Piloting a New Menu

When I started the idea of serving dinners at our restaurant my plan was to do mini tasting menus. I wanted people to give me an idea of what they liked by picking an entree and I could essentially do the rest. As the menu evolved, I offered them a choice of packaged meals - first course, entree and dessert, and then I would throw in two or three other bites to complement the meal.

As I get down to the final stages, the vast majority of people whom I show the draft menu to are wanting more control and more options. The latest menu let's them pick whatever they want, letting the entree control the price.

That's fine, but now a diner could pick a first course that simply doesn't go with the entree. I know not everyone eats like me, nor do they think through their foods like me, but my revised hope is that with time diners will come to trust my selections in a way that they will turn themselves over to me (as many of my lunch regulars do).

Here is my latest draft: