Pizza Today - April 2018 - 54

important to call out the more essential
items like San Marzano tomatoes and that
his olives and mozzarella are imported.
Beyond that, he prefers his servers provide
additional information - and only if
guests ask.
Jay Silver, owner of fast-casual Stone
Bridge Pizza & Salad in New York
City, focuses on what's important at the
moment. By that he means organic food,
all-natural products and locally sourced
ingredients.
"We want to educate customers and let
them know what our mission is," he says.
Highlighting the quality ingredients also
explains why his prices are high.
Simone Falco is the owner of
Rossopomodoro, also in New York City,
and keeps his menu descriptions minimal.
"I don't want to lose people on the
menu; it has to be easy. I've learned
that certain words resonate, like 'wild,'
'organic,' 'grass fed,' and 'local.'"
What's highly important for Bossi
is listing menu items in Italian first,
then adding an English description "so
you're getting that real authentic feel," he
explains. "I want people to come to my
restaurant and experience what they'd
have in Italy."
As for Silver, listing all ingredients in
a dish in order of importance is essential,
so it sounds interesting. "And I use
adjectives to make dishes sound sexier,"
he says. "If it reads well people tend
to buy it." An example is: fire-roasted
tomato basil soup, or the use of words
like "drizzled," "crunchy" or "spiced."
ARLENE SPIEGEL, A RESTAURANT
CONSULTANT IN NEW YORK CITY, believes

restaurants should highlight ingredients
that have a halo effect, such as local
products, or if they require special
preparation. This, she says, "will elevate
the menu item as well as highlight the
food philosophy of the chef."
Then there are the names of what you
have on your menu, especially your pizzas.
Falco steers clear of humor and instead
prefers simply using Italian names. Bossi
does the same, and thinks the names just

5 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / A P R I L 2 0 1 8

sound more fun in their native Italian.
Jay Silver used to have a Kramer Pizza
on his menu, in reference to an early
Seinfeld episode, "but not everybody got
the joke, especially younger customers,"
he says, so he changed it to The Salad
Pizza. If you are going to use humor in
your names, don't overdo it, he cautions,
and just be clever in one or two pizzas.
AS FOR THE MENU ITSELF, opinions vary.
Bossi laminates his for durability, while
Silver, whose restaurant is fast-casual, has
rustic-looking menu boards, featuring
chalkboard font. These are inexpensive,
he says, and changing a board out costs
around $75. Changes happen about
twice a year. "It's a lot less expensive than
printed menus," Silver explains. For his
printed take-out menus, he waits to make
any changes, such as prices, until he's
ordering a new batch.
Silver is not a fan of dollar signs on his
menus, though he always lists prices. "It's
just a look," he says. "I don't want to see a
million dollar signs." He also likes prices
that are just shy of a full number, such as
$8.95. "People see that and think $8, not
$9," he explains. Falco also steers clear
of dollar signs. "It flows well with what
we're trying to do - keep things a little
more simple." He also tends to list pizzas
starting with the cheapest, "to make it
easy to follow."
Falco deliberately uses paper for
the menus at Rossopomodoro. "I
like the organic feel of the paper to
connect to what we serve." His menu
is six pages, with the restaurant name
on the front, and the back left blank,
tied together with simple twine. One
page lists wines by the glass, but a full
wine list is available as well; Falco of
Rossopomodoro gives it upon request
"because I don't like to have too many
pieces of paper on the table and because
most people have just a glass." The menu
is reprinted every couple of weeks, on
standard paper, which is done in house
and inexpensive.
He also changes 25 to 30 percent of the
menu about four times a year, "which we

need to do as a neighborhood restaurant.
It gives us a story to tell customers -
why we have changed it up. That keeps
customers excited and chefs stimulated
and allows us to serve seasonal food."
The menu is one of the most important
elements in a restaurant," says Spiegel. "It
is the only item every guest touches and
reads. The style, font, descriptions, and
number of offerings should engage the
guest into your culinary philosophy and
your overall brand." n
AMANDA BALTAZAR is a Washington-based
freelancer who covers restaurants, food,
beverages and retail.

THE DIETARY DILEMMA
Allergies and food preferences
are no longer isolated events, and
restaurants have to cater to them. At
Rossopomodoro in New York, dairy-free
and gluten-free dishes are called out
with "df" or "gf" next to them, with an
explanation at the bottom of the page.
Louie Bossi, owner of Louie Bossi's
Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida, relies on servers to
point these things out. But he does not
mention vegetarian items, "because
vegetarians know what they can eat."
At Stone Bridge Pizza & Salad in
New York City, owner Jay Silver has
a menu board offering additional
items. Along with items such as extra
cheese, it mentions the upcharge
for gluten-free crusts and items like
vegan cheese.
"If a restaurant offers gluten-free
and vegan items, it may be noted
with an asterisk at the bottom of the
menu, i.e. 'Ask your server about our
gluten-free and vegan options,'" says
NYC restaurant consultant Arlene
Spiegel. "It is not necessary to identify
by symbols or words every item that
has a dietary claim, unless there is a
huge demand."
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