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October/November 202 2 VIII MAGAZINE AT PAGE 38 Variations, better to play it safe IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMON TO RECEIVE REQUESTS FROM GUESTS TO CHANGE DISHES FOR HEALTH REASONS OR PERSONAL TASTE. KNOWING THESE NEEDS IN ADVANCE ENABLES BETTER SERVICE MANAGEMENT by Elena Consonni Among the many television programmes dedicated to the world of cooking, there is one, Little Big Italy, which includes a challenge that can put even the most seasoned chefs to the test. Host Francesco Panella , owner of the Rome restaurant L’antica pesa , asks the contestants to prepare ‘his craving’, i.e. a typical Italian dish not on the menu. Between frantic runs to the supermarket and recipe searches on the Internet, Italian restaurateurs in foreign lands sometimes prove not up to the task. And they cannot always be blamed for this: having to include in a normal service a dish that is not widely known, that perhaps includes ingredients with which one is unfamiliar, is anything but simple. Without going as far as these TV gimmicks, more and more often special requests from customers arrive in the kitchen: remove an ingredient, replace it with another, opt for a plant-based alternative or a lactose-free version. The reasons for this can be many: from requirements dictated by health problems, to idiosyncrasy towards certain dishes, but also, sometimes, by the desire to indulge a whim. Whatever the motivation, in order to please the customer, it is indispensable for any type of venue to handle these requests well, even if this can lead to hiccups in kitchen procedures. If it’s relatively easy to make the ingredients of a pizza or the filling of a sandwich interchangeable, even by applying a small surcharge, when recipes become more complex and the preparation and serving elaborate, accommodating the demands becomes increasingly difficult. BETTER TO PLAY IT SAFE One of the best strategies to handle special customer requests is to ask already at the time of booking if there are any special requirements. This is the path taken by the Il Moro restaurant (Monza), a gourmet restaurant with a Sicilian twist, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary under the leadership of the Butticè family : Salvatore, who, after a career in the dining area, is now the