Operators Rethink Menu Strategies to Generate Excitement and Drive SalesOperators Rethink Menu Strategies to Generate Excitement and Drive Sales

Restaurants are operating in a challenging environment, between a tight labor market, supply-chain disruptions and a host of other cost pressures.

At the same time, menu innovation remains important to meet the demands of today’s consumers. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of consumers say they are looking forward to new food and beverage trends, and nearly a third of consumers (30%) identify as “foodies.”¹

Operators can keep their menus exciting by cross-utilizing their existing ingredients to create fresh, new dishes without having to add a host of new ingredients to their inventory. Amid an environment in which efficiency is paramount, using ingredients that are already on hand can help contain costs and minimize reliance on new ingredient supply chains.

A creative, craveable comfort food

One way to capitalize on existing inventories is to offer a fresh take on one of your most popular and profitable menu items, fries. Fries make a versatile base for new topped & loaded dishes that can include regional flavors and ingredients, and appeal to today’s foodies. After all, 51% of consumers want more unique and interesting fry options.²

Restaurants can consider taking some of the most popular dishes they currently have on the menu and adapting them to create loaded fries, suggests Chef Miguel Mendoza, Marketing and Innovation Corporate Chef at Lamb Weston.

“If you have, for example, a chicken Parmesan that's really popular on your menu, or a specific pizza that has special toppings that are unique to you, you can take that and put it on fries,” he says.

Mendoza says he likes to think of loaded fries as a “one, two, three” creation—with a protein, a cheese and a sauce. Operators can explore their existing inventories to find combinations of these three ingredients that work on top of French fries.

If an operator has a unique sauce created in-house, that’s all the better as it can be incorporated into a French fry dish that differentiates an operator from the competition, either as a topping for loaded fries or as a sauce for dipping. Mayonnaise can easily be modified with some seasonings to also create a great dipping sauce, similar to an aioli, Mendoza says.

Buffalo chicken wings are an example of a dish that can be transformed into a loaded fry dish with strong visual appeal and good economics. To maintain portion control, Mendoza suggests putting less than a full order of wings atop a plate of fries, along with the sauce, ranch dressing or cheese, and thinly sliced carrots and celery that would routinely be served on the side.

“Remember that we eat with our eyes first, and you are going to see a lot of color in this dish,” he says. “Your common, everyday ingredients can take it to the next level.”

Ramen at the next level

Another idea he suggests is to tap into culinary trends such as consumers’ interest in ramen soup. He cites Lamb Weston’s recipe for Ramen Fries, which incorporates everyday ingredients to make for an internationally influenced menu item with strong appeal for consumers seeking new culinary experiences.

The dish features a base of Lamb Weston Stealth Fries® Potato Dippers®, topped with thinly sliced pork belly, a sauce made with ketchup, soy sauce and red wine vinegar, sliced scallions, a soft-boiled egg and a toasted sesame seed blend with nori and chili flakes.

“This is our take on a traditional ramen soup, but with fries,” says Mendoza.

Similar dishes can be created by adapting other popular recipes, such as Cubano Loaded Fries, Philly Cheesesteak Loaded Fries, Loaded Tzatziki Fries and more.

Other options for creating French fry selections include creating shareable dishes that feature two different seasonings or toppings on each half of the plate, divided like a pizza that has different toppings on each half to appeal to different customers. This can work well as either a shareable appetizer or entrée, Mendoza says.

And, as consumer demand for takeout and delivery remains elevated, operators should also consider coated and battered fries for the added crispiness they provide during the journey. Plus, they hold up well to topped & loaded recipes. “If you don't currently have a coated fry, this is the time to do it,” says Mendoza.

For more culinary inspiration that can take your French fry selection to the next level, visit https://www.lambweston.com/

1 Datassential Foodies 2020

2 AmpliFRY 2021

Limited-Time Offers (LTOs) offer excitement for consumers and multiple benefits for operators, including building purchase frequency, growing check size, and attracting new customers.

They drive traffic into restaurants in part due to their short window of availability, prompting consumers to act quickly to avoid missing out on new flavor experiences. 77% of consumers order LTOs and seasonal offerings at least occasionally, and 30% say they are attracted to LTOs because they won’t be around long.¹

For existing customers, LTOs create incentives for additional visits, while they also attract new customers by providing items that differentiate a restaurant from its competition. LTOs can also feature premium pricing, helping to boost operators’ sales and profits.

