Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions by Taffer Jon

Author:Taffer, Jon [Taffer, Jon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-07-08T03:00:00+00:00

Presentation and Plating

How you serve your food and beverages is a device that reinforces the story of your bar. I’m not a five-star chef, so this isn’t a lesson in creating towering salads and elaborate plate paintings with velvety sauces. Rather, I want you to think about the visual presentation of food and what message you’re conveying when it is placed in front of a guest. Plates do not have to be feats of architectural achievement in order to make a person stop talking to his companion and appreciate and be enticed by the food in front of him. I have sent back plates to be replated numerous times until they achieve the stop-what-you’re-doing reaction I want. Even the simplest food program can benefit from a little effort in managing the cook and getting him to improve plating specifications. The appealing encounter—that moment of delight when the food arrives—that your guests have with your food, starting with its presentation, is another marketing tool to create loyalty and repeat business.

Don’t worry—creative plating is not difficult to achieve and doesn’t take special training. All you have to do is exceed the envelope of expectation people have about how food should look when it comes out of the kitchen. Neatness counts—all good cooks wipe edges clean of dressing or sauce, and food should be mounded or piled in such a way that it doesn’t look as if it were tossed on the plate from a long distance. That should be the easiest and most basic part of standards you’ve set for your kitchen staff.

There are a few elements you should focus on: height always sells, color creates excitement, and playfulness promotes an emotion connection. If you can achieve those three things on a plate, you’re halfway there. The food, of course, has to taste good! When a plate passes by you in a restaurant, you will notice it if it has any height at all, while a plate that has a low profile remains that way. It will not catch your eye. Height gives a plate movement and excitement. When defining plating for each dish on your menu, think about the elements that can be raised. Fries can be piled in such a way as to form a pyramid; a green salad can likewise be piled high, starting with a wide base of lettuce that works its way up to a peak. One of my favorite ways to create height in a casual dining environment is to stack onion rings on a standing stick. In one situation, I used a small baseball bat and stacked the rings on it—which provided both height and a sense of play.

A three-color plate is standard. Any more than that and the plate starts to get busy. Get creative when devising edible items you can add to the top of French fries, mashed potatoes, or other food. Fresh chopped parsley or cilantro and grated lemon rind make for a tasty garnish; julienned red and orange peppers look great

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