RISE - Menu Monitor

Menu Development |
T.G.I. Friday’s will introduce its new item, the Tuscan Portobello Melt with Fire-Roasted Pepper soup, the winning entrée from
Bravo’s television show “Top Chef.” The sandwich features Portobello mushrooms, roasted onion, Provolone and Monterey
Jack cheeses and tomatoes on grilled, buttery bread. The item is priced at $7.74. (Hotelnewsresource.com 11/2/06)
T.G.I. Friday’s has added two more items to its Jack Daniel’s Grill menu. New offerings are Jack Daniel’s Roasted Pork,
braised bone-in pork roast piled high with crispy onions and served with mashed potatoes and broccoli, and Jack Daniel’s
Ribeye, a 14-oz. steak seasoned, grilled and served with mashed potatoes. (Company Release 10/16/06; NRN Daily NewsFax
10/18/06)
Classic apple desserts are being revamped for many fall menus. At T.G.I. Friday’s locations, the Sizzling Apple Pie a la Mode
features a rustic pastry crust, vanilla ice cream and sliced apples, which are brought to the table on sizzling platters for servers
to finish preparing the dish tableside, and drizzled with caramel sauce. At the Atwood Café in Chicago, guests can feast on
Apple Cobbler prepared with tart green apples spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, sautéed in butter and served in a crumb
topping incorporating white Cheddar cheese and topped with vanilla ice cream. Pandini’s units offer Apple Stromboli with
apple-pie filling in a cinnamon-dusted dough similar to what is used to prepare pizzas and strombolis, topped with caramel and
confectioner’s sugar. At Vox Populi in Boston, Chef Eric Bogardus menus Apple Beignets prepared with sliced apples
marinated in lemon juice, orange liqueur, water and sugar, then coated in yeast batter with beet brandy and vanilla extract,
fried, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and served with jalapeño-spiked cider glaze. (Restaurants & Institutions 10/01/06
p35)
Bar food is being revamped into more sophisticated offerings at many restaurants. Recently, T.G.I. Friday’s added a variety of
new offerings, including fried green beans served with a wasabi-cucumber dipping sauce ($4 with the purchase of a main
course). Bennigan’s locations have launched Bar Bites, a tapas-style menu, with offerings such as fried calamari with bits of
fried jalapeño and fried onion, Buffalo shrimp and Southwest Chicken Taquitos. Rathbun restaurant in Atlanta serves a jumbo
lump crab cake and garlic custard tart with Creole mustard and tomato-cayenne jam ($7.95). At Arcadia in the Marriot Hotel in
San Jose, CA, guests can dine on a lobster corn dog with mustard crème fraîche ($12) and black truffle popcorn with chives
($9). At the Key Bar in Austin, TX, patrons can add mini popsicles as a garnish to drink for $1. The popsicles are prepared with
lemon juice and orange juice and frozen in old-fashioned ice cube trays. (Nation’s Restaurant News 10/09/06 p25)
T.G.I. Friday’s added several new California wines to its beverage menu. Selections include Barefoot brand Merlot,
Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Jewel Un-Oaked Chardonnay and Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon. (Nation’s
Restaurant News 12/04/06 p24)
T.G.I. Friday’s rolled out a menu of three-course meals for $12.99, featuring its “Indulgent” and “Better For You” appetizers,
entrées and desserts. The chain also added two “Better For You” entrées, Island Grilled Mahi Mahi, topped with a light
coconut sauce and pineapple pico de gallo and served with a stir-fried brown rice and broccoli; and Dragonfire Chicken,
prepared with kung pao sauce, topped with Mandarin oranges and pineapple pico de gallo and served with stir-fried brown rice
and cilantro-lime seasoned broccoli. The new “Better For You” dessert is Chocolate Angel Swirl Cake, prepared with chocolate
angel food cake, blended with chocolate mousse, finished with fresh pineapple and strawberries and drizzled with chocolate
fudge sauce. The “Indulgent” dishes menued are Fried Mac & Cheese, Bruschetta Chicken Parmesan, a Half Rack Baby Back
Ribs and Cinnabon Cheesecake. (NRN Daily NewsFax 1/2/07; Nation’s Restaurant News Online 12/29/06)
Chorizo is being used in a variety of dishes at chains as well as at independent restaurants. The spiced pork sausage can be
found in T.G.I. Friday’s Potato Skinny Dippers, a skin-on potato wedge appetizer with a melted cheese and chorizo dipping
sauce. At Rock Center Café in New York City, Chef Antonio Prontelli mixes Spanish chorizo with cannellini, black chickpeas
and red kidney beans and serves it with the daily fish special, which is topped with a slow-roasted tomato confit. Ciudad in Los
Angeles serves calamari sautéed with housemade chorizo. (Nation’s Restaurant News Online 12/11/06)
T.G.I. Friday’s has introduced a new dessert, Oreo Chocolate Cake, to its Indulgent menu. The item features chocolate cake
with layers of Oreo cookies and crème filling and topped with crushed Oreo cookies. (Company Release 1/25/07)
T.G.I. Friday’s will be in compliance with trans-fat guidelines in all of its U.S. restaurants by July 2007. The company also
stated that by July 2008, most of its products will be trans-fat free, including desserts and dressings. (Bizjournals.com 2/15/07)
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