In need of advice. Not chicken related

[Geckolady]

Or maybe they're having trouble getting lamb. A lot of places are having trouble getting items. Have you gone grocery shopping lately? Restaurants are having the same issues.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Maybe you could make your own lamb burger at home?

We probably could but the point is we look forward to this year round and that we're doing something special by going out to eat.

 

[Feathyr]

Some context: I worked in a small town restaurant for the majority of COVID. It only stopped because my place of employment closed down at the beginning of the year.

I think the restaurant is probably catering to its regular customers.

I've been in food service for a long time and I can tell you that good help is harder than ever to find. I think you're right that once a place starts diversifying too much it loses it's appeal but if they've been doing a lamb burger for 11 years they're probably just trying something new.

Keeping these two points in mind, their regular clientele may be the ones requesting the gluten free / vegan dishes! While I understand that there folks who have genuine health concerns, these dishes are popular fads and many (70-80%) of our customers, both regular and sporadic were upset when we didn't carry them. It's worth mentioning that we're pretty much at the end of civilization, and most food service places in general will not cater to these diets. So what did we do?

We took their tastes into consideration, offered those specialty dishes, and then ended up tossing the fancy gluten-free / vegan breads each week... because people would only order the same three-four meals we were known for. None of which were vegan or gluten-free. The novelty had worn off.

Unless your restaurant sees substantial demand for those specialty dishes, they will not find them sustainable in the long term. Unlike regular bread, gluten-free carb products (tortillas, muffins, etc.) do NOT store well.

It's entirely possible too that they could be having difficultly sourcing lamb, and / or finding it difficult to offer this dish at a reasonable price! That's what happened to us. Everyone wanted tri-tip but no one wanted to pay for it, and as someone in the cattle business, I offended many a customer when I explained just how expensive is in to raise cattle. Especially in our current drought.

BlindLemonChicken hit the nail on the head - ask the business owner(s) why they chose to delist one of their signature products. It's hard to say what their reasoning may be.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Or maybe they're having trouble getting lamb. A lot of places are having trouble getting items. Have you gone grocery shopping lately? Restaurants are having the same issues.

Good point but I've looked at lamb prices. They've pretty much remained constant. In fact I've seen them go lower per pound than beef steaks recently.

 

[BlueBaby]

We probably could but the point is we look forward to this year round and that we're doing something special by going out to eat.

I guess that you'll have to either settle for something else on the menu, or find another restaurant for that night.

 

[Geckolady]

Good point but I've looked at lamb prices. They've pretty much remained constant. In fact I've seen them go lower per pound than beef steaks recently.

I have a part time retirement job in retail. There are a lot of things that are not coming in or only coming in intermittently, but the price is staying about the same.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Some context: I worked in a small town restaurant for the majority of COVID. It only stopped because my place of employment closed down at the beginning of the year.



Keeping these two points in mind, their regular clientele may be the ones requesting the gluten free / vegan dishes! While I understand that there folks who have genuine health concerns, these dishes are popular fads and many (70-80%) of our customers, both regular and sporadic were upset when we didn't carry them. It's worth mentioning that we're pretty much at the end of civilization, and most food service places in general will not cater to these diets. So what did we do?

We took their tastes into consideration, offered those specialty dishes, and then ended up tossing the fancy gluten-free / vegan breads each week... because people would only order the same three-four meals we were known for. None of which were vegan or gluten-free. The novelty had worn off.

Unless your restaurant sees substantial demand for those specialty dishes, they will not find them sustainable in the long term. Unlike regular bread, gluten-free carb products (tortillas, muffins, etc.) do NOT store well.

It's entirely possible too that they could be having difficultly sourcing lamb, and / or finding it difficult to offer this dish at a reasonable price! That's what happened to us. I think BlindLemonChicken hit the nail on the head - ask the business owner(s) why they chose to delist one of their signature products. It's hard to say what their reasoning may be.

Yeah not sure but that seems the way to go. I think I'll express myself to the waitress and then if this stuff continues talk to the owner. I'm seeing a trend but it doesn't mean there is one. I know for sure if they take the Buff off the menu I will NOT be back. That's my fav. A local rib place took their buffalo chicken sandwich off the menu and I will NEVER go back. That was the only thing on their menu I liked

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I guess that you'll have to either settle for something else on the menu, or find another restaurant for that night.

There's only one place we'd like to try...but it requires a reservation everytime. It's that popular. We're not "planning" people. If we decide to eat out it's usually that day about an hour before. We like the convince of being able to just walk in and be served without a wait. That's why we go to a burger place and nothing fancy

 

[Feathyr]

Personally, I would skip the waitress altogether and speak to the owner(s) directly. Waitstaff often have little to no control over menu availability (or anything else) and I'll confess - as a waitress myself, I got very, very tired of having to deal with customers who were dissatisfied with the owners' decisions, because I had no more control over the situation than they did. I was not paid to make our menus.

Not pointing any fingers at you, just... ranting about food service in general. It's always been an exhausting industry, but these days it's something else. I have stories lol.

ETA: And if they have no (current) plans to reestablish the burger, you are free to take your service elsewhere! You have just as much a right to find a product you enjoy, just as they have a right not to cater to your specific taste. I'm not taking a swing at you - just pointing out that you have options.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Personally, I would skip the waitress altogether and speak to the owner(s) directly. Waitstaff often have little to no control over menu availability (or anything else) and I'll confess - as a waitress myself, I got very, very tired of having to deal with customers who were dissatisfied with the owners' decisions, because I had no more control over the situation than they did. I was not paid to make our menus.

Not pointing any fingers at you, just... ranting about food service in general. It's always been an exhausting industry, but these days it's something else. I have stories lol.

ETA: And if they have no (current) plans to reestablish the burger, you are free to take your service elsewhere! You have just as much a right to find a product you enjoy, just as they have a right not to cater to your specific taste. I'm not taking a swing at you - just pointing out that you have options.

Yeah I get it. The point is this establishment has been there from the beginning the our relationship so we're pretty attached to it. When I asked to speak to the chef I suggested it be a regular menu item but was in unheeded. Instead they kept it as the burger of the month