Lunch Wars

You might think from the title that this post is about capturing market share among Washington Road lunchgoers.  Or a price battle between restaurants and coffeehouses.  Or almost anything else than what it really is.

It's a war between Rich and Melanie.

Aldo Coffee was initially perceived as an Italian-style cafe.  We even had a standup bar at one point for all the straight espresso drinkers who never materialized.  Panini was added so there was a reason for folks to stop by here during lunch. Many of the espresso counters we've visited in Italy offered some sort of pre-made panini for much the same reason.

For those with long memories, you'll remember that all the panini were once named after main streets in famous Italian-American neighborhoods as all the panini offered here had a strong lineage from Italian panini shops.  For the most part, the dozens of menu iterations since then we've stayed fairly true to that.

Except the chicken salad wrap.  That was added to the menu (at Melanie's insistence) because EVERY coffeehouse in the US at the time offered chicken salad wrap.  And our local demographic was more the chicken salad wrap type than mortadella or eggplant on artisinal bread.

Problem is, Rich handles the food prep and cooking.  And he HATES chicken salad.  Not just the taste.  The entire concept.  Especially as a wrap.  And as Rich was the one making lunch, every time it came to make chicken salad wraps... let's just say it was done grudgingly.

Eventually Rich won the battle to remove chicken salad from the menu.  It stayed off for more than three years.

Now it's back.  The compromise is that Melanie has to make the chicken salad and buy the wraps.  Rich still handles the rest of the menu.

Naturally, the chicken salad wraps sell out every single day.  Which of course has become a joke around the shop because everyone knows the guy who handles 95% of the food prep wants nothing to do with it.

If you look at the new menu posted today, you'll find a new vegan option called the "Broccolive".  Broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil, spiced mashed garbanzos, crushed black olives and caramelized onion.

Broccoli rabe is a traditional Italian panino ingredient (often paired with anchovy, which is yummy, but that might be going too far for our crowd).  However, its Italian heritage isn't why it's on the menu. Rich put it on the menu because Melanie HATES broccoli rabe. 

It's the principle of the thing.

Comments

[Justin]

So hypothetically, if someone showed up, and wanted those anchovies...

[Rich]

we don't do substitutions, but if someone was hard core enough to ask for anchovy, i do have a tube of paste that I'd be delighted to spread onto that rapini!

[Melanie]

Next up:

Isalys chipped ham barbeques.

[Michelle]

The chicken salad wrap sold out AGAIN today...no takers for the broccolive, except John at the end of the day, who suggested dijon mustard to go with it!

[Rich]

granted, i made the things, but just ate half of one and i have to say, it's pretty awesome. places that specialize in vegan food should be jealous ;-)

[Russ]

Have you tried making your own mayo for the wraps? That might change even Rich's heart.

[Rich]

Homemade mayo can be tasty, but it's still chicken salad. Not to mention related issues we're not interested in dealing with (raw eggs, consumer warnings on menu, etc. etc.)