November 12, 2008

So what are we learning?

This post is just the beginning of a string of posts about some of our learnings. After all, we’re running this truck for the purpose of developing the best fast food menu ever. So what are we learning and what do people think?

First, it’s been a great test environment. Many of our customers are students or researchers. There are also a fair number of administrators and office workers from nearby Kendall Square. And finally we’ve been getting consistent visits from the MIT grounds keepers, which is great.

FRIES

I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous about the fries. I’d had a lot of people tell me they were a terrible idea, unhealthy and all. I was stubborn. Turns out they are absolutely key to the menu. First, they are the best fries you can get anywhere. Prince Edward Island Potatoes, as fresh as they can get, cut 1/4″ minutes before dropping in the frier. They are great.

Second, and most importantly, they are acting as the “gateway drug” for Clover eating. As Rolando says, who cares how healthy it is if nobody is eating it. Remember those grounds keepers I mentioned? It’s the french fries that brought them in. Second day they tried the mulled cider, and loved it. Then I was selling black bean soup the next day. I got a fantastic quote: “more of that sour cream… I’m gradual on this vegetarian thing.” I’m happy because nobody is being told that this is vegetarian food, but it’s clearly part of the intrigue, and people are trying the food and liking it. Just fantastic.

UNUSUAL SANDWICHES ARE OK

Third, some sandwiches that I thought would be hard sells (e.g., Eggplant and Egg, Soy BLT, BBQ Wheat Protein) are big big sellers. I don’t know if it’s because people are seeing others with the sandwiches, or they are just adventurous, but we’re selling a lot of non-traditional sandwiches.

JUST CUT AND LOCAL = DELICIOUS

Fourth, people are really, really responding to the whole concept. The food tastes great because it is great, our ingredients are fantastic, and the time from cutting to eating is about as short as any fast food has ever been. Our soups are made fresh. Our fries are cut fresh. Our chickpea fritters (falafel) are dropped to order. And people are really really responding to the quality. It’s great to see. I didn’t expect as much, certainly without a lot of marketing talking about what we are doing.

OPERATIONS

Fifth, I wont go into the details, but we’re learning a lot operationally about how to make this all happen. Certain changes to recipes have been made to speed things up without compromising the taste. We’re getting a great feel for the operational issues alongside the development of tasty food.

Recent Posts

March 27, 2024
Every year, just after Valentine’s Day, we start getting the same question in from customers: Will there be a Passover Box this year? Sometimes the pleas are more direct, sometimes more colorful. The glories of the vegetarian Chopped Liver are a common theme. This year, Sarah, an NYC-based friend of mine said she’s spent so much time thinking about the emails describing last year’s box that she’s DRIVING UP TO BOSTON to claim one!
February 15, 2024
We have a new sandwich out everywhere today. It’s a take on a Buffalo Chicken sandwich. We use celery root, aka celeriac, this nobbly, gnarled joy of a winter vegetable. We cut it into planks, batter it with panko, and fry it. We’re getting ours from Norwich Meadows Farm, a farm in NY state that’s known for creating really flavorful organic veggies using a cool irrigation system. 
February 7, 2024
For the week of Valentine’s Day, we’ll be delivering these Making Whoopie (Pie) Kits 😉. They have everything you need to make whoopie pies — more specifically, Chris’ favorite oatmeal cakes with beet buttercream frosting. You’ll also get a scoop for making the perfect size pie, and a roll of sugar cookie dough for more sweet fun.
January 18, 2024
Pull out your plaid and cue up the bagpipes because it’s Clover’s third-ever celebration of Burns Night, an introduction to Scottish food/drink/music/poetry and a reason to raise a glass during this dark and cold month! You may be asking yourself, what is Burns Night?
January 17, 2024
Chances are you’ve tried the new Clover Bowls. We’ve been running them since the Spring. After a few tweaks, we landed on a roster we love: the Mediterranean Bowl, the Verde Rice and Bean Bowl, and a Rotating Seasonal Bowl. The bowls have transformed our menu – Josh, a Kendall customer, recently wrote to us, “The beet poke bowl is the best new item I’ve tried at Clover in years. I love the freshness and bite of the mix of flavors.” We’ve also heard some very good suggestions about how to make them even better…
January 3, 2024
Meet the Veggie Monster Meal Box! Some of you are subscribers to our Friday newsletter about plant-based cooking. Now… that newsletter has spawned a meal box! Pack your fridge with everything you need to make an entire week of vegetable-based meals. Think hearty pot pies; sweet and spicy maple-roasted squash tacos; bowls packed with…
December 20, 2023
New Year’s Eve is no time to be buried in the kitchen, so we pack our NYE Box with Clover fan favorites that come together fast and encourage a night of Finger-Food Feasting. Can you think of anything better than digging into bubbling hot Brussels Sprout Cheese dip on a freezing cold Boston night? Or scooping up our bright nutty Romesco sauce as the clock ticks to midnight?  And our breakthrough Carrot Lox (probably the best thing to come out of our food dev in 2023) will have you resolving to spare more salmon in the year ahead.
December 19, 2023
Stop by Clover today (Tuesday 12/19) and when you order a Brussels Sandwich on the app, we’ll give you $1 off our new chocolate chip cookie! It’s a gift from King Brussels, on his final day in the Clover Kingdom. Use this link to get yours!
December 16, 2023
Are you looking for the perfect gift for a friend who loves Clover? We have online gift cards! You can specify a time that you’d like the card to hit their inbox – and there’s a new feature that lets multiple people pool money to send a card to one person. Pretty cool!  
December 10, 2023
What would we serve if we had all of you over for Christmas dinner? This (epic) box, available only for Christmas, is an homage to the holiday traditions of our Clover staff. And like all Clover boxes, it supports our hardworking Massachusetts farmers, millers, bakers, and cheesemakers. This box is designed to feed you and keep you properly festive throughout a week with different meals/snacks, and can also be laid out all together on a holiday table as one big feast.
December 4, 2023
These sweet potato latkes date back to early days on the Clover food truck. They’re so yummy and the sweet potatoes lend them such a fun golden color. They’re probably the most popular item in our Hanukkah Meal Box, which you can get delivered on December 7th. Inside the box you’ll find: 
November 29, 2023
I’m writing to share some news: we’ve decided to permanently close CloverROW, our outpost in the Assembly Row neighborhood of Somerville. The closure of this restaurant is part of the whole company’s focus on reaching financial sustainability and positioning us for future growth. These decisions are really hard, but they’re necessary steps for us to simplify Clover. And, happily, all the amazing staff at CloverROW, including the manager Joe, will be able to move into other Clover restaurants. The math is straightforward…