Reduce the menu without losing the essence of the restaurant

This is how F&B establishments should approach the post-Covid-19 scenario, according to Panda Gay and Mauro Rodriguez, professors of the kitchen department and coordinators of the Master in Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management at EUHT StPOL. In the webinar entitled “Should we adapt the restaurant’s menu at the reopening?” and moderated by Dr.Eva Canaleta, the centre’s Academic Director; they explained how to rethink the gastronomic offer of a restaurant and what aspects should be taken into account in the management area for the post-Covid-19 reopening.

To the question “Should we adapt the restaurant’s menu in the post-Covid-19? reopening,” which was the title of the webinar, the speakers’ response was a resounding “yes”. Both Panda Gay and Mauro Rodriguez, professors of the kitchen department and coordinators of the Master in Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management at EUHT StPOL, gave some advice and recommendations:

IN THE MENU AND THE FIXED MENUS

Reduce the number of references on the menu and the fixed menus; but give importance to the classics, to those dishes that are the DNA of the restaurant and define its essence.

CULINARY TECHNIQUES

According to the speakers, in the so-called “new normality” there will be less participation of the chef in the room to finish the dishes, to avoid contact and risk of infection. “Twenty percent or less of the dishes on the menu will be prepared à la minute, the rest, 80%, will be finished in the kitchen,” said Panda Gay.

The technical specifications will gain even more prominence in the kitchens; and old cooking techniques adapted to modern life, such as pasteurisation, will be recovered.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRODUCT

The training of chefs will be fundamental in this new stage, remarked Panda Gay and Mauro Rodriguez. It will be essential to get the most out of the product and “avoid losses” in order to reduce costs in the new situation. Hence, knowledge of the product and culinary techniques will gain importance.

KITCHEN SECTIONS AND PLATING

To control food handling as much as possible and reduce contact and risk of contamination, Mauro Rodríguez commented on the possibility of “joining kitchen sections to avoid them passing through many hands” or creating “two kitchen brigades: one for production and one for service,” for example. Plating will also have to be redesigned: “Plating time will be shorter and the less handling there is, the better”, commented the speakers.

All these recommendations for adapting the restaurant menu to the new post-Covid-19 scenario, under three clear premises that were pointed out during the webinar: not to lose the essence of the restaurant establishment; to bet on training and safety and to be very aware of the management and organization aspects of the business.

Retrieve the webinar here: