Menu Talk

Nate Weir developed his farm-to-table ethos early, growing up in Haiti and watching his mother shop at the local markets and cook with whatever was fresh that day.

As he celebrates one year as head chef at KFC, Chris Scott is poised to put his culinary stamp on new menu items and line extensions. Scott believes his customers are ready for innovation, but his philosophy is that while you can change flavor or format, you can’t change both at the same time. And you have to give people something familiar to grab onto. He’s eager to explore the wide array of Indi...

Francisco Migoya, head chef at Modernist Cuisine in Seattle, spent the last four years traveling the world on a pizza quest. He and his team visited 250 pizzerias, ate 800 pizzas on the road and baked 12,000 pies in the Modernist Cuisine Labs. The result? A three-volume tome called Modernist Pizza, making its publishing debut on Oct. 5.

Rob Giuliani, along with his business partner and surfing buddy, Abby Taylor, started Playa Bowls as a smoothie stand at the Jersey shore. To operate the blender, they hooked up an extension cord to Giuliani’s apartment above a pizza place. The duo offered smoothies and acai bowls as a healthier alternative to the fried foods, hot dogs and ice cream available to beach goers. They gradually opened...

As vice president of brand development for Nextbite, food futurist Liz Moskow tracks trends and helps position concepts for future growth. Nextbite specializes in developing virtual restaurant brands by leveraging an operation’s unseen assets while maximizing labor and kitchen space. But these are challenging times for a food futurist. The unpredictability of COVID is trumping the emergence of maj...

Payal Sharma, owner and managing partner of New York City’s Baar Baar, is on a mission to change Americans’ misconceptions about Indian cuisine. The gastro bar’s menu revolves around small plates and shareables, and post-pandemic guests are embracing the experience. Baar Baar also has an extensive list of inventive cocktails infused with Indian flavors, which are popular with the dinner crowd and...

Jennifer and Michele Kaminski are sisters and cofounders of 2 Korean Girls, a ghost kitchen that opened in Miami during the pandemic. The two had been planning the virtual concept for three years, offering a menu of delivery-friendly Korean-style bowls in an area devoid of Korean restaurants. Their mom, Sunny, owns a Korean restaurant in Indiana and helped the pair develop the menu, but her daught...

Peter Farrand, chief food and beverage innovation officer at Smokey Bones, felt that customers needed a little more variety to complement the restaurant’s signature barbecue items. So he diversified the menu, creating what he calls a “protein candy store,” where guests have the choice of many different cuts, global flavor profiles and formats. He also added more seafood choices and a veggie burger...

Passavant Community is a senior-living complex in Zelienople, Pa., managed by Cura Hospitality, an Elior company. General Manager Barbara Ferguson, a former fine-dining chef, oversees Passavant’s dining program, which includes restaurants, retail outlets, catering and Cura’s newest initiative— Fresh at Home meal kits . Listen as she describes the impact of this initiative and many of the other inn...

Piada Italian Street Food takes its name from the piada, a flatbread dough that’s baked on a stone grill and hand-rolled with a variety of fresh, authentic fillings. But Matthew Harding, senior VP and culinary director for the 38-location fast casual, has taken the menu way beyond its namesake. Chef Harding trains his teams to make sure every dish leaves the line with a “chef’s touch.” Listen as h...

The Melt Shop grew from a concept serving best-of-class grilled cheese sandwiches and melts to offer fried chicken, mac and cheese, and wings. Throughout the brand’s growth, new menu extensions had to fit founder and CEO Spencer Rubin’s basic criteria: How do we “Melt Shopify” it with big, bold flavors and other points of differentiation? Listen as Rubin talks about The Melt Shop’s evolu...

Chris Simms is founder and CEO of Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, a casual-dining chain with 39 locations. Simms and his team strive to make Lazy Dog the “next generation of casual dining” by delivering a unique experience through its menu mix, ambience and hospitality.