Often these items can incorporate seasonal flavors and ingredients to enhance their timeliness, or they can be associated with holidays and other events, and readily promoted with hashtags on social media.

Loaded fries are versatile

National French Fry Day, July 13, is one example that presents such an opportunity for restaurant operators of all types. Topped & loaded fries make a great option for consumers seeking special dishes for this celebration of one of their favorite foods, and they also make sense for the operators that offer them. Fries provide a versatile, low-cost base for a range of toppings.

In addition, topped & loaded fries make a great side dish or shared appetizer, or, topped with a protein, cheese, and a sauce, can easily be the main course.

Chef Ford Fry, founder of Ford Fry Restaurants, says operators should look for French fry dishes that fit well with their concept, whether they are operating a casual restaurant or a high-end steakhouse. For example, caviar can be served as a high-end topping, or a simple melted cheese topping can be used to create a great flavor profile. At Fry's Mexican restaurant, he has topped fries with Mexican queso and added sour cream to create a satisfying, comfort-food dish.

Other ideas Chef Fry has executed at his restaurants include topping fries with chowder, which includes potatoes, veggies and smoked fish. He has also featured raclette fries, a dish made with a melted variety of Swiss cheese—also called raclette—that is similar to a fondue, which is melted in a copper pan and then poured over the fries.

Ford says operators need to pay close attention to every ingredient when they are creating a new French fry dish. The crispiness and crunch of the fries are critical, which is why Fry chooses fries from Lamb Weston, he says.

“Whether it’s a side item, the sauce, or the main component, treat each component of a dish like it’s equally 100% important,” he says.

Making fries stand out

One way he makes his fries stand out is by tossing cooked fries in brisket fat, which he obtains from a local barbecue restaurant and then renders himself in-house. The flavor from the brisket imbues the fries with a unique, classic taste, he explains.

Other options to consider when creating French fry dishes include sprinkling them with high-quality garnishes and seasonings, such as finely chopped Italian parsley, micro-shaved garlic or fine sea salt.

“Think about all of the textures and make sure the fries are crispy and flavorful,” Fry says. “Really think through all the different ingredients and ask yourself whether they're adding to the dish or not. If something’s not adding to the dish, then don't put it in there.”

Operators also need to consider how they promote a French fry dish they are creating for an LTO, whether tied to National French Fry Day or not. Fry suggests a video capturing a close up of fries being salted and tossed in a stainless-steel bowl to create a mouth-watering visual and audio stimulus that’s sure to drive traffic.

Lamb Weston offers a variety of on-trend recipe suggestions for flavorful loaded French fry LTOs that restaurants can promote on July 13, or anytime. Consider options such as Mango Habanero Crispy Chicken Fries, Smoky Carne Asada Fries, Rib Tip BBQ Fries, or Taco Loaded Fries.

For more menu inspiration and creative French fry solutions, visit https://www.lambweston.com/

1 Datassential Menu Development Keynote Report and FoodBytes

When it comes to simple solutions for some of your most pressing problems, the answer may be waiting for you in your freezer. While frozen potatoes may not be the answer for everything you have on your plate, they can help in a lot of ways that may not be entirely obvious. With the labor shortage and profitability issues facing operators right now, anything that streamlines back-of-house operations, boosts margins and keeps customers coming back is not to be overlooked.

Guests love potatoes

For starters, your guests love French fries. Fries are the most popular food across generations and the #1 food purchased away from home¹. Also, 1 in 3 consumers are eating comfort food now more than before², and fries and potatoes satisfy this desire. Your customers will keep coming back for more potatoes, especially if your menu offers them in different and innovative ways.

Help increase profits

With the fries and potatoes on your menu, you will not only be keeping your customers happy, but you can be more profitable. That’s because fries are also one of the most profitable items on your menu¹. In fact, for every $2.00 you charge for a side of fries, approximately $1.60 of that contributes to your overall margin¹. To see how much fries can help boost your bottom line, try the Lamb Weston® Recipe to Revenue Calculator.

