Unpopular opinion: hitting 500 covers on a Tuesday night in February changed my mind about prix fixe

We ran a $65 four-course menu at my spot in Asheville, thinking it would be a slow season filler. We hit 500 plates served, which is insane for a random winter weeknight (and way more than our usual a la carte numbers). It proved that people will show up and pay for a focused, well-executed experience, not just a cheap check. Anyone else have a menu change that blew up your expected covers?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_shah173mo ago

Holy cow, 500 covers on a Tuesday in February is wild. I mean, maybe it's just me but my place would be thrilled with half that on a Saturday. Guess the real unpopular opinion is that people actually want to think less and just eat a good meal someone else planned.

james6723mo ago

500 covers sounds like a made up number.

felix_thomas7322d ago

Man, you gotta trust the numbers on this one @james672... I've seen places that look empty but do 300+ covers easy because they're just turning tables every 45 minutes. The real trick is having a system where the kitchen and front of house actually talk to each other without all that drama. My buddy runs a spot that does 400 on a slow Wednesday and it's all about keeping the menu tight and the service snappy. If you got a good flow going, 500 is totally doable with the right crew.