Foodservice's Seasonal Ticket

Serving summer produce in the winter used to be the mark of a quality restaurant. Not any more. "Customers don't want asparagus and raspberries on their plates in the dead of winter," says Peter Kaufman, chef and owner of Savoy in Manhattan. "Today, if a restaurant wants respect, it serves seasonal products only when they're in season." And in today's competitive foodservice arena, that applies to all types of foodservice operations. Even fast-food chains, with their fixed menus, have jumped on the seasonal bandwagon, introducing summer salads and fresh-fruit beverages when the weather turns hot and soups and chili in the winter.  

No matter the restaurant, the menu-development process for chains is primarily about ingredients. And the traits attributed to seasonal produce -- taste, texture and color -- give chefs license to frame the fresh ingredients in new contexts.

In spring, a   spate of product introductions puts innovative ingredient usage in the spotlight. "That's the time of year when you move away from richer, deeper foods," says Shawn McClain, chef and co-owner of Spring in Chicago. "You start getting back to lightening up the menu and looking for some of the firsts of the season -- asparagus, morels, berries."

Susan Spicer, executive chef of Cobalt in New Orleans, says: "Spring is probably the most noticeable transition period. Summer into fall is not that big a deal. But in spring, we're coming out of 'braiseland' and into fresh and light. During the spring people are in a good mood; they come out to eat a lot."

Spicer uses spring to dress up some of the standards on her menu. Rabbit is served year-round, but in the spring it pairs with fava beans or asparagus. Institutional operations also shift gears during warm weather. In the spring and summer, the Wood Company, the Allentown, PA-based provider of contract foodservices, offers a mango-avocado salad served on a layered bed of fresh chips, rice and beans, lettuce and grilled chicken at a number of its locations.

Salads naturally have warm weather appeal. Two years ago, Dublin, OH-based Wendy's International introduced its Garden Sensations salads, including Mandarin Chicken salad and Homestyle Chicken Strips salad, which set the standard for quick-service salads. Authenticity and freshness also have gained stature at Fort Lauderdale, FL-based Arby's, which now offers its Market Fresh salad line. Included on that roster are the Martha's Vineyard salad with fresh-cut apples and the grilled chicken and Santa Fe salad with grape tomatoes, cucmbers, red onions and chicken.

"Today, customers want salads that are loaded with protein, vegetables, even fruit," says Mark Hill, executive chef for J. R. Simplot Company, Boise, ID. "The whole healthy initiative really rocks around seasonality."

Last spring, Pasta Pomodoro, a fast-casual chain headquartered in San Francisco, launched a seasonal menu of lighter Italian fare. It included a panini sandwich of grilled portobello mushroom with pecorino and Asiago cheese, arugula, salsa verde, and fresh tomatoes, and a shell-pasta dish with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic cloves, broccoli and basil. "Our regular menu is a combination of traditional classics as well as some more popular fare," says founder and executive chef Adriano Paganini. "The seasonal specials tend to be lighter dishes that our guests can enjoy on an everyday basis."

Summer fruits are a particular source of inspiration. A common Italian appetizer served in summer, prosciutto de Parma and melon, can be tweaked by adding garnishes and using varieties of melon other than traditional cantaloupe. Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C., adds arugula and Parmesan cheese to the plate of prosciutto and cantaloupe. Grill 23 in Boston opts for Cavaillon melon, which is combined with serrano ham, wild arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon vinegar and mint oil.

Fruits also can be used to "seasonalize" a dish. When Champps launched a more upscale menu a few years ago, Andre Halston, the Littleton, CO-based chain's former executive chef, opted for bolder flavors, heartier portions and more straightforward presentations. He also opted to include seasonal touches to dishes, giving them a white-tablecloth look and taste. That meant berries added to some chicken entrées and melons with Asian-style dishes during the summer. "When you include seasonal fruit with a dish, you give it the seal of quality," says Halston, now chief culinary officer at Dallas-based la Madeleine. Because he trained and cross-trained in earnest, these menu executions did not add to labor costs.

In the fast-food arena, however, using fresh fruit in menu items is too labor-intensive to make it cost effective. As a result, when quick-service operations elect to incorporate fruit into their dishes, they typically resort to prepackaged sides. Atlanta, GA- based Chick-fil-A has introduced the Trim Trio, a lunch meal that features a fresh-fruit cup side with a grilled chicken sandwich and bottled water. The fruit cup is a mix of cut red and green apples, red grapes, pineapple chunks and orange slices. Customers also may choose the fruit cup as a substitute for fries in its Kid's Meals. Wendy's is experimenting with a revamped children's menu. It recently tested a meal combo that replaces the soft drink and fries with milk and a fresh-fruit cup of honeydew melon and cantaloupe. However, they have since replaced melons with mandarin oranges to cut back on operational costs.