Improve back-of-house efficiency

With the current labor shortages, focusing on the frozen fries and potatoes on your menu can also be a tremendous help in streamlining your back-of-house operations. Frozen fries, chips and mashed potatoes are easier to prep than almost any side. If you are still prepping fries from scratch, there is no comparison. Frozen fries do not require costly labor time to hand cut and prep like fresh fries do. Frozen mashed potatoes are easily boiled in the bag, eliminating waste and reducing labor, and frozen chips can be prepped in the morning for all day use. Reduced labor costs, waste and storage space all contribute to improved back-of-house operations and can help improve profits. And the extra time freed up in the kitchen by using frozen products could allow your staff to spend more valuable time helping out in other areas in the restaurant, like enhancing guest experiences.

Menu versatility

Adding fries, chips or mashed potatoes to unexpected dayparts can keep your menu fresh and add a profitable element to more orders, with an item you already have in inventory.

For example, loaded fries can make a great snack or appetizer item. And don’t forget about the opportunities within the breakfast daypart. Breakfast potatoes are ordered by more than a third of away-from-home breakfast buyers³, so take advantage by offering more breakfast menu items featuring fries and potatoes, including grab-and-go options.

When developing new and innovative menu items, make the most of ingredients you already have in your kitchen like cheese, bacon and trending sauces and seasonings such as aioli, Sriracha mayo, Nashville hot, gochujang and honey.

Made for delivery

With off-premise dining continuing to grow, delivery-optimized menu items are an important part of your menu strategy. Coated frozen fries, like Lamb Weston® Crispy on Delivery TM fries, can help to maintain your quality standards and surprise and delight your guests. Coated frozen fries can hold their crispiness for up to thirty minutes in vented containers, so your customers can still get the quality fries they expect from you. For more takeout and delivery tips, check out the Lamb Weston® Restaurant Takeout and Delivery Guide.

Overall, frozen potato products can help to lower labor costs, improve back-of-house efficiency, provide great plate coverage and reduce waste. They are also one of the most profitable items on the menu, and are so versatile they can be used in every daypart, and for takeout and delivery. Not to mention, your customers love them.

Finding the right options for your operation's unique needs is easy with Lamb Weston's robust portfolio of high-quality frozen potato products. From crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside fries to creamy mashed potatoes, to crunchy chips and more, Lamb Weston^® has been dedicated to providing restaurants like yours with perfect potatoes for more than 70 years. To learn more, visit LambWeston.com.

¹Lamb Weston Proprietary Fry Profitability Study, Technomic, October 2018

²Datassential COVID19 - Wave 5

³Technomic Returning to the Morning Routine 2021

Written by Holly Petre, Digital Editor, NRN

Doors shuttered and “closed” signs dotted the windows of every establishment as far as the eye could see in the normally bustling Midtown Manhattan, home to some of the busiest restaurants in the city. COVID decimated this neighborhood and in neighborhoods just like it across the country, causing thousands of restaurants to close.

For many, staying alive was all about getting creative. And that group found a life saver in virtual brands.

“It's been quite an emotional roller coaster to watch the restaurant industry shift so dramatically in such a short amount of time,” said Alex Canter, CEO of virtual brand developer Nextbite.

“We had these predictions over the next 10 years … and it just all got accelerated into a couple of months,” he added.

Nextbite, which originally launched as online ordering provider Ordermark, had dabbled in virtual brand innovation before the pandemic. But the company rapidly accelerated that innovation once COVID hit and restaurants were left with open kitchens and unusable dining rooms.

“Pre-pandemic, [we knew] that already 90% of restaurants have excess capacity in their kitchen to make more food, and we wanted to create this turnkey process very easily in a non-disruptive way,” he said.

Indeed, in a restaurant industry that was rapidly going digital and relying on mobile ordering and third-party delivery, virtual brands were already seen as a natural evolution that could help restaurants maximize their space for incremental revenue. And the pandemic essentially provided a proving ground for the virtual space, one that blew virtual brands up into the hottest niche within foodservice.

However, it’s not as easy as it sounds to simply start a successful virtual brand. Nextbite, for example, works to fill holes in the market, according to Canter. That can mean selling breakfast burritos because they both travel well and were missing from the market.

“There's a huge learning curve getting it right,” he said. “There's so many investments that need to be made to get it off the ground in the right way, from high-quality photos, to setting up the menu correctly, to opting into the right promotions on these delivery apps and the direct-to-consumer marketing side and the social media strategy.”

Nextbite uses existing restaurant kitchens to create new brands like its latest collaboration with IHOP for two new virtual brands: Thrilled Cheese and Super Mega Dilla. These brands, though cooked out of IHOP kitchens, are delivery-only and not served at the restaurants where they’re cooked.

