Our Process

Vision: The Guiding Light

Success begins here. An idea or dream is fleshed out through a rigorous process of Visioning and Ideation: a face-to-face probing of what the goal is for a project. Details are explored, possibilities explored, decisions made, and direction concluded. Culinary Options begins all projects with this process because lack of initial stakeholder agreement and vision alignment leads to fragmented collaboration and project results. We can help our clients avoid that by establishing the cohesive glue that allows a project to stay on track through all the phases.

Concept: Clarity is Golden

Concept clarification and precision can now be achieved. We begin to articulate and develop the details that will bring life to the core concept. The envisioned look, feel, design elements, brand promises, and overall vibe of a place must be defined at this stage.

Design: Creating the Stage

Menu Drives Everything: inventory, labor, design, equipment and spatial requirements.

Our focus is supporting clients in making purposeful menu choices based on the concept. A strategically constructed menu whose items are conceptually appropriate, meticulously costed and consistently executed will create an appeal that rarely fades. The key to a successful menu is Focus. Fact: complex menus create higher food and labor costs.

The concept clarification and menu composition processes occur before design. Challenges faced by today’s foodservice operators often stem from not having conceptual guardrails in place before bringing a designer on board. Or, before deciding what should be on the menu.

Culinary Options works collaboratively with kitchen designers, architects and interior designers on all projects to assure that the vision and goals for the project are clearly stated. By having a concept and menu defined, the designer then knows what the structural elements of the kitchen must be to support the menu and required volume. Without this information, design becomes a shot in the dark.