No substitutions. When was the last time you saw that phrase on a menu? Gone are the days when restaurants dictate which side dishes are served with entrees. If the chef pairs sea bass with asparagus but you’re allergic to it (as I am) you can easily sub another vegetable. If you don’t want fries and would rather have a side salad; the server doesn’t skip a beat. We have entered a world where special orders have become the norm. In fact, take a look at the menu for Metro Fresh in Midtown Atlanta and you’ll see a code to help customize meals including Vn for vegan, Vg for vegetarian, GF for gluten free and D so you know the dish contains dairy and N to indicate nuts are an ingredient.
As a registered dietitian, I believe it’s important to have flexibility in ordering so you can cut a few calories by ordering salad dressing on the side and it’s a diner’s right to know if allergens such as peanuts or shellfish were included in a restaurant’s recipe. This craze to customize has driven changes in restaurant design and menu concepts. When you order a burrito at places such as Willy’s Mexicana Grill the ingredients and toppings are in full view in individual containers for you to accept or deny based on taste preferences, health goals, allergies, or whim of the moment.
Millennial diners expect this kind of flexible food system. Is this perhaps because mom was a short order cook for all the kids in the family? The vegetarian tween wants grilled cheese, the high school jock wants a burger and others in the family are eating pizza and salad? Grandma would have gone ballistic and insisted, “We’re having pork chops, green beans and mashed potatoes for dinner and that’s what everyone is having!”
Earth-friendly foods please
Another layer in the customization quotient is the mission for many to vote with their forks on social issues. Some vegetarians may be skipping the sausage for health reasons while others feel morally driven to shun meats. Vegans go a step further by avoiding eggs and dairy. Concerns about the environment drive other customers to insist restaurants they frequent follow sustainable practices such as recycling and prioritizing organically grown produce.
With animal welfare in mind, terms defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture such as “cage free eggs,” “free-range chickens” and “grass-fed beef” are listed on many menus as well.
What’s on the menu? Well, it depends who shows up for dinner. My compliments to the chef!
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