Culver’s has grown from a Wisconsin chain of family-owned quick-service restaurants to an 800-unit brand with locations in 25 states. Director of Menu Development Quinn Adkins joined Culver’s in 2015, helping to drive that growth with slow but steady menu innovation. Listen as Adkins talks about Culver’s longtime mission of partnering with Wisconsin farmers and how he brings culinary flair to a qu...

Another Broken Egg, a breakfast, brunch and lunch chain with 75 locations, boasts a seasonally driven menu with a balance of indulgent and healthy dishes. Vice President of Culinary Jason Knoll shares his strategy for creating crowd-pleasing dishes by listening to guests and incorporating their feedback. He focuses on signatures consumers can’t easily make at home and pays equal attention to the b...

During the last year, Just Salad continued to prioritize menu innovation by launching warm bowls, introducing marinated chicken thighs as a protein option and creating meal kits for consumers cooking at home. Jhonny Castro, culinary director of the 42-unit fast casual, describes his culinary journey from the prep line to head chef, collaborating with the Just Salad team to set the health-focu...

Bartaco’s Mexican beach vibe attracts a lively crowd drawn by the brand’s fresh, made-to-order drinks and authentic tacos. During the pandemic, Beverage Director Nicole Quist launched a successful cocktails-to-go program—a challenge to put in place across 20 locations in 11 states with different sets of regulations. Listen as she shares her excitement about the beverage program at Bartaco.

Avec has built a large following with its inspired small plates menu and welcoming vibe, or what chef Perry Hendrix refers to “as the dinner party you’d like to throw in your own home.” Hendrix transitioned the concept into a fast-casual rotisserie during the pandemic, serving up Middle Eastern-influenced roast chickens and sides. Listen as Hendrix talks about the iconic restaurant’s evolution, me...

It’s not easy to offer authentic pit-smoked barbecue in New York City and other urban centers, but Mighty Quinn’s has found a winning formula. During the last year, the restaurants did a brisk off-premise business, and are especially busy when events like the Super Bowl are on the calendar. Listen as co-founder Christos Gourmos talks about how Mighty Quinn’s differentiates its menu with low-and-sl...

The company’s dining programs have a strong focus on regionality, wellness and contemporary culinary trends, with menus that “make the healthy choice, the easy choice.” Listen as Eric Goldberg, corporate executive chef for Cura Hospitality, shares his ideas for successful senior dining and talks about how innovations that came out of the pandemic are powering the program forward. .

Gumption Coffee, an independent coffee shop and roastery in New York City, has its roots in Australia. Cofounder and partner Hazel de los Reyes brought the concept to New York two years ago, first setting up a roasting facility in Brooklyn’s Industry City, then opening a cafe in Manhattan this past fall. Listen as she talks about her quest to source, roast and brew the best beans, the “gumption” r...

Torchys Tacos began as a food truck, selling elevated street tacos throughout Austin, Texas. The chain has now grown to 83 brick-and-mortar locations, but authenticity, creativity and providing “a damn good experience” are still at the heart of the concept, says CMO Scott Hudler. Listen as he shares how Torchys stays true to its mission while providing the speed, convenience and value of a fast-ca...

Chef Shane Schaibly initially came to First Watch to push the culinary envelope, elevating the food to meet the brand’s level of service and design. As VP of culinary strategy for the full-service breakfast and brunch chain, he has since evolved the brand and its menu, introducing a fresh juice program across 400 locations, pioneering on-trend items such as avocado toast and elote, and launching a...

In recent months, Dan Huebschmann has had to adapt to outdoor dining, curbside takeout and more.

Bob Raymond, vice president of Procurement and Dining Services for Commonwealth Senior Living, isn’t afraid to experiment with what he admits can be “crazy ideas.” From hydroponic microfarms installed in the dining rooms, to using robots to bus tables and deliver mail, this innovative thinker is putting his ideas into action at Commonwealth’s 35 communities.

Listen as chef-partner Brendan Collins describes how he created a British gastropub menu infused with California spirit that lures customers, especially with his unique take on Sunday Roast—the U.K. tradition of enjoying roasted meat and hearty sides with friends and family on Sunday afternoons.