Increased production and technology advances in precut fruits combined with the push to incorporate healthier items on fast-food rosters likely will result in the increased presence of fruits on fast-food seasonal menus. In fact, Ready Pac Produce Inc., based in Irwindale, CA, claims that cut fruit will soon represent more than 30% of its sales. "We think fruit will be as big a category as vegetables," says Dennis Gertmenian, company founder and chief executive officer. "Our sales of fruit are doubling every year. The obstacles have had more to do with the technology than with anything else." The company recently built its third production facility to accommodate the demand for fresh-cut fruit.

Fresh fruit is being used increasingly as a base for chilled summer soups. Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro in Boston offers a chilled melon and tomato gazpacho garnished with Thai basil. The Hale & Hearty soup chain in New York features a chilled melon and mint soup. And the Palace Restaurant in the Cincinnatian Hotel in Cincinnati serves a chilled honeydew-melon soup with duck prosciutto and a cantaloupe and mint infusion.

Because prepared melon-based soups are not yet available, chain restaurants looking to feature summer soups on their hot-weather menus typically turn to traditional tomato-based gazpacho soup, which is easily found in prepared form. Kettle Cuisine Inc. in Chelsea, MA, sells a fresh, refrigerated vegetarian gazpacho, as well as a cucumber-and-dill soup. StockPot in Woodinville, WA, also markets a ready-to-use gazpacho.

However, at least one casual-dining chain, Kahunaville, features a more exotic take on the standard gazpacho.   In the summer, the Wilmington, DE- based operation serves, alongside its fried cheesecake, a fruit gazpacho made with pineapple, mango, sweet red peppers, scallions and lime. According to chef Alfonso Contrisciani, vice president of culinary operations, the dish helps Kahunaville bridge the gap from an "eatertainment" establishment to an upscale-casual restaurant.

Perhaps no fruit dominates summer menus as much as strawberries, which are finding their way onto every part of the menu. Dallas-based T.G.I. Friday's Strawberry Fields salad provides upscale flavor notes like fresh balsamic-marinated strawberries and shaved Parmesan cheese. Of course, strawberries have long been a key ingredient in summer's ice-cream beverages. Fudds Encore Bakery and Creamery, the new concept introduced last year by Austin, TX-based Fuddruckers, uses fresh strawberries in many of its ice-cream treats.

Since fresh strawberries are available year-round, that warm-weather attitude toward the fruit may soon be obsolete. According to the California Strawberry Commission, Watsonville, the strawberry harvest in California, which   supplies some 85% of the nation's strawberries, extends from February to October. This year's harvest started sooner than usual, and the state expects to produce about 114 million trays of strawberries in 2004.

Other berries also are important to seasonal menus. Blueberries cost less than raspberries and are plentiful during summer. Many universities feature blueberries prominently in their all-you-can-eat salad bars at that time of year. "Kids are much more aware of more healthful eating these days, and blueberries are both healthful and plentiful in the summer," says Frank Liddi, executive chef at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA. In fact, diced and whole fruit fill out the bulk of one side of the salad bar at Claremont McKenna.

Blueberries are also beginning to appear in desserts at fast-food eateries. A few years ago, Oak Brook, IL-based McDonald's Corporation introduced blueberries in its Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait, which also includes strawberries.

Chefs at independent restaurants find it easy to fit blueberries into spring and summer menus, particularly desserts. Blueberries dominate the bread pudding in the Promenade Cafe in New York's Lincoln Center, and at Penfield's in the Rye Town Hilton in Rye, NY, a classic apple strudel combines apples and blueberries. Blueberries also figure into some relatively complex fruit combinations. A blueberry, pear and red-wine terrine with almond sauce and crystallized coriander is served at SouthwestNY in New York, and Empire in Providence, RI, offers a lavender and fresh blueberry "cocktail" paired with vanilla sponge cake and custard.

Vegetables are more apt to be available year-round, thanks to manufacturing processes that allow them to retain their flavor and texture. This is particularly true of beans. Canned, frozen or dried, beans have become staples in most restaurant kitchens. As the season changes and beans start showing up fresh at local markets, many chefs jump at the opportunity to feature these cost-effective, simple-to-prepare ingredients on the menu -- especially in salads.

"To me, spring means bean season," says Sam Marvin, executive chef for West Hollywood, CA's Le Dome restaurant. Although he uses beans at other times during the year, he looks forward to dealing directly with the bean farmers at farmers' markets in the spring. "It's way more fun to deal with the fresh produce and the actual growers," he says. Of course, chain restaurants do not have the luxury of shopping at farmers' markets, given the volume of produce with which they must work. They have to rely on their suppliers to provide them with quality produce, regardless of the season.