But Nextbite isn’t alone in trying to create a virtual brand empire. There’s also Virtual Dining Concepts, the Robert Earl-founded company that partners with celebrities to create new concepts like the record-breaking MrBeast Burgers, a launch with a YouTuber that ignited an audience of millions across the country in a matter of hours.

Last year, Virtual Dining Concepts — known for collaborating with celebrities like Mariah Carey and Tyga — created a brand based entirely off viral TikTok trends.

“I think that after a year or two of learning, and fabulous success with MrBeast, we understand the important issues of how to stay interesting to the consumer, how to constantly change [and] how to keep up awareness, and TikTok as a platform answers all of that,” Earl told Nation’s Restaurant News at the time.

Virtual Dining Concepts named its first CEO last week, making the move to name someone other than the founder as the leader for the first time in company history. On a recent episode of the Extra Serving podcast, Nation’s Restaurant News editors spoke about what that could signal for virtual brands as a segment.

“What this could represent for Virtual Dining Concepts is going in the direction of maturation,” said NRN editor-in-chief Sam Oches. “If virtual brands can mature to where they take a step back and say … let’s take a second to develop some really thought-through, delicious food … and then go to market with that, I think that would have to be the next step.”

The new CEO at Virtual Dining Concepts, Stephanie Sollers, comes to the company from DoorDash, highlighting many things that Canter said in earlier statements about being able to know how to work the system as a virtual brand.

But there are brands that aren’t ever going to go all in on virtual brands, no matter their performance. Take Brinker for example. The launch of its brand It’s Just Wings was a smash hit and brought the company more than $170 million as of Oct. 2021.

“We don’t have an untapped ceiling [for virtual brands],” said Wade Allen, Brinker’s senior vice president and head of innovation, during a panel at Nation’s Restaurant News’ in-person CREATE: The Future of Foodservice event last year. “It’s not [like] you can put 50 brands into an asset. You have to protect the core asset.”

While the launch opened the door for Chili’s to open a delivery-only brand in New York in 2022, it doesn’t mean the brand is ever going to exceed its own capacity.

But that capacity could change, according to Canter. He predicts that restaurant layouts could change entirely because of the ride in virtual brands.

“What we're expecting over the next few years is an exact flip of [present kitchen spaces],” he said, “[to being] 70% kitchen, 30% front of house, with lots of restaurants that are just opening up specifically designed to service the off premises world.”

Written by Bret Thorn, Senior Editor, NRN

Even restaurant veterans have learned a lot over the past two years. They can do more with less, package food better for off-premises dining, and adjust quickly to changes in regulations and their guests’ attitudes.

“There was no such thing as a ‘pivot,’” said Damian Sansonetti, chef and owner of Chaval in Portland, Maine, noting what was probably the most over-used word at the height of the pandemic. “You were pirouetting.”

When it comes to their menus, chefs have often made them smaller, more efficient and more flexible. Dishes have become simpler, ingredients are being cross-utilized better and local purveyors are appreciated even more.

“We’ve learned that it’s OK to have a smaller menu, and just keep it fresher and simpler,” said David Burke, who has been one of the country’s most innovative chefs since he was the opening chef of Park Avenue Café in 1992.

Burke now operates 19 restaurants, mostly in New York and New Jersey, but he also has two restaurants in Saudi Arabia as well as Red Salt and Cloud Bar in Charlotte, N.C., and Breckenridge Distillery Restaurant in Colorado.

He said that instead of the 12-14 main courses and appetizers that was more typical at his restaurants, he has found that having eight of each is fine as long as you keep it fresh and seasonal.

“Therefore you need less staff and have lower food cost because everything sells better and is turned over quicker,” he said.

“We learned that you can charge for bread — good bread — you can charge for water and you can charge for credit card processing fees,” he added, noting that customers often don’t want bread anyway and it only goes to waste.

Plate presentation is also simpler, he said.

“I think you get to that point anyway as you start aging as a chef and you realize that you don’t have to use microgreens,” he said. “For what reason do you put microgreens on a plate? Make it beautiful without the makeup. You buy a beautiful product, you cook it correctly … you’re hiding it with microgreens and baby carrots.”

