If you want to learn how to pitch a new menu recipe, you’ve come to the right place!
Working in a restaurant kitchen is your dream come true. Whether you’re a prep cook, line cook, grill cook, cook or chef, working as part of a team that creates delicious food for patrons fulfills you. You come alive in the bustling kitchen environment, and there’s no place you’d rather spend the workday.
You’re not focused on finding new food service job opportunities right now, because you’re happy where you’re at. However, you are interested in rising the ranks of the kitchen you currently work in, so you’ve come up with a new recipe.
Follow these steps to learn how to pitch a new menu recipe to your boss the right way, increasing your chances of getting it on the menu.
How to Pitch a New Menu Recipe When You’re Feeling Creative in the Kitchen
Explain the need for the dish
Only the best recipes land on your restaurant’s menu, so you have to convince your boss of the value your dish will bring. If it’s too similar to another menu item, it won’t make the cut, so detail what makes it different than what you’re currently serving up. Describe how the dish perfectly fits the theme of the menu, while offering diners something a little different to choose from. Perhaps the dish centers on a key ingredient that isn’t highlighted elsewhere on your menu or maybe it serves a need not currently met — i.e., a vegetarian or vegan dish. Your explanation of the dish is the most important point when considering how to pitch a new menu recipe.
Detail exactly what you’ll need
It’s a boss’s job to focus on the bottom line, so do the math for them. List all the ingredients needed to make the dish, along with the price of each. Give a total projected cost to make the dish, along with an estimate of what it might be priced at should it make the menu. Your boss will be impressed with your research, and they’ll take you much more seriously when they see how much hard work you’ve put into your pitch.
Make a sample
Drive your pitch home by literally giving your boss a taste of it. Envisioning a new recipe is one thing, but if they’re actually able to see it and sample it, your chances of success are much higher. It’s one thing to have a creative mind, but if you can turn your visions into a tangible recipe that looks and tastes delicious, it will be very hard for your boss to reject your idea.
We hope these tips are helpful for learning how to pitch a new menu recipe. Looking for food service jobs that offer great pay and flexible hours, without a regular commitment? LGC Hospitality wants to connect you with fantastic opportunities that fit your schedule. Contact our hospitality recruitment agency to find out what we can do for your career!