Customers grocery shop, stopping to look at menu or the food frequently. Greet and recognize that the customer is standing there: “Hi! Let me know if you have any questions or when you’re ready.”
DO NOT ignore them.
Since we are in a grocery store customers may or may not know we exist. It's different in a brick and mortar store like Chipotle, where customers purposely go inside the location not to look at a menu but because they want the food.
If you are prepping product with your back turned, look over your shoulder every now and then to see if there are customers. A lot of times customers will not call out to you because they are waiting for you to get less busy.
When a customer is ordering a bowl the 3 most important things you want to know are:
Poke Bowl or Warm Bowl
BYOB (build your own bowl) or Chef Favorite
If Chef Favorite bowl, ask if they want any changes to it. Usually they will change the base to brown rice or remove/add an ingredient.
Size of bowl
By asking these questions, you understand what the customer wants up front so you dont come into a situation where the customer makes a change last minute and you have already added a product to the bowl. Prevents issues!!
For Poke Bowls we use cold rice, for Warm Bowls - warm rice.
Chef Favorite - use the cheat sheet to finish out the entire bowl without customer approval. Ask if they would like any modifications or changes to their bowl before building. Sometimes they want brown rice or swap the ingredient/sauce.
BYOB - they will guide you to what they want or will ask you to suggest ingredients. You want to guide the customer along the service line.
Size - Regular (16 oz) or Large (24 oz)
Our rice has rice vinegar added (sushi rice) - the acid changes the ph level of rice so it can be held at room temperature for days and kills the bacteria
Regular bowl - 1 heaping scoop (⅓ of bowl filled) below half of the bowl
Large bowl - 2 scoops (⅓ bowl filled) below half of the bowl
Customers may ask for shredded green cabbage
Zucchini noodles can be used as a base or as one of the Mix ins ($1 extra)
Fill same amount as if rice was in bowl
Naked Tuna (ahi tuna)
Marinated Tuna - sesame oil, tamari soy sauce, green onion, sesame seed
Spicy Tuna - sesame oil, spicy mix
Naked Salmon
Marinated Salmon - sesame oil, tamari soy sauce, green onion, sesame seed
Spicy Salmon - sesame oil, tamari soy sauce, spicy mix
Bang Bang Shrimp
Tofu
Karaage Fried Chicken
Bulgogi Chicken
Fillers - product that visible covers and takes up space but cost low. “Perception is reality.” If the bowl looks like its not filled, the customer will feel they are not getting their money’s worth.
Green Cabbage
Carrots
Spicy Cabbage - Spicy Korean sauce mixed into green cabbage
Cucumber - spread the cucumber like a fan (5-8 pcs) based on size of bowl. Do not grab a stack and place in bowl as a stack
Pickled cucumber - put in a bowl using tongs, don’t fold piece by piece.
Edamame - used to fill open space in a bowl. Find the area in bowl and fill the small area. One red scoop for regular // One and half scoop for large
Seaweed salad - One serving portion is free, extra serving is $1 extra
Avocado - put half an avocado for both sizes, always $1.50 extra
Garnish:
Green Onion - not used to fill space in a bowl but is a small sprinkle on top of bowl, NOT a handful. No one want onion breathe.
Sushi Ginger - very small amount: 2-3 small pieces. For palate cleanser not a main ingredient unless customer wants more
Fried shallots / Furikake - added on top of bowl AFTER sauces for crunch and flavor
All Chef favorite bowls come with Shoyu-ponzu because we assume it’s a customers first time having a bowl and ponzu flavors the rice and vegetables for the best tasting bowl. We then add a second sauce for more flavor.
Taste each sauce so you can describe what it tastes like or how spicy it is
Know what has soy, gluten, dairy
Quantity of sauce squeezed onto bowl (ponzu, other sauces)
Each Chef Favorite bowl has a different sauce
Shoyu-Ponzu - Light citrus-soy made with tamari (contains soy)
Sriracha Aioli - medium spicy. Our version of a spicy mayo (contains soy)
Spicy Korean - medium spicy. Gochujang based sauce (contains gluten & soy)
Sweet Sesame - sweet with a deep rich sesame soy flavor (contains soy)
Wasabi Aioli - mild and sweet that doesn't burn your nose (contains soy)
Sweet Chili Mayo - the mixture of mayo with the sweet chili sauce and sriracha powder yields a simple but flavorful sauce (contains soy)
Sesame oil - vegetable oil delivered from sesame seeds