Burke has also leaned in to making larger desserts, such as his $24 “Can-o-Cake” at Orchard Park by David Burke in East Brunswick, N.J., which serves up to four people. Or his 10-cheesecake lollipop tree that’s $18-$20 “depending on the zip code.”

Those desserts are more dramatic when they’re brought out to the table, improving customers’ satisfaction and getting more tables to order it, and it helps solve the problem of parties staying longer with minimal return. “There’s four people at a table, one person orders a dessert and a coffee and we can’t get our table back,” he said.

Justin Cucci, the head of Edible Beats, which operates Denver restaurants Root Down, Linger, Vital Root, El Five and Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, said he and his team have also been looking to simplify presentations as well as cooking techniques to save on costs and streamline operations.

“We’re looking at dishes and saying ‘Do we need two sauces on this dish? Do we need that that extra crispy shallot? Do we need microgreens?’” he said.
In fact, they have been doing blind taste tests to see if extra preparation work is really worth the trouble.

“We’ll sear something off and throw it in the oven, and then we’ll braise [a similar piece of meat] and sous-vide it and do everything else to see if it makes a difference. One takes way more time, energy and money, and the other one is way simpler. We’re definitely going the simpler route, and I honestly find that we’re not making concessions; we’re finding ways to bring flavors to dishes that maybe we’d overlooked by being a little too complex.”

Cucci said it helps that his menus tend to feature global flavors inspired by street foods that are made using more straightforward techniques.

“They don’t do as many gymnastics as chefs do sometimes,” he said, instead using simple techniques “and some broad, big flavors.”

Alex Tubero, director of culinary operations for the Civetta group, which operates New York City restaurants including Amali, Bar Marseille, Calissa and Juniper, has also taken a less-is-more approach with some dishes.

“There were useless garnishes and ingredients,” he said. For example, he might have sauced a steak with shallot, garlic, thyme and rosemary. He has since realized that they didn’t really need the shallot or rosemary.

He, too, is cutting back on microgreens.

“We used to love going to the farmers market and finding all these beautiful little greens that you would love to add to a dish. We used to have the cushion to do that. Now we might decide to take it out,” he said.

Tubero has also gotten more creative with his products.

“When we’re creating a menu, we look at every dish and see how things are cross-utilized,” he said. So trim from a filet mignon becomes a steak tartare. Shrimp bought for pasta is also used in a salad.

But for the tuna loin he uses for tuna carpaccio, he doesn’t turn the trim into a tuna tartare appetizer because that might cannibalize carpaccio sales. So instead he saves it to make into tartare canapes for cocktail parties, with cucumbers, a soy vinaigrette, wasabi cream and sesame seeds in mini-cones made out of wonton wrappers.

A hamachi tartare might have been an option at those parties in the past, but why do that when you’re already buying tuna?

Devin Kreller, the chef of Wood in Chicago, takes a similar approach, but perhaps a bit more extreme, buying whole sides of beef from local producers and turning it into steaks, tartares, burgers, smoked short ribs and more.

Although sourcing local product in the past has been costly, Kreller said that with commodity prices going up and supplies from broadline distributors being less reliable, the cost difference is less dramatic and he still gets the satisfaction he has always had of supporting local businesses and educating those guests who are interested in learning about local products.

An added bonus during this time of labor shortage is that his cooks see using local and sometimes unusual products as a perk — they learn more, and that makes them want to stay longer, Kreller said.

Scratch cooking is also a draw for cooks at chain restaurants, according to Alexander Sadowsky, director of culinary, beverage and menu innovation for Twin Peaks, a casual-dining chain based in Addison, Texas.

He said kitchen labor hasn’t been a problem for the chain’s 85 restaurants and he thinks that might be because his cooks actually get to cook.

“I think they don’t want to work at a super-factory restaurant,” he said. “Our staff loves the fact that we actually cook. They take so much pride in the fact that we’re teaching them to cook real food. It’s really good to see.”

And being able to cook has also helped adjust to supply-chain issues, since basic ingredients, such as raw chuck roast instead of pre-made pot roast “is the lowest common denominator in terms of supply chain,” he said.

“It’s what’s saving our butts right now.”

And of course he’s cross-utilizing: Trim from the hand-cut steak is being made into chili, and he’s working on repurposing it into kebabs and pastas.

“We’re just about to launch flat-bread pizzas, and one of them will be black-and-blue, just to use up that trim,” he said. “And it’s rib eye cap; it’s good steak.”

