Pick A Signature Item and Grow for It!

This is the story of how a simple Chinese Chicken Salad accompanied by freshly baked zucchini bread built a restaurant, a banquet business and became the famous Dianne Salad of Pasadena. The tale starts in 1978 at the Greenstreet Restaurant in Pasadena, California when Dianne, a friend of the owners, developed a knockout dressing for Chinese Chicken Salad. When they introduced the salad, everyone at the restaurant fell in love with it and shared their excitement with other guests. The popularity of this item grew with the ladies at lunch and the businessmen watching their waistlines. The owners christened their new star the Dianne Salad and added freshly baked zucchini bread to the dining experience. The press got wind of the salad from Greenstreet’s fans and the subsequent stories increased the salad’s following and reputation. As a result of the exposure generated by the Dianne Salad, Greenstreet was voted the best lunch restaurant in a popularity poll. In 1992, the restaurant added a pick-up window so that Dianne Salad addicts could quickly satisfy their habits. As the convenience grew so did the large orders and soon the Dianne Salad became a party favorite. The offering grew from plated luncheons to party bags to cartons to feed 200 on 30 minutes notice! In 1996, the restaurant revised the menu, adding all new salads and the Dianne Salad (in two sizes) is proudly and prominently displayed in a boxed center section. They also created a new combination – New York Steak and Dianne Salad – which placed the salad in a staring role on the dinner menu. By popular demand, Greenstreet later added a full banquet facility to provide a new place for the Dianne Salad and its friends to party! How much salad do they sell? Weekly production exceeds 800 lb. Of poached and pulled chicken, 125 lb. Of warm toasted almonds, 50 cases of lettuce to be finely shredded, truck full of Mai Fun noodles and cases of fresh oranges for garnish. This is all in addition to endless batches of secret dressing that is “just light enough, sweet enough and tangy enough.” So what does all this mean? We calculated that the Dianne Salad, directly or indirectly, is responsible for 30% of the restaurant’s total sales! The next goal is to take the Dianne Salad, the secret dressing and the zucchini bread into retail production. This shows what can be done with a signature salad. What is your restaurant famous for? What are you going to do with it? Check out more ways to boost your sales from this book, 50 Proven Ways to Build Restaurant Sales & Profit by Hospitality Masters Press Available on www.amazon.com, or fax Greenstreet Restaurant Serving California Comfort Food for breakfast, lunch and dinner since 1979. 146 South Shoopers Lane Pasadena, CA 91101 Tel: 626-577-7170 Dianne Salad Kit and Dianne Salad Dressing are available for purchase at http://www.GreenStreetRestaurant.com request to 1-888-767-1055.