The Personal Touch Of Fine Dining
It is one of the biggest concerns today when people go out to eat: food allergens. To err on the side of caution, many restaurants, specifically national restaurants and coffee shops, will post signs that are highly visible warning people about these possibilities. Naturally, some of this comes as a level of protection against a particularly litigious society - it is the same reason they post warnings about raw seafood and hot coffee - but it also speaks to a more pressing concern: the fact that the person cooking the food may not know exactly what is in it.
Chain restaurants are required by their parent company to buy their supplies from a prearranged wholesaler and prepare their dishes according to company standards. Naturally, this is done so that a person visiting a location in Portland, Oregon will have the same experience as someone in Portland, Maine, but in an effort to save costs and promote consistency, some of these menu items come premade. That is why when a guest asked their server if a menu item contains a particular ingredient, it is not as simple as going back and asking the cook. It can involve finding the original packaging or even having to look it up online at the wholesaler's website. During a busy time in the restaurant, this effort is not always going to be made.
A family owned fine dining restaurant is going to be a different experience. The menu at a restaurant like that has typically been created in-house. The chef will know all of the ingredients, and the cooks he or she hires and trains will not just be pressing buttons and flipping burgers. They will be part of these meals from scratch. This way, not only will they know immediately what is in every dish, they will also know if it something they can take out and still prepare the meal, and if there is something they can substitute for it.
Another factor behind this knowledge is the menu size. Many small privately owned restaurants typically have a menu of 30 items or less, whereas a national chain restaurant can have upwards of 100. Being able to keep track of all of those ingredients, especially in dishes that they don't prepare very often, can be daunting. People think of the personal touch of fine dining to be exemplary service tableside. That personal touch can be extended all the way into the kitchen. Today, with more people having food allergies as well as a greater concern for the quality of food and what they put in their bodies, that personal touch is more crucial than ever, and it is just one of many reasons why more and more diners are discovering the personal touch of fine dining.
About the Author
Jack Terry is a freelance writer who has been writing about the food and beverage industry for over 20 years. http://www.osorioslatinfusion.com
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