seasonal menu planning

A seasonal menu is a limited edition menu that utilizes seasonal ingredients to create dishes that appeal to the flavor profile of the time of year. Restaurants craft seasonal menus to promote ingredients that are fresh at the moment. 

Diners look for tasty recipes that coincide with the seasons. A seasonal menu can be a unique attraction that brings diners through your door. Offering seasonal dishes that differ from your normal options excites returning customers and inspires new guests to give your restaurant a try. 

A seasonal menu can not only generate excitement around particular times of the year, but can also help control food costs.  

Cooking with seasonal ingredients that are more abundant during peak times curbs high supply costs because farmers and distributors have larger bounties to sell. Buying seasonal ingredients is sustainable, too. When you prioritize seasonal food you support your local supply chain while utilizing fresh ingredients. 

Figuring out what ingredients are in season to create this menu sounds like a no-brainer, but this can differ based on where your restaurant is located. You can source your local farms and distributors to learn what ingredients are fresh in your area.

Each season brings different fresh ingredients, and your job is to capture these ingredients in your dishes. Here are some ingredients that are fresh each season:

Spring menu ingredients: Blueberry, artichoke, asparagus, peaches, rhubarb, snap peas

Summer menu ingredients: Watermelon, basil, bell peppers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes

Fall menu ingredients: Sweet potatoes, apples, brussel sprouts, cranberry, pumpkin, squash

Winter menu ingredients: Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, grapefruit, kale, pears

Sustainable eating is on the rise, and diners are increasingly health-conscious and mindful of the food they eat. Sourcing local ingredients creates a fresh dining experience that highlights the origins of your dishes to attract customers.

Partnering with local farmers to get ingredients for your seasonal menu can also help you foster community relationships. Shopping locally also builds connections in your neighborhood and helps give back to the local economy.

Lighthouse, a farm-to-table restaurant in New York City, has found great success sourcing local ingredients to craft their menu. Lighthouse utilizes in-season ingredients to help decrease the cost of their local ingredients. They have been able to foster community within the city and keep customers happy by getting creative with their organic, locally-sourced ingredients. 

Seasonal menus give you a chance to experiment and get creative. Let your chefs come up with new dishes and encourage your servers to learn the stories behind the limited edition items. Adding variety to your kitchen can keep staff engaged and excited about your restaurant. 

The first thing is calling the suppliers to see what is in season. The executive chef would then sample the ingredients. Ideas start building when you try the seasonal ingredients. 

Once the plates are built and the menu is set, then the executive chef will teach and train the kitchen first and then organize tasting for the front of the house. Explain the dishes and describe everything. 

The front of the house will have a briefing and then they have a quiz. I think this is very important for food allergies. It is very important to have good runners to organize the plates coming in from the kitchen and getting them out in the right amount of time. I witnessed many times seeing the chef get frustrated because the runners weren’t there to get the hot foods. 

Chefs must consider the cost of every ingredient when they’re planning their menus. Everything from the protein to the seasoning contributes to the overall costs in the kitchen. And the more unique items you have, the more quickly those costs can add up.

There are economies of scale that come with bulk pricing, which is why you may see one side item accompanying several entrees. But you can’t repeat the same recipes too often, or the menu will grow dull. Chefs have to balance the number of unique ingredients on their menus with the cost of each.

Chefs also must consider the final price of each dish when planning their menus. Let’s say every entrée on your current menu is under $25. Then, you develop a fantastic New York Strip recipe that you can’t wait to share. But when you consider the cost of the ingredients and the labor required, you realize that you’ll have to charge $50 for that dish to be profitable.

An entrée that costs 100% more than any other dish on the menu doesn’t fit in. The customers at your restaurant aren’t looking for $50 steaks. They’re looking for a dinner under $25. Your New York Strip won’t sell, and you’ll waste product.

Kitchen food waste is a common problem in restaurants, hotels, and catering companies that chefs can tackle in the menu planning stage. While some amount of waste is inevitable in a kitchen, a clever menu can help manage the problem.

For example, if you find that you’re wasting leftovers of a certain ingredient, where can you repurpose it on the menu to use it up? Maybe you serve a summer salad topped with goat cheese, but you end up throwing some cheese away week after week. You can either remove the cheese from the salad entirely, or add it to another menu item to use more of it. Perhaps atop a crostini?

Not only do seasonal menus give you a unique opportunity to showcase your culinary creativity, but they also help you adapt to market trends by tapping into shifting consumer desires that change with the seasons—think lighter, refreshing dishes in the summer and hearty, warmer meals in the winter. 

Seasonal menus also allow you to incorporate emerging food trends, whether root-to-stem cooking or farm-to-table concepts, making your restaurant more relevant and appealing to a broader audience. This adaptability keeps your offerings fresh and differentiates your restaurant in a competitive landscape.

Embracing a seasonal menu is like unlocking a treasure chest of opportunities for your restaurant. It’s a four-pronged strategy that elevates your culinary offerings, boosts your bottom line, keeps your patrons eagerly returning, and underscores your commitment to sustainability.