Whenever the economy is doing well, people tend to eat out more, especially at higher end restaurants. And with the economy performing at a high level, fine dining sales were up about 3% last year. Though it makes up a fairly small segment of overall U.S. restaurant sales, at about 10%, fine dining is still a major economic driver, as the average upscale diner spends more than $28 on average. Fine dining can mean different things to different people, but if you want to make your eatery more upscale, there are some items you might want to consider adding to your menu.
One of the most popular menu items these days at high end restaurants is micro greens, especially organic micro greens. The definition of microgreens can differ from person to person. Some people only consider the stems of plants such as arugula and Swiss chard to be micro greens, while others include “baby greens,” which are certain plants, herbs or vegetables harvested before they are fully grown. Whatever items you choose for your menu, there are a number of uses for microgreens, including organic micro greens. Adding microgreens to salads is a very common use. You also can use them as garnish with a wide variety of dishes. If you do serve organic micro greens or regular micro greens in your restaurant, you have to take great care in storing them. They must be kept in a closed container in temperatures just a bit above freezing. Failure to do so can cause them to become unusable.
Another item that’s good to have in your high end restaurant is edible flowers. This is a popular trend that has been around for awhile. Edible flowers are just as useful as micro greens and maybe more so. Not only are many edible flowers nutritious and delicious, they also are colorful and look nice. This makes them good additions to salads and as garnishes. Using colorful edible flowers to garnish your entrees can make them even more appetizing. Edible flowers also are a good accessory to use with kids meals if your restaurant offers them.
There are many other items that go well in your high end restaurant. But at a minimum, using micro greens and edible flowers will give you good food accessory options and help your restaurant get a leg up on the competition.