January 16, 2026

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A New Menu Item? It Might Be Easier Said Than Done.

There’s a place where restaurants can get some inspiration!

📋 The Menu. It’s a familiar scenario. You’re sitting at your favorite place to grab lunch and/or dinner. You know the menu inside and out, backwards and forwards. Because, after all, it is your favorite place to eat lunch and/or dinner. 

Of course, you have your “go-to.” It’s the one or two menu items that never let you down. You can always count on a good result when you order them. They are, in short, reliable.

🤔 But wait… What’s this!? 

When did that (INSERT NEW MENU ITEM HERE!) get added to the menu? Has it been here a week? Or maybe a month? Have I not been paying attention? 

Here may be the bigger question. How in the world did this new thing make it onto the menu?

🆕 Everyone Needs Ideas. What a restaurant lists on its menu is a BIG decision. There are only so many things any restaurant can do well. So, when you add something to a menu, you really need to think things through.  

Will my customers like it? Can my kitchen staff execute this new item? Is it easy or hard to source the ingredients for the dish? All great questions that deserve thoughtful answers.  

Each fall in Orlando, there’s a place where restaurant owners, chefs, and culinary professionals can get some of those crucial answers…

Yes, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s annual Restaurant Show is that place. If you’ve ever wondered where our local hospitality pros get their ideas. This is definitely one place that can trigger some great creative options.

Let’s peel back the curtain and take a peek at what it looks like when food and beverage vendors show off their stuff to potential buyers. Making good menu decisions is harder than you might think!

🎶 This isn’t all fun and games. Buying food and equipment for a restaurant is serious business. But it sure doesn’t hurt to have a soundtrack! 

There is A LOT to see at a show like this. 300+ companies displayed and demoed their products on the floor. 

As you would expect, there is a ton of food. It’s a great chance to get to see, smell, and, of course, taste a bunch of new possibilities. 

Hey, maybe it’s a new sandwich creation that fills in the blank above. 😀 

 Charcuterie is still a thing in 2026! That’s good, I like grazing! 😋 

Maybe a high-end steak would be a nice addition to the menu. 

We’ve all had sandwiches, charcuterie, and steaks. But how about some Avocado Bread? That’s a new one for me. I wonder how those sandwiches above would taste with a new imaginative carrier??

Of course there were some beverage options too.

You may need something new to help you create these new dishes that are about to be on the menu. Yes, they have equipment! 

📝 I have been lusting after this glass washing gizmo since I saw one in action at Malmosto Wine Shop & Kitchen! If I only had a touch more room in my kitchen, I would go for it! 🍷 

If you’re here for a bit of training, that’s available. You can pick up a few helpful tips from the pros. There are LOTS of demonstrations all day long.

Got a carryout order? Yes, they have packaging. All kinds of packaging! 

OK, it’s been a LONG day of roaming the floor looking for ideas. This showgoer has found the right way to end a day of exploration. 

You thought adding a new item or two to a restaurant menu was a pretty light lift. Not so! Food costs, customer acceptance, and kitchen execution all play a part in this process.

People get attached to the menus at their favorite spots. The “usuals” are comforting. You may not order the same thing each trip in. But it’s nice to know it’s there for you when you need to lean on it. 

With each new addition comes risk. There is only so much dry and cold storage in a restaurant. Only so much kitchen space. Only so much room on that printed menu. And, yes, only so much we as consumers can process.  

It’s always a gamble adding (or even deleting) the choices that are available to your diners. You’ve got to do your homework. The annual FLRA Restaurant Show is a nice first step in that education process. But unless you have some idea of what you’re looking for, you can leave that BIG showroom with your head still spinning! 🙃

🥶 Stay warm!!

~ LH 

📌 ODDS & ENDS 

⁉️ Mystery Solved… Remember last week when we told you that we were gaining subscribers at a crazy clip (that number is now 152 for the month!) and couldn’t figure out why? Well, some of the mystery has been solved! 

A big dineSarasota THANK YOU goes out to Rick F.! Rick shared our subscribe link on NextDoor, and the new subscriber flood gates opened! Take a bow, Rick. We really appreciate your support. 

OH – If any of you would like to be like Rick, we would LOVE it! Here is our subscribe link: SUBSCRIBE TO SARASOTA BITES! We might even toss in a 2026 Little Sarasota DINING Book as a way to say thanks for sharing! 😉

🍳 Brunch is Served. There are a bunch of brunches around town for you to sample on any given weekend. Now add another. Jack Dusty at the Ritz-Carlton has brought back their popular Sunday Brunch. 

Brunch runs 11AM to 4PM, and while you dine on Crab & Avocado Benedict and Sticky Toffee Griddle Cakes, you can enjoy some live music. That sounds like a pretty nice way to spend part of your Sunday. 

🥪 It’s a Philly Thing. When Gentile Cheesesteaks closed last August, lovers of this Philly specialty sandwich were a little teary-eyed. And with good reason. They had been serving up delicious cheesesteaks in their little South Trail storefront since 2012. And those sandwiches were great!

Now enters, Johnny Longhot’s to fill the Cheese Whiz void. They’ve been dishing out cheesesteaks and other great sandwiches for years at their two East Coast locations (PA & NJ). Let’s take a look at what you can order once the line starts forming and they fling open the doors. – JOHNNY LONGHOT’S MENU! 

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🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD INFO🗓️ 

Here is some local food information that we think you might find interesting. We’ve provided you with a link to more info. 

📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2026 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖 

📋 MENU OF THE MONTH!! – Mimi’s Brasserie & Speakeasy – MENU HERE! 

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🧑‍🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO ‍🌾 

EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS 

EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS 

EVERY THURSDAY – Englewood Farmer’s Market (Oct-May) – DETAILS 

EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS  

EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS 

EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Florida Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

THIRD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH – UTC Night Market – DETAILS 

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