One of Le Dome's most popular salads is seasonal, and it incorporates fresh fava beans, beets, crumbled goat cheese, petite water greens and cassis-mustard vinaigrette. "Beans are a really good food-cost item. It's one of those food expenses you don't even worry about," says Marvin, adding that even obscure beans, such as zebra and cranberry, are cost effective. He adds that Le Dome sells more than 30 bean-dominated salads per night, accounting for 15% of salad sales. "And because of their protein and fiber content, beans are especially popular these days." He notes that chefs concerned with putting low-carb options on the menu should stick with varieties like red kidney and soybeans, which have the lowest carb counts.

Colder weather brings out another side to seasonal dishes -- richer, more robust flavors. Soups generally win over salads as first courses. And braised and slow-roasted foods, as well as heartier fare, such as game, root vegetables and squash, dominate menus. Also popular are one-pot dishes, such as chili and stew.

When the weather gets colder, John Coletta, the chef at Carlucci in Downers Grove, IL, likes preparing such Italian comfort foods as ravioli stuffed with braised oxtails and osso buco made with lamb, pork or monkfish. "Autumn is kind of a time to reflect," he says. "It's a time when there is a little more time spent at the table. Autumn is an exciting time to cook and to eat."

Soups are the ultimate slow food, and most foodservice operations see a spike in soup sales when the weather cools. "Soup is definitely seasonal," says Jason Hutchinson, director of commissary for The Wrap & Smoothie Bar in Boston. Of its prepared, branded soups, chicken tortilla is the most popular year-round, followed by Italian wedding soup and tomato with rice, but sales are higher in the winter months. "Our smoothie business drops when weather gets colder," he adds. "The soup is a good accompaniment to our wraps and burritos."

Soup's ability to please presents immense opportunities for foodservice operators as they consider ways to extend and strengthen menus. To meet increased customer expectations, operators are putting more stock in soup, with seasonality as a frequent starting point. "When we asked guests what they would like to see more of on our menu, we learned that they were interested in an enhanced line of soups, more variety," says Lew Shaye, senior vice president of brand and product development for D'Angelo Sandwich Shop, a quick-service chain headquartered in Dedham, MA. "Today's customers are more demanding, and they expect more."

To answer the call for better soup, D'Angelo worked with a vendor to create proprietary products that could meet the company's specifications for quality and flavor. "We wanted the best-tasting soups, and the ones we selected didn't always have the highest food cost," says Shaye. "The key factors for choosing the right vendor were taste, flexibility in working with us and fair pricing."

In addition to typical favorites, such as chicken-noodle soup and minestrone, the chain introduced Maine lobster bisque, Santa Fe chipotle vegetable, shrimp-and-roasted-corn bisque and steak-and-cheese soup. A low-carbohydrate option is in the works, and the chain also is considering an Asian-inspired soup.

D'Angelo backed last December's debut of its revamped menu of nine soups with strong marketing and merchandising. Soups also gained a more prominent location on the menu board. As a result, soup sales doubled. "One of the keys to the success was getting people to taste our soups," Shaye says. "You don't see a lot of sampling in the quick-service world but we believed if our customers tasted the soups, they would buy them, so we offered free samples."

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston has long partnered with a vendor to enhance its seasonal line of soups. Beth Israel's foodservice director Richard Gibbons says his soups are house-made except for the bases, which he purchases in paste form. "Our biggest issue is keeping labor costs in line. In a classic kitchen, stocks simmer all night, which we don't have the cooks to do," Gibbons says. "We use a high-quality base."

He recommends purchasing a base with ingredients that begin with bones, meat and vegetables. "If you don't use a high-quality product, you'll taste sodium. With a good base, you can produce a high-quality item," adds Gibbons. "Customers taste the difference."

Recent menu additions performed better than expected, reinforcing Gibbons' belief in soup's broad appeal. He suspects that two versions of miso-vegetable soup -- one with tofu and the other with noodles -- have succeeded because they are substantive and perceived as healthy. "Soup offers a nice, economical meal, so we tend to make them so they are heartier, with a lot of ingredients," he says. "A bowl of hearty soup gives you a lot -- it's the ultimate in comfort food."

Of course, nothing says seasonality like beverages. Fruits and spirits combine to make summer cocktails that are eye-grabbing, refreshing and profitable. In winter, customers turn to stronger, more flavorful beverages with bolder profiles.

"Approach drink-making like cooking," says Tony Abou-Ganim, master mixologist at Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. "If mangos are ripe, make a purée. If raspberries are in season, muddle them in a fizz. Try different melons, kiwis, berries and peaches. Search for a balance of sweet, sour, tart, bitter and alcohol."