He said menu innovation continues to be important, because guests are craving food that’s new but also familiar, such as the chain’s house-made meatballs that are being used in a sandwich as well as a skillet.

“People went nuts with it,” he said, and each restaurant sold 100-200 orders a day.

Darryl Harmon, executive chef of six-unit Clinton Hall as well as Slate, all in New York City, also has cut down on SKUs by finding multiple uses for everything. He has three different chicken preparations. The spinach used in his salads is now being made into spanakopita.

Clinton Hall is known for its burgers, so he uses the same ingredients to make cheeseburger empanadas.

“That right there is one of our number one sellers,” he said.

Although he has cut his kitchen staff from four cooks per shift to two cooks — paying them around $22 per hour instead of $17 — he said the kitchens are actually functioning better.

“To be honest with you, we’re putting out better product with the four cooks [over two shifts] than with the eight cooks and the productivity is much more smooth,” he said. “I’m really excited about this new phase. It showed me some things.”

Sansonetti of Chaval said the trials of the pandemic have made him even more focused on supporting local purveyors, who have lost some of their regular customers over the past two years.

“Our menu has shifted and changed more to include even more local ingredients than before,” he said. It’s also included finding new ways to use everything he bought.

His chef de cuisine, Kirby Scholl, is an expert fish butcher who has been finding ways to serve not only halibut fillets and delectable cheeks and collars, but also ribs.

“He was treating halibut ribs like you would treat pork ribs,” Sansonetti said — marinating them and then grilling them low and slow.

“It’s like new barbecue,” he said.

Small “bullets” of meat off the fin can be floated in soup or made into dumplings, and Scholl is leaving the skin on fish tails and roasting them.

“The flesh is tender and delicious,” Sansonetti said.

The meat from the fins is being breaded and deep-fried, and the fins themselves are being used as serving vessels.

They also used the halibut head to make a headcheese, brining it overnight, poaching it, cooling it, picking the meat and cooking down the cooking liquid with all its natural gelatin. They mixed all of that with parsley, thyme and chives along with local seaweed and put it in a terrine mold. They serve it with garlic and parsley coulis and pickled local kelp.

Although Sansonetti said some of this, like the fish head cheese, was being done before the pandemic started, “this made us pause and look at how to, one way, be frugal about it, but it also gets your creative juices flowing.” 

The pandemic has also had chefs think more about what their customers want, and that has changed over the past two years, said Greg Atkinson, chef and owner of Marché on Bainbridge Island in Washington.

Just to use up meat that he had at the beginning of the lockdown in March 2020, he added bacon-wrapped meat loaf to the menu — a stark departure from the very French fare he had always offered. And it’s still a top seller at the restaurant.

“It’s a little bit of a phenomenon,” he said.

He also added a French-style mac ’n’ cheese that has morphed into a daily pasta — usually something baked that doesn’t need to be made to order, for the sake of efficiency at service.

Labor-intensive items like trout and duck have become occasional specials, and he has done away with lunch for now.

“The menu got smaller. It got simpler, and surprisingly it got way better, because I’m able to focus more on the dishes that we kept,” he said.

“I loosened up on being so very French,” he added. “I didn’t call my meat loaf a gateau de viande, but meat loaf.”

His fried chicken Fridays also are a huge success, he said, and the velouté that he serves with it, made from the chicken bones, is called a cream gravy.

Overall sales are down, he said, but margins are up.

At the very high end, some chefs have doubled down on their focus on luxury. That’s what Daniel Rose is doing at Le Coucou in New York.

“We all looked at what we were doing and said, ‘Don’t hold back anymore,’” he said.

His beef tartare, made with USDA Prime fillet, is now topped with an ounce of osetra caviar — not to gild the lily, but because raw beef seasoned with a little anchovy and a subtle touch Tabasco sauce is delicious when topped with caviar. It’s $89.

“We never had côte de veau [veal chop] on the menu because it just cost too much,” he said. Now they’re using excellent veal from Pennsylvania that they didn’t think they could afford before and selling it for $64.

Customers are buying it, and Rose said his cooks love working with it.

Making his cooks happy is the practical reason for using premium ingredients, helped by the fact that his customers are willing to indulge. But he said that in these troubled times the move to be even more high-end than before is also spiritual.

“Life is short,” he said. “Why make concessions?”