Although it sometimes feels like a losing battle when it comes to meeting the dietary needs of your guests, there are several ways you can address their needs without losing your menu. All it requires is a little imagination and a ton of creativity.
To understand why this is an important topic, and one I have built my business around, here are a few statistics:
- A preview query of our data estimates that there are nearly 62,000 English posts on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and WordPress alone about food allergies each month, and 660,000 posts each month about gluten.
- Comparing a list of nearly 800 keywords about Gluten, we can see that monthly searches about Gluten and Celiac disease range from 2.4 to 3.4 million.
- Nearly 1/3 of Americans eat gluten-free, and of that total, 1 percent has Celiac Disease and another 6 percent are gluten intolerant.
These numbers should prove that diners with food allergies and/or gluten intolerances are becoming a larger part of American diners. With an estimated 15 million Americans with a food allergy and a 50 -percent increase in children with food allergies (between 1997-2011), restaurant operators should offer and identify menu items that speak to these growing audiences. The statistics don’t lie.
If you are still on the fence about whether you should provide menu items that are allergen- and/or gluten-free, provide a dish as a limited-time-offer to see how well it sells. Or, put an easy-to-make item on the menu and track its long-term progress. Use an email blast or other communication method to promote the item and to communicate to your guests the item is now part of your menu. Then, watch what happens.
I have long encouraged our clients to step outside of their comfort zone in order to address the regulatory and consumer demands that are reshaping the restaurant industry. While it isn’t easy, it can be done.
Here are a number of ways you can think outside the nutritional box without sacrificing flavor or cost.
|
Instead of… |
Try… |
Improvements Made |
|
Bread |
Lettuce wraps (iceberg or butter lettuce cups) |
Decrease calories, carbs and sodium, now gluten-free |
|
Croutons |
Nuts |
Decrease sodium, increase unsaturated fat and protein, now gluten-free |
|
Sour Cream |
Plain Greek yogurt |
Decrease calories and fat, increase protein |
|
American or cheddar cheese slices |
Swiss cheese |
Decrease sodium |
|
Regular pizza sauce |
Add vegetable puree to the sauce (sweeter vegetables like peas and carrots work well) |
Decrease calories and sodium, increase vitamins and minerals |
|
French fries with ketchup |
Vegetable sticks with light ranch |
Decrease calories, fat, sodium and added sugar, increase vitamins, minerals and fiber |
|
Pasta |
Spaghetti squash or zucchini ribbons |
Decrease calories and carbs, increase vitamins, minerals and fiber |
|
Heavy cream in sauces and soups |
Pureed tofu |
Decrease calories and fat, increase protein |
|
Mayonnaise on sandwiches |
Pureed avocado |
Decrease sodium, increase unsaturated fat |
|
Breadcrumbs for breading |
Crushed nuts |
Decreased sodium and carbs, increased protein |
|
Iceberg lettuce on burgers |
Dark greens like spinach, kale or arugula |
Increased vitamins and minerals |
|
Salt |
Herbs, vinegar, spices, or citrus |
Decrease sodium, increased vitamins and minerals |
|
Boiled vegetables |
Steamed or roasted vegetables |
Increase vitamins and minerals (and better texture) |
|
White rice |
Quinoa, brown rice, wild rice |
Increased fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals |
|
Hamburger buns |
Cooked sweet potato slices, portabella mushrooms |
Decrease calories, sodium and carbs, increase vitamins, minerals and fiber, now gluten-free |
|
Oil in baked goods |
Applesauce (in equal parts) |
Decrease calories and fat (can also decrease amount of sugar added) |
|
Frosting |
Meringue |
Decrease calories, total fat, saturated fat and trans fat |
|
Sugar in baked goods |
Pureed banana (equal parts) |
Decrease added sugars |
These are all clever ways we help our clients establish healthful menu items for their specialty-needs diners. These simple solutions equal great results for all.