Premium spirits and fresh juices and purées drive sales at Suba Restaurant-Tapas Lounge in New York. Primed for promotion in summer 2004 are the Chili Margarita and Cuban Lemonade. "People want something refreshing. They're willing to drop winter habits and try new flavor combinations," notes Yann de Rochefort, co-owner. A dozen specialty cocktails priced between $10 and $12 account for 30% to 50% of total bar sales, he says.

The margarita continues to inspire creative knock-offs. At Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, the Stars & Stripes Margarita, served in a 15-oz. hurricane glass, outsells all other cocktails. The $6.25 drink is layered with stripes of raspberry purée and blue curaçao, according to T.   D. O'Connell, president of the Wichita, KS-based chain. At Orlando, FL-based Red Lobster, the classic margarita is prepared with orange juice. Served in a chilled, stemmed glass and available frozen in strawberry, raspberry or peach flavors, the drink is marketed as a complement to seafood and a wine alternative.

Though 80% of beverage sales at the Big Horn Restaurant chain are microbrews, Twisted Teas -- mixtures of flavored tea, spirits and commercial cocktail mix -- have a loyal audience, especially in the summer, says Kirk Aardahl, director of beverages for parent Ram International LLC in Lakewood, WA. The beverages highlight summer sales, especially during happy hours when the restaurants price them at $2 per 18-oz. drink. The seasonal Pucker Raspberry is shaken and poured in front of customers, a technique also designed to entertain.

Winter beverages have moved beyond the traditional Irish Coffee and hot toddies. More people are discovering winter beers with their big, bold flavors. "Beer people like winter beers because they're more complex and show what brewers can really do," says Dave Brodrick, owner of Blind Tiger in New York. However, even with beer, "there's definitely an 'eggnog' factor in winter," he says. "Some people like their beer spiced in cold weather."

Many heavier beers -- porters, stouts, bocks and such -- are available year-round from brewers. But the seasonals can be so unusual and fun to drink that some operators bring in as many as they can for limited-time sales. Monk's Cafe & Beer Emporium in Philadelphia, for example, stocks about 30 to 35 holiday beers and continues selling them into January in addition to new winter beers that are released.

Specialty coffee and gourmet teas also have grown in popularity during colder months. Coffee is at least half of New York-based Cosi, Inc.'s winning combination. "Coffee and bread are our Krispy Kreme," says Rammy Harwood, director of marketing for the chain. "We've taken our coffee to a new level with coffee cocktails." Cosi's signature coffee cocktail is the Mocha Kiss, a mocha latte made with Grand Marnier, Kahlua and Baileys topped with whipped cream. Among the dozen other coffee cocktails on the menu is a Totally Toasted Almond Mocha, a caramel mocha latte with Kahlua and Amaretto.

Oliver's in Seattle's Mayflower Hotel not only has a line of specialty coffee drinks, but offers seasonal tea beverages as well, including Blueberry Tea, a combination of Grand Marnier, and Canton Ginger Tea made with Canton Ginger liqueur.

And hot chocolate is not just for breakfast or après-ski anymore. Some multi-unit operations, like Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You, and casual dining chains like Cheesecake Factory, Calabasas Hills, CA, do serve spiked hot chocolate drinks in the winter.

Nonalcoholic beverages also sell well during winter months. At the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, hot specialty-drink sales pick up during the fall and into the holidays. "All through the fall we run specials at our campus coffee house, like Hot Caramel Apple, which is hot cider with caramel syrup and a cinnamon stick," says Vicki Killian, foodservice manager for the   Bush Campus Center. "We also offer hot mulled cider and a caramel-apple espresso with vanilla, caramel and apple syrups," she adds. "Apple cider and chai mixed together are a great combination. And during finals week we feature a Redeye Special, which is simply coffee with a double shot of espresso. Sometimes we combine it with chocolate-covered coffee beans for an extra boost."

According to Killian, some customers come in for a basic coffee and upgrade when they see the specials. But others come specifically for such holiday specials as the Mocha Eggnog Latte or the Eggnog Cappuccino.

At Burgerville, a Vancouver, WA-based chain, the most popular shakes are seasonal creations, according to George Brown, research and development chef. In winter, the chain rolls out pumpkin, caramel-apple and eggnog shakes; in summer, raspberry and balckberry shakes. "Seasonal menu items are very important to the success of any foodservice operation," he says. "Customers want specific products and tastes at specific times of the year -- pumpkin in the fall and winter, berries in the summer. They're part of people's life-cycle and so they should be part of a restaurant's menu cycle."                  

Deborah Silver, a business journalist based in Chicago, specializes in the foodservice industry. Her coverage includes restaurant chains, food safety, industry and consumer trends, financing, and government policy, and she has written articles for numerous publications, including the Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post.

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