There is something special about the foods you grew up with. They are special to you, not necessarily “special” to everyone. When writing menus for supper clubs it is only natural for most people to gravitate to their comfort zone. You do need to be careful not to assume everyone will like what you like.
A great example of this hit me when my buddy John from New York visited me in Memphis. John and I grew up going to a great Italian restaurant and pizzeria. Cassarella’s became our “Gold Standard” for the best pizza. John came to visit and my wife and daughter were away for the weekend. John was thinking about opening a pizzeria in Memphis so John, my son Brian (age 10) and I went on a survey of pizzerias in Memphis. We went to at least 10 over 3 days.
The pizza was mostly bad by our standards. Memphians like their pizza half cooked. It is usually doughy and soft. They even put BBQ pork on it. But, that is what the market likes. Being New Yorker’s we just assumed everyone would like what we like. To this day my son talks about our pizza research fondly. He got to eat pizza for 9 straight meals. It was heaven for him, but his mother is still mad at me.
I was once was waiting on line on a Friday night at a chain pizza place in Memphis. Out of the blue the guy in front of me who I didn’t know, turned and asked me: “Can you believe we are waiting on line for this crap?” I agreed and said “East Coast?” he responded “Boston”.
I believe that people like the pizza (and most foods) that they grew with. People from New York like New York pizza. People from Chicago like Chicago pizza. And, people from Memphis like their pizza half cooked. I once was talking to the owner of a pizzeria in Memphis. He was from Italy, had lived in New Jersey and been in business in Memphis for 10 years. He told me Memphians like their pizza “white”. If I made pizza the way I like it, I would be out of business in a month.
The lesson I have learned is try to match your supper club menu to your audience and don’t let your wife know that your son ate nothing but pizza for three days.
If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.