In most cases, your menu is your restaurant’s biggest selling point.  People will travel from long distances and bypass other similar establishments simply because you offer something unique.  It is important for small businesses to continuously innovate as this is the only way to gain an advantage over larger chain restaurants.  Here are several ways to create a unique restaurant menu while keeping your flavors fresh and exciting.

Seasonal Menus

Changing up your menu as the seasons shift is a great way to continuously update your offerings.  It also allows you to use ingredients at their peak freshness which will upgrade the quality of your dishes.  Certain popular dishes should remain throughout the seasons but the majority of your menu should be fluid.  Create dishes that include produce that is in season as well as menu items that traditionally fit each time of year.

Test Kitchen

One of the great ways to showcase the skills of your cooking staff is to host a test kitchen night where chefs are given the opportunity to bring new tastes and techniques to the table.  This will create excitement within your current customer base and help garner interest from potential patrons looking to try something new.  A test kitchen promotes creativity within your staff and allows you to test new menu items.  These events can breed innovation and give your restaurant a reputation of providing a cutting-edge menu.

Holiday and Event Menus

Creating a separate menu for each of the major holidays can draw in droves of customers looking to enjoy a traditional holiday meal without the time or frustration it takes to create their own.  These menus will be condensed but should still include items to cater to vegans, vegetarians and those with food allergies.  Take your time to tailor each menu to the specific holiday and be sure your meal makes your customers feel at home.  Sporting and other events can be just as big a draw as holidays.  Creating a menu that fits the Super Bowl or World Series theme can be a great way to bring in new customers.

From Scratch Items

Taking items that are normally mass produced and moving the process in house can give your menu a unique twist.  Here are just a few items to consider making from scratch:

• Sausage: There are entire restaurants that are built around house made sausage and they are proving to be very successful. Anyone can cook up a store-bought sausage but taking the process in house allows for creativity and originality.  It’s relatively inexpensive to get the equipment needed to make your own sausage.  The cost will be in the time it takes to learn the craft, develop recipes and actually construct your links.  Creating your own sausage in house gives your menu versatility since your recipes are only limited to your imagination.

• Cheese: If you’ve ever had a freshly made mozzarella ball you are well aware of the superiority it has over its packaged counterpart. Cheese making is a skill and it can take some time to learn.  There are several cheeses such as ricotta and queso fresco that are relatively easy to make in your kitchen and don’t require aging.  Fresh cheeses provide a special touch to dishes and can even be sold on their own.  Cheese making does not require a lot of equipment but will require the proper ingredients and lots of trial and error.

• Pickles: This may seem like a small thing but Americans as a whole consume over 2.5 million pounds of pickles each year. Whether it is on a cheeseburger or on the side of a sandwich order, house made pickles can add uniqueness to otherwise ordinary dishes.  Pickles are extremely inexpensive to make and doing it on your own can save you a lot of money on an item that is essentially given away.  There are also revenue opportunities by offering appetizers such as fried pickles, which are very popular in Irish pubs and restaurants.

• Condiments: Making your own condiments give depth and flavor to your dishes that pre-packaged products simply can’t match. Having several different types of mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard gives you a chance to craft condiments that are specifically suited to their application.  This is a small touch that can separate you from your competition as these will be items that patrons can’t find anywhere else.  Do some experimentation with different flavors and develop a variety to offer.

• Sauces and Gravy: When a customer comes into a restaurant they are expecting to get something they may not be able to create on their own. Using canned and jarred sauces can actually diminish the quality of the underlying product.  Complex sauces are all the rage in today’s fine dining world and taking a page from that book is a good idea for independent restaurant owners.  House made sauces can become your signature and people will flock to your restaurant just to try them.

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