The decline in the popularity of burgers and other forms of meat is indicative of a broader trend in the American restaurant industry. Successful restaurants of today don’t waste time trying to please everyone, they focus on satisfying a core group of regulars. This is a letter to the owners and operators of restaurants in the United States. Try something new for Pete’s sake!
Certain Retail Establishments
As a matter of fact, only today’s youth are concerned with broad appeal. A child of ten years old is the most conventional eater you can imagine. Even if you bring them to a restaurant with a broad variety of options, they will still pick hot dogs. No need to spice up my ketchup with extra cheese or spices. Pizza joints tend to be the most daring restaurants, but they risk alienating customers by not providing the usual suspects when it comes to pizza toppings.
Adults, however, frequently categorise people into different categories depending on their skin colour. I have nothing against Mexican, Italian, or Chinese cuisine, but don’t you think it’s about time we broadened our horizons? Those who have not yet experienced the delights of a Mediterranean restaurant are missing out. Some of the dishes you’ll learn to create and cook include: falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, using honey in place of sugar, and lamb prepared in ways you’ve never thought of. When a basket of pita bread is brought to the table, it has the appearance of a balloon but quickly deflates into a flat pancake.
Despite the stereotype that the United States is a melting pot full of people from all walks of life, it can be challenging to find authentic ethnic cuisine outside of the country’s five major cities. If you’re lucky, there’s chop suey in the bowl. It is unheard of for South American food to be prepared in a country further south than Mexico. What restaurants are open? Maybe one that focuses on the food of Brazil or Argentina? A Russian deli outside of New York is as rare as hen’s teeth. It’s no secret that Americans love Russian desserts like pirozhki and baklava. It’s safe to assume that you are unaware of Shashlyk, as is the average American. The typical Russian shish-kebab consists of marinated lamb skewered with onions and cooked. How difficult is it to create something brand new? For instance, French cuisine is widely regarded as among the best in the world, but it rarely lives up to its stellar reputation. Let’s find out for ourselves why so many people are raving about Paris’s bistros by visiting a few more of them.
The United States seems to be having trouble with cultural diversity. In the northern states like Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, you can get cheese curds, while in the southern states like Texas, Florida, and so on, the cheese is sold in yellow, rectangular slices. Despite the fact that Cajun food was featured favourably on every Food Network cooking show, only a handful of eateries and shops specialising in Cajun food remain open today. Nobody west of New England knows how to prepare a good lobster, and no one east of Utah has ever heard of a Denver omelette. Given that the entire country would not fit into a single food court, it seems unlikely that we will ever have ready access to genuine Indian cuisine within a reasonable driving distance.
It’s bad enough that cooking techniques seem to be caught in a rut along with the food supply’s lack of worldwide diversity and difference between states. There’s no need to bread and fry each chicken breast, in my perspective. No matter where you are in the world when hunger strikes, you must seek out some roasted chicken. Would you agree that it was a welcome change to eat chicken that wasn’t drenched in grease?
Think of all the sweet Baklava, you’d never see on an average American’s dinner table. Did you know that there are various forms of pasta, bread, pickles, and peppers (other than the jalapeo) that you may eat whole and that wheat isn’t the only item that can be used to manufacture bread? To what extent does the kielbasa sausage, when cooked and placed in a bun, resemble the flavour of a traditional hot dog? The fact that corn is not the only source of sugar alternatives? There’s a lot more to seasonings than just the two most common hues, right? Do you know of any alternatives to white flour that might be used to make tortillas? Listen, it would be too soon if I never saw another “French fry” again; please, no more deep-fried potatoes.
The common criticism of American cuisine heard around the world is not without merit. Our lack of options is regrettable. Any time you ask for something that isn’t fried meat, the practicality and down-to-earthness that characterises the American character takes on a more stern edge. Are you part of the upper crust or what? I’m guessing that you prefer fried mushrooms or zucchini to fried potatoes. I would call such imperialist demands. To be clear, we are not imperialists; rather, we found the USDA’s food pyramid to be a novel and thought-provoking concept.
One industry whose profits would be impacted is the food industry. It’s difficult to find skilled employees who know how to cook dishes not generally available in the ordinary homogenised restaurant, to convince Americans to try anything new, and to find a supplier with a vast supply who is also reasonable. To get beyond this problem, though, won’t need much work on our behalf. A favourable outcome is likely. Unique offerings are a great way to stand out and attract customers in the competitive food service sector.
Conclusion
Your grill has no interest in being a cookie-cutter replica of everyone else’s, does it? You want people to know that your location is worth visiting. If you want people to come back to your restaurant, you need to serve food that sticks with them. Nutritionists believe that cravings are the body’s way of informing you that it needs the very thing you’re trying to avoid in order to replenish the nutrients it’s lacking. More than anything, you want to be recognized as an industry trailblazer while also seeing your business thrive.
