Pizza Today - March 2018 - 58

he most important conversations in any restaurant planning
meeting always center on butts.
Specifically getting the most
money out of every customers'
gluteus maximus -- or buttocks
-- as it sits glued to your expensive restaurant chair. "Butts in seats" is a restaurateurs'
dream, but if the people connected to
those buns are only ordering one course,
your bottom-line suffers. Enter the
appetizer, (a.k.a. "starter," "food cost samurai," "check changer," or "lead-off hitter.")
As you plan your battle against the
anti-appetizer hordes who bring your
revenue down, there are some compelling
ways to offer your guests delicious, revenue
friendly starters. Modern cuisine is changing at light-speed. If you research and use
your own culinary prowess, you'll be able
to make some dynamic starters without
breaking the bank. Many fabulous
appetizers can be made using foods that
are within 20 feet of you right now!
It is important to realize that an
appetizer is the first impression your
guests experience and should mean everything to you. If you leave appetizers and
salads to staff who are too busy or don't
have your best interest in mind, that first
impression will suffer.
* "APP-OCALYPSE" NOW PROTEINS.

In every restaurant I've worked in, proteins
as appetizers sell better than ones without.
Perhaps this is because customers see more
complete value with protein. Pasta appetizers, salads, grains, chips, breads, spreads
and vegetables get an extra boost with
accompanying proteins such as shrimp,
bacon, charcuterie, beef, tuna, quail, bone
marrow, ribs, calamari and oysters. Leading the charge into 2018 are vegetable
proteins like tofu, tempeh and quinoa
and several companies who are investing
millions in providing these proteins to
restaurateurs.
*SAUCES. House-made sauces are the
bosses now. That extra dollop of chunky
tomato, flavored oil, creamy and dreamy
cheese sauce, compound butter, aioli, brown
butter, crema, salsa, vinaigrette, glaze,
compote, marmalade, spicy marinara, pan
juice or broth enhances every appetizer.
Remember, you are surrounded by pre5 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 1 8

made sauces just waiting for a little creative
"tweak" to boost sales.
* SALTS, SPICE AND POWDERS. These
are "in" and can add appeal to appetizers
because of the burst of flavor they hold.
Seasoned salts with spicy pepper, tomato,
sesame, paprika, kimchi, rosemary and
other herbs are spectacular. Powders can be
made from numerous ingredients in house
by drying ahead of time. They also hold
well in a pantry and can be mixed with
sauces for a quick and easy transformation
of flavor. Younger customers seeking wellness ingredients identify with macha and
maca root, cacao, mushroom powders, tea
powders and ground turmeric.
* GREENS. Salad variants are strong
sellers these days. Many chefs are using
leafy greens, cabbages and hearty herbs
for pureeing, grilling, wrapping proteins,
fermenting, poaching seafood and providing a crunch to creamy items such as grits,
polenta and risotto. Romain stems, tat
soi, bok choy, napa cabbages, swiss chard,
sweet radicchio, sunflower sprouts, purslane, nasturtium, shiso, brussel sprouts and
pea shoots top the list of fanciful appetizer
greens transforming appetizers to healthy
and delicious levels.
APPETIZERS ALSO BENEFIT FROM NONFOOD ACTIVITY WITHIN YOUR RESTAURANT OR PIZZERIA. Here is the all-time,

number one way to boost checks: training.
It's a fact that if a server or phone order
taker doesn't upsell appetizers, no one
will order them. During my time opening
The Oak Room in Boston, I instituted
"The Columbo Method." Columbo was a
detective in a crime show that aired in the
1980s. His gentle nature led the perpetrators to let their guard down and talk more.
This allowed detective Columbo to obtain
proof of crimes against the astonished
criminals.
Servers spouting off specials are not
detectives, but they can also put guests on
the defensive, causing thoughts like, "what
are they trying to sell me now?" I taught
my servers to upsell the specials and then,
as they graciously turned to walk away, to
stop at the last minute, turn to the guests
as if telling a secret, and say: "By the way,
I have this wonderful appetizer that you're
gonna love..." This method worked so

well that the staff bet every night on who
did it best.

"Insane in the Romaine"
Roasted Sausage-stuffed
Romaine
Grilling and roasting hearty greens
is very popular now, and romaine is the
perfect platform for high heat. I usually
roast romaine that has been coated in a
bagna cauda (garlic-anchovy) sauce and
then top them on pizzas. But my staff likes
this treatment better. This juicy appetizer
and the combination of wing sauce (ours
contains copious amounts of wasabi and
garlic butter), sausage and sharp Asiago is
perfect in its crisp, spicy meatiness.
1 head of romaine lettuce with the outer
leaves removed to reveal an approximately 7-inch long by 5-inch wide
heart.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon powdered paprika
3 to 4 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
2 ounces shredded Asiago cheese
(substitute Parmigiano if needed)
3 ounces fresh, uncooked sausage (You
may substitute oven-ready sausage,
but it doesn't melt juices as well.)
Pre-heat a 460 F deck oven.
Place the halved romaine head in a
small pan. Drizzle the romaine leaves
with the oil, then sprinkle with the
paprika, then drizzle the wing sauce all
over the romaine.
Sprinkle half of the Asiago (about 1
ounce) along the romaine half.
Pinch the sausage into flat, nickel
sized dollops and tuck the sausage
along the top of the lettuce. Do not tuck
them too far into the romaine as it may
not cook.
Sprinkle the rest of the Asiago (1
ounce) on top.
Place into the oven for 10 minutes and
check for doneness. The lettuce should
be partially browned, sausage cooked
and Asiago melted.
Place on a plate and dust with Parmigiano or Calabrian chilies for effect. n
JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza
in Athens, Ohio and is a keynote speaker
at International Pizza Expo this month.

http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - March 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - March 2018