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Off-menu ordering may not sit well with the old-school chefs' view that their culinary creations are meant to be experienced as created - but nowadays, it's all about business and delivering what the customer wants, however odd the request.
Today, a chef is far more than a culinary innovator - he is a business man and as such he has to adapt to satisfy the market appetite.
Gone are the days of a restaurant offering one token vegetarian dish and feeling that they have done their duty. Increasing public awareness of personal health and wellbeing has developed a new generation of diners and increased the pressure upon modern outlets to deliver what the customer wants.
Nowadays, even if it isn't a specialist venue, a restaurant must be willing to cater for vegetarians, gluten-intolerants and dairy-free diets if it wishes to compete in the buzzing market, as Hyatt Regency Focaccia restaurant chef Riccardo Ionna explains.
"We are very flexible and always try to accommodate any special request a guest may have in all our restaurants," he says. In fact Focaccia's new promotion has taken off-menu ordering to new heights, Ionna continues.
"The restaurant's new promotional concept, ‘Il Mercato', lets the guest literally walk around the restaurant to different stations and select what they would like to have, just as when you go to a weekly market," he explains.
"They simply give me their selection and I will prepare and cook it for them on the spot. This way they do not have to ask for a special meal and we can be one step ahead."
Other outlets are similarly willing to help out with guests requests, as Desert Palm executive chef Lionel Boyce explains. "We actively cater for everyone's needs to the best of our ability. It is good however if people with these types of conditions can inform us prior so we can look after them more appropriately," he points out.
Josh Lewis, head chef of Vue by Shannon Bennett at the InterContinental Al Bustan Palace Muscat agrees: "We have the option of a full vegetarian menu upon request and gluten free dishes are readily available. Dairy-free is a little more difficult, but with enough notice items can be modified so that everyone can enjoy the dining experience."
Of course, accommodating tricky requests is far easier for restaurants based in hotels with multiple outlets, points out Paul Lupton, chef at celebrity chef Gary Rhodes' restaurant, Rhodes Mezzanine, at Grosvenor House Dubai.
"It helps that our restaurant is located in Grosvenor House, because if we don't have something in our own restaurant we will be sure to find it elsewhere in the hotel," he says.
Although Desert Palm's Boyce points out that small properties also have their benefits.
"We accommodate any off-menu request as long as we have the ingredients in the kitchen. That's one of the benefits of a small resort as we are very flexible when it comes to what a guest is looking for," he says.
Customer demands
According to The Meat Co executive chef - Middle East Roy Soundranayagam, the brand's outlets do not often experience off-menu requests, perhaps because they are such a clearly defined steakhouse product. "However we do get requests for sauces, most often béarnaise or red wine jus," he notes.
Other venues are accommodating request more frequently, as Hyatt Regency's Ionna reveals.
"This has happened to me many times; we are always happy to accommodate every meal request a guest might have, but still we feel there is something more we can give. I like it when I can interact with the guest, understand their requests and in the end see them leave with a big smile," he asserts.
"People these days are also more experienced diners," Ionna continues. "Some have different cultural backgrounds, others certain dietary requirements. We are very conscious of these factors and accommodate according to what they ask for."
Rhodes Mezzanine's Lupton agrees that guest interaction plays a key part in such requests, ensuring the guest feels looked after and not like they are being a difficult customer.
"Recently we had a guest visit the restaurant who requested a special menu because she was vegan. So I went out to speak to her and learn her likes and dislikes, then created a four-course menu that suited her dietary needs as well as her tastes.
"That said, realistically it wouldn't be possible to do this for each one of our guests," he admits. "It's better if guests can inform us of their needs in advance, so we are prepared."
"One customer ordered a steak and her request was to have it cooked more, as she was a ‘vegetarian' and it was too rare for her liking!"
Roy Soundranayagam, executive chef - Middle East, The Meat Co
"When I was working in Australia I did notice that the Japanese market seems to enjoy eating dessert as a first course, which I always found interesting!"
Lionel Boyce, executive chef, Desert Palm
"A guest once requested pasta - not an unusual request, but it turned out that he wanted penne pasta with chicken, cream, mushrooms, broccoli, tomato sauce, sun-dried tomato, oregano, mozzarella cheese, anchovy and black olives.
"There's a Latin maxim our executive chef uses, ‘de gustibus non est disputandum', which means ‘there‘s no accounting for taste'!"
Riccardo Ionna, restaurant chef, Focaccia, Hyatt Regency
"It's probably not the strangest but it's definitely the most annoying: frog's legs. Not every French restaurant has to have frog's legs on its menu."
Josh Lewis, head chef, Vue by Shannon Bennett, InterContinental Al Bustan Palace Muscat
"Even the strange ones have become quite normal now - but I do get upset when we get a request for chilli flakes or Tabasco sauce."
Paul Lupton, head chef, Rhodes Mezzanine, Grosvenor House Dubai
