Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PaperTiger]

It's very likely that I've been chosen to re-vamp the menu of a local night spot in Itaewon and punch up their menu. What are some entrees or bar snacks you guys would like to see on a local menu? What dishes would guarantee your frequent custom if they met your standards? Trying to stay away from burgers because people can get those anywhere. Anyone into salad? Soup? Sandwiches?

[schwa]

At least one filling vegetarian option, clearly identified as such on the menu.

[thrylos]

Good tato skins, with real cheese, sour cream, chives and bacon....Mmmmm bacon.....

[timhorton]

pretzels - fresh and handmade

[lemak]

Chicken Kiev and Chicken Parmigiana.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Homemade tomato soup and quality grilled cheese
Jacket potato with different options for fillings
Sweet potato fries
Blooming onion or onion rings
Panini with different options for fillings

[Steelrails]

As far as stuff that is economically viable (popular, low cost, not easily perishable, consistent ingredients) and foreigner friendly...

Fish and Chips is certainly possible
Pizza
Basic nachos
Cheese sticks, tenders, other fried crap
I assume burgers would see enough sales
Non-Korean like pasta
Non-Korean like salad, if you can ever pull off a Greek Salad or maybe whatever salad is trendy back home, you can get some addicts

The key with these is not their uniqueness, but in how well they are made. Find the right ones (if you're buying bulk/from food supply), maybe season them up a little, fry them in actual lard, etc. You and the bar next door could get cheesesticks from the exact same supplier, but because you prepare them one way and slightly doctor them up, yours are a must-have, while theirs leaves everyone feeling sick.

More elaborate but probably still economically viable

Stew/Curry or Stew & Curry
Marmite/Vegemite sandwiches
Burritos
Cheesesteaks
Hommus & Pita Chips
Fried Okra/Veggie Fries
Stilton Fries
Bangers & Mash

But if you really want to draw in a food crowd, work on developing a couple "signature dishes" that word of mouth says are the best in Korea.

And consider something like Spinach & Artichoke dip (unless someone does have it....). I haven't seen to many places with that, people get addicted to it, and the wave hasn't hit like say, burgers, burritos & pizza where its going to be hard to get name recognition as the place to go for those foods. Other candidates include Mac&Cheese or Meatloaf or Shwarma or BBQ Pork Sandwiches or Sliders (Now I'm not too well traveled so I don't know what places in Seoul/Korea have laid claim to those, so do your research). Even something as simple as chili (chili dogs, chili fries, chili mac).

Don't overlook desserts. People often stumble into the watering hole following dinner and maybe are up for some dessert (a potentially high-profit item)/ Peach Cobblers, Apple Bakes, Ice Cream Brownies have high addiction potential and often are relatively easy to prepare and store. With irregular schedules and all, these items slot nicely in terms of pricepoint between a person just ordering drinks and someone getting a meal. They might not spring for a 10 dollar meal but they might spring for a 5 dollar dessert, particularly if they are "slightly hungry but don't want to stuff themselves". You can either get 2 people splitting a 5 dollar basket of fries or 2 people each getting a 5 dollar brownie sundae.

Last but not least- DO NOT overtop or overportion your food. It destroys your food cost, actually doesn't taste as good, and if you're trying to move booze it can hurt your bottom line. People who are stuffed tend to get lethargic and too full to drink beer thanks to a messed up gut. You want the booze to flow. People who feel bloated and indigested lose their drinking mojo. Price your items that leave people feeling "stuffed" a little high. Remember, you're a bar first, restaurant second. Don't lose a crowd from 8-11 because you're patrons come in at 730 for dinner, stuff themselves and call it a night after two beers and leave your place a tomb.

[PaperTiger]

[Zyzyfer]

I agree on getting portions at just the right amount. Usually a burger and fries has me stuffed. But personally I just switch it up to a few gin tonics until things settle down.

Also agree on the veggie options. Doesn't need to be extensive, but a friend of mine who was here for years was a vegetarian and often had to settle on plain old fries at times.

Knowing you, and knowing how bars generally tend to be in Itaewon, I really think that, aside from that, all you need to do is clean up the clutter from the menu by throwing out unpopular dishes, revamp the ones that were doing okay, and replace what you tossed out with a few straightforward recommendations you have gotten from here or whatever.

On a personal note, I like simple menus. Don't like to see a ton of diversity when I'm out for drinks. If I'm actually planning to eat dinner at a bar and not scarf something down beforehand elsewhere, I usually go for something simple, i.e. a burger. Since I don't know where this bar is then I'm not sure that's the kind of clientele they want around. But if you won't be staying in the kitchen and the bar isn't 100% dedicated to making the changes stick then I think you know exactly what will happen, dude.

So I'd say go with tightening the menu, and improving the ingredients used, (i.e. you can get a burger anywhere but it won't be amazing) over busting out tons of high-end recipes that will get simplified two months later.