MenuDrive News

The days and nights are starting to get cooler and they’re here to stay for a while. Many new fall menu items are sure to tempt the chilled traveler or local patron looking for warmth, a fun atmosphere and good food and drink.

Restaurants are now highlighting seasonal ingredients, vegetables, and new happy hour specials. Chefs are trying to focus on innovations that will allow guests to customize their visits. Restaurants are starting to embrace the fall weather, by adding new side items and vegetable dishes, giving the customers the option of mixing and matching, or even splurging on some cocktail dishes in the afternoon. Many restaurants will also start to showcase harvest type dishes, such as apple crisp and fall veggies.

I think the idea of new fall menus is a great idea for many restaurants. When I eat at restaurants in the fall, I always look for the more warming, autumn harvest foods.  By adding more vegetables to different dishes, it will give the consumer a healthier outlook on life.

Food has always been one of MenuDrives great comforts and chefs are showing us a new way to create a comforting, unique and gourmet fall menu. Bon Appetit!

What do you think? Will these new fall menu items entice more customers?

As we all know, our economy is not as strong as it once was. Consumer are more frugal than ever. This makes it even more important to provide low-cost options to your customers along with your regular meals.

I know many times when I go to a restaurant, I can only eat half of the food on my plate. The rest gets thrown out or used as leftovers. Restaurants are wasting tons of food each year. But how do we put these two problems together and come up with a solution?

We can look at what Denny’s has recently done with their menu. They’ve created a $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu. Many of the items on it are scaled down versions of other their classics. This way, there is less waste and restaurants can lure more customers in with their low prices.

I think this idea is fabulous. Though I try to be health conscious, going out to eat makes being healthy incredibly difficult. Ask most dietitians and they’ll tell you our proportions in America are out of control. With these new menu items, I don’t feel bad about asking for a box or forced to eat the rest of my food that would be wasted otherwise.

What do you think about value menus? Should they be something that only fast food uses or will they become more popular in the restaurant industry? Read more about Denny’s new menu additions at http://nrn.com/article/dennys-update-2-4-6-8-value-menu