and it all moves.”
John Reid can attest. As executive chef for Valparaiso University in Indiana, he offers pasta in some way, shape or form at least six days a week. The items’ popularity guarantees sales within the school’s a la carte dining rooms, while its low cost helps with margins. But how do you offer something virtually everyday without it becoming routine?
Reid varies the types he uses. Radiatore, literally “radiators” in Italian, are a favorite because the nooks and crannies tend to hold sauce, delivering more flavor.
“I use a lot of Barilla Pasta because of the different shapes, which give the dishes a little twist,” he explains.
For instance, instead of using traditionally sized farfalle, Reid prefers the mini-bowties or farfallini, especially for events and catering.
“We’ve switched to that because the plate coverage is good, and it’s also easier to eat than, say, spaghetti,” he says.
Day in and day out, students relish the variety, Reid stresses. “The kids can’t say, ‘Chicken noodle soup again?’”
They also appreciate the affordability of pasta dishes, though they may not realize how it keeps holds their price for an osso bucco plate to under $10.
“I fill it out with pasta, so they get a whole plate at a very reasonable rate,” says Reid. “They say, ‘That whole dish is going to cost me $8.95?’”
Margins are also helped by having virtually no waste, he adds.
“You’re not going to be left with anything,” Reid explains. “If you have some pasta left over, it might go into a soup. If you’re doing a mac and cheese, it could go in there. You might be able to put it on a salad bar as a pasta salad. You’re able to do a lot with it because it’s so versatile.”
“Pasta’s versatility is a key part of our success with operators—you can’t be one-dimensional in today’s foodservice environment,” says Steve Napoli, Barilla’s director of foodservice. Our partners are everything from K-12 schools to fine dining, and from the deli case at retail foodservice to sit-down Italian. Some of our college & university accounts use our pasta as a base for menu items with global flavor profiles including Thai, Indian and Chinese.
“They all need something a little different, but pasta works for all of those operators because it’s an item that customers universally understand. It's approachable, comfortable, and a good value for both the operator and the guest.”
