Enjoy it while it lasts. We launched our fennel sandwich, a sandwich Rolando had developed last year that everybody loves. I think it’s brilliant. Raw beets, horseradish, fennel, hazelnuts, chestnut spread. We’re running it at all locations.
Chris ran the costing on this sandwich. We’re supposed to run the costing before we launch a sandwich, and in this case we’re doing it after the fact, which isn’t the right process. I think there was a communication mix-up prior to launch. Well, the reason we do costing before is that sometimes we’ll discover, as is the case here, that we will not make money selling something.
Why? Mostly due to the fennel. Check out that picture. That’s only 1/3rd of a day’s production of fennel for that sandwich. And it’s only the fronds, the bulbs have all been cut off. Crazy, right? We use the stalks in the chestnut spread, the bulbs in the sandwich. But altogether the food cost is just way out of line, and the kitchen sort of hates this sandwich, because the prep is so burdensome. Chris sent me this picture from the kitchen with the text “death to fennel.” Gives you a sense of what they think of the fennel.
So we’re going to have to say goodbye to a sandwich we really like. Thankfully there are others that (a) taste amazing, AND (b) make us money. So say goodbye to the fennel, hello to the smokey brussels sprout and paneer sandwiches.
