Chosen a bora saul risotto over pulao? It's because the waitstaff at city restaurants are now being trained to make you try the new and the unfamiliar
Hours before the restaurant opens for diners, the servers at Ryan and Keenan Tham's restaurant KOKO go through the drill of "role-play". In these sessions, held daily at the Lower Parel outpost, the staff is trained by the chef to "read the table" through dramatised actions. "Being friendly and hospitable to guests, and knowing your menu inside out is part of the training. But there's also the question of 'how do you make them order something they hadn't originally planned to try out?'," says Eric Sifu, the restaurant's Chinese executive chef. "You want them to sample dishes that represent the restaurant," he adds.
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It's no secret that restaurateurs and chefs want their diners to order more. But a hopeful bump in revenue is not what always drives them to suggest dishes. In a menu that runs into pages, it could be a dish that s/he, as a chef, is simply proud of and would want you to try out. Sifu's words remind us of the numerous times when we were sold a dish that was alien to us. Rarely was the decision regretted.
Bora saul risotto has become one of the most sought-after dishes at Smoke House Deli after patrons were informed about the sticky rice variety being rich in antioxidants and dietary fibre
Meet the star
But, Sifu is not alone in wanting to push, what he feels, are his star creations. According to a survey by a UK-based television channel, Food Network, 95 per cent chefs ask their staff to direct customers toward specific dishes on the menu. "Luring first-time guests with suggested dishes can set the tone for your overall experience at the restaurant," Sifu says. If it works, he'll trust your judgement and might order more. "Most of the time, the decision pays off, because these aren't random suggestions."
Consultant chef Karishma Sakhrani who has helmed menus for popular restaurants and cafés such as Kala Ghoda's The Pantry, Bandra's The Yoga House and Candy & Green at Breach Candy, says any restaurant typically pushes items it is known for, in terms of cuisine or style of food. "It helps maintain an image and connect with the customer."
Kanchan Ahuja, owner and chef at Juss by Sindhful, personally visits tables and interacts with guests to understand their food preferences. She also convinced them to try seyal phulka, made from leftover rotis. Pic/Ashish Raje
With seasoned guests, Sifu believes, it's easier to push dishes because a comfort level has been established. Regardless, it's no secret that most chefs practice suggestive selling. The power of suggestion might just be one of the many ways of reeling the guest in. There are more subliminal techniques, as well. A Mumbai chef who heads a South Mumbai restobar, says a tried and tested method is the clever placement of dishes on the menu, or what they call menu engineering.
Incidentally, the upper right corner is the sweet spot. That's where the star items make their way. "This is where a person will look first," he says. Other techniques include labelling the dishes, embellishing them with stars, colours, boxes and even tweaking the font, which would automatically catch their attention.
The next level, he adds, would be something instantly arresting like table-side flambe. For Sakhrani, tags like local, organic, sustainable, gluten-free, vegan and the likes, easily garner interest. "The way a menu is worded and dishes are described is important. An evocative description invariably amps up the appeal," she says. Words like scrumptious, divine, honeyed, succulent and zesty are a case in point. "Nostalgia is a big draw. Say 'grandmother's gajar ka halwa' and you'll find it hard to resist," says another chef.
At KOKO in Lower Parel, the waitstaff is continuously being trained to be friendly with guests and also discuss the menu with them. Pic/Bipin Kokate
The human connection
Chef Jaydeep Mukherjee, brand head at Smoke House Deli who comes with work experience of more than two decades, has been there, done that and by now, knows what works. He places the premium on human interaction. "Honestly, some of my favourite dishes in other restaurants are placed at the very bottom," he says. Mukherjee would much rather train his staff to suggest dishes.
He ensures that each one of them has tasted the dish, is aware of the ingredients that go into it and is confident to tackle any question that the guest might have. That's how he made the bora saul risotto, one of the most sought-after dishes. The sticky rice variety is imported from Assam. "At the time, people didn't know what bora saul was and would instead opt for the popular version made with a roborio, a type of Italian rice. But today, guests order it on their own." If Mukherjee made a little-heard of rice variety mainstream, Kanchan Ahuja, owner and chef at Juss by Sindhful, a regional restaurant at Khar, has made a star out of a "leftover" dish. Seyal phulka, a roti stuffed with onion, tomato, ginger and spices, can be made fresh, but tastes better when you use leftover whole wheat rotis.
Eric Sifu, chef at KOKO
"The fermentation that takes place when you leave it overnight adds flavour," she says. Ahuja recalls personally visiting tables, to inform her guests of why they should try the dish over other popular varieties.
Chef Neeraj Rawoot, executive chef, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, says live kitchens have made interaction between guests and chefs more personal, thereby helping the former make a more informed decision. It helps put the spotlight on food that they have loved to create. "I know for a fact that my team takes great trouble to get creative with food. There's no greater happiness than seeing a diner enjoy a dish he didn't expect to," says Rawoot.
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