by Flora Foodie

Created on: March 18, 2008   Last Updated: April 08, 2008

A new restaurant on the make has many problems. One of the things that helps a lot is a well-stocked larder with a judiciously chosen assortment of wholesome prepared foods to be used both in case of emergency and on day-to-day basis. How to serve such items for best results?

First, it must be decided whether the restaurant acknowledges using prepared foods or not. There is nothing more ridiculous then an announcement of "home-made" soup on the menu and the waiter's confession after questioning: "We sure kinda diluted it here". This is such a turn-off that a customer might never return, which is fatal for the building up of one's clientele.

Truth will out. So, in fact following the steps of George Washington, telling the truth and taking pride in it is much more rewarding. There is nothing wrong in serving wholesome frozen food and ready meals of good quality. In fact it is already very popular in the foodservice industry, many of the best restaurants do so, even the haute cuisine ones (although in this case it would be mostly various sauces and stocks). It is also a valued option for full-scale caterers.

However, a good story is still important for the customers. "Our kitchen is small but we are happy to serve you the best * in town, provided by our partners *" and "Our restaurant is artificial flavor, additive and preservative-free zone, we serve only natural foods made by us and * company" is not bad, but this is not enough. The restaurant staff may tell the customers that for instance the meatloaf of the company is just the way the restaurant owner liked it in his or her childhood, when his or her grandma used to cook it on weekends and that's why this particular company has been chosen and so on. As long as the restaurant has just a few good daily specials, really made in the restaurant's kitchen (and proudly declared so on the menu), customers wouldn't mind at all they'll see that they are taken good care of.

Another, more gradual way of introducing prepared foods in the menu is featuring them as daily specials (from the partner-company *, all ready meals additive-free) one for each day of the week. This will let the restaurant see which dishes are the most appreciated and get the customers to know and like them, so after a while the best-sellers can become a respected part of the regular menu (and new daily specials from the prepared foods' company will make their appearance).

Last, but not the least. Most of the people don't go to the restaurants for food only. A good restaurant is the one where one feels relaxed and comfortable and experiences an "almost at home" sensation. That's the best way to get returning customers. Serving prepared foods with a happy smile and a warm welcome will work best for the guests and will bring them back to the restaurant again and again.

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