MGM Casino Proposal for Filos Greek Taverna Express
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
that’s di"erent. You have a pita instead of tortilla. You have some sort of protein in there with lettuce and tomatoes. And instead of cheddar you have feta cheese.” Giving diners dishes that are similar to foods that they’ve previously enjoyed creates a point of entry to Greek cuisine that can be expanded to include more traditional dishes that incorporate completely unfamil- iar #avors and preparations. They only have to try baked moussaka once (a Grecian “lasagna” made with egg- plant, potatoes, and ground beef covered in béchamel MGM Casino Proposal for sauce, then baked golden), and they will be hooked. “Americans have only been exposed to the tip of the Filos Greek Taverna Express iceberg,” says Konstantine. But he has his own vision for the future. Filos Greek Taverna is a new restaurant in the quaint New England town “I predict that there will be a thousand Greek-Mediterranean restaurants out there in 10 years,” he says. of Northampton, Massachusetts. Filos Greek Taverna is a Limited Liability “American consumers are looking for something di"erent. Well, here’s a classic food that’s been around Corporation, managed by its owners, Konstantine and Sunita Sierros. for thousands of years that’s healthy and #avorful.” This is why I believe my restaurant, Filos Greek Taverna Konstantine Sierros has twenty !ve years of experience managing a Express will be a perfect !t in your new MGM Casino in Spring!eld, Massachusetts. successful boutique Italian restaurant in a similar locale in Southampton, Massachusetts. His love and knowledge of food will make the transition to owning and running a food-court type establishment a natural step. Sunita Sierros is a Certi!ed Public Accountant with over eighteen years experience handling payroll and scheduling. She is currently training to be an expert in Greek cuisine; her knowledge of the authenticity of the Greek food will help our marketing and sales e"orts. What we propose is an “Express” version of our existing successful Filos Greek Taverna concept in Northampton to be placed within a 400-600 square foot space inside the MGM Market pavilion. Filos Greek Taverna Express will o"er a full range of authentic Greek pita wraps (from chicken to falafel), as well as pastries, Greek salads, authentic Greek entrees and freshly made spinach and feta phyllo dough pies. The American Gyro market is growing rapidly. According to Technomic’s recent Ethnic Food & Beverage Consumer Trend Report, 49 percent of consumers say they have tried Greek cuisine and liked it. An additional 23 percent say they haven’t tried it yet, but would like to give it a go. Even more impressively is the fact that 32 percent of respondents say that they order Greek foods or #avors on a regular basis. This rising interest can be attributed to several factors. Celebrity chefs like Cat Cora, Michael Symon, and Michael Psilakis are celebrating their Greek roots and teaching diners about the cuisine through their restaurants, cookbooks, and television shows. On top of this, the Mediterranean Diet has earned a growing legion of followers in the States since it was introduced in 1993. “The Mediterranean Diet’s not a trend at this point; it’s mainstream,” says Sara Baer-Sinnott, the president of Oldways, which promotes the concept. “Heritage diets are the future, because they’re simple, clean, healthy food.” As with any ethnic cuisine, one of the biggest challenges for Medi-minded restaurateurs is helping diners understand what they’re being o"ered and why it would appeal to their tastes. Since many traditional dishes possess Greek names with which consumers are unfamiliar, there’s an education process that needs to occur to win over the uninitiated. To help ease !rst-timers into the experience, Filos Greek Taverna Express will feature large photographs of each dish, as well as a pronunciation guide. To help diners quickly grasp what they’re about to eat, Konstantine likes to compare Mediterranean to a fast- casual option that is already ubiquitous in the States. “It’s like healthy Mexican food,” he says. “There’s not a lot that’s di#erent. You have a pita instead of tortilla. You have some sort of protein in there with lettuce and tomatoes. And instead of cheddar you have feta cheese.” Giving diners dishes that are similar to foods that they’ve previously enjoyed creates a point of entry to Greek cuisine that can be expanded to include more traditional dishes that incorporate completely unfamil- iar !avors and preparations. They only have to try baked moussaka once (a Grecian “lasagna” made with egg- plant, potatoes, and ground beef covered in béchamel sauce, then baked golden), and they will be hooked. “Americans have only been exposed to the tip of the iceberg,” says Konstantine. But he has his own vision for the future. Filos Greek Taverna is a new restaurant in the quaint New England town “I predict that there will be a thousand Greek-Mediterranean restaurants out there in 10 years,” he says. of Northampton, Massachusetts. Filos Greek Taverna is a Limited Liability “American consumers are looking for something di#erent. Well, here’s a classic food that’s been around Corporation, managed by its owners, Konstantine and Sunita Sierros. for thousands of years that’s healthy and !avorful.” This is why I believe my restaurant, Filos Greek Taverna Konstantine Sierros has twenty "ve years of experience managing a Express will be a perfect "t in your new MGM Casino in Spring"eld, Massachusetts. successful boutique Italian restaurant in a similar locale in Southampton, Massachusetts. His love and knowledge of food will make the transition to owning and running a food-court type establishment a natural step. Filosgreek.com Sunita Sierros is a Certi"ed Public Accountant with over eighteen years experience handling payroll and scheduling. She is currently training to be an expert in Greek cuisine; her knowledge of the authenticity of the Read the Gazette article Greek food will help our marketing and sales e#orts. http://www.gazettenet.com/home/9855779-95/!avors-of-greece-abound-at-"los-greek-taverna-in-downtown-northampton What we propose is an “Express” version of our existing successful Filos Greek Taverna concept in Northampton to be placed within a 400-600 Read the Republican / Masslive review square foot space inside the MGM Market pavilion. Filos Greek Taverna http://www.masslive.com/dining/2014/12/restaurant_review_"los_greek.html Express will o#er a full range of authentic Greek pita wraps (from chicken to falafel), as well as pastries, Greek salads, authentic Greek entrees and freshly made spinach and feta phyllo dough pies. The American Gyro market is growing rapidly. According to Technomic’s recent Ethnic Food & Beverage Consumer Trend Report, 49 percent of consumers say they have tried Greek cuisine and liked it. An additional 23 percent say they haven’t tried it yet, but would like to give it a go. Even more impressively is the fact that 32 percent of respondents say that they order Greek foods or !avors on a regular basis. This rising interest can be attributed to several factors. Celebrity chefs like Cat Cora, Michael Symon, and Michael Psilakis are celebrating their Greek roots and teaching diners about the cuisine through their restaurants, cookbooks, and television shows. On top of this, the Mediterranean Diet has earned a growing legion of followers in the States since it was introduced in 1993. “The Mediterranean Diet’s not a trend at this point; it’s mainstream,” says Sara Baer-Sinnott, the president of Oldways, which promotes the concept. “Heritage diets are the future, because they’re simple, clean, healthy food.” As with any ethnic cuisine, one of the biggest challenges for Medi-minded restaurateurs is helping diners understand what they’re being o#ered and why it would appeal to their tastes. Since many traditional dishes possess Greek names with which consumers are unfamiliar, there’s an education process that needs to occur to win over the uninitiated. To help ease "rst-timers into the experience, Filos Greek Taverna Express will feature large photographs of each dish, as well as a pronunciation guide. To help diners quickly grasp what they’re about to eat, Konstantine likes to compare Mediterranean to a fast- casual option that is already ubiquitous in the States. “It’s like healthy Mexican food,” he says. “There’s not a lot 3+2726&2857(6<2)7+(5(38%/Ζ&$1b0$66/Ζ9(&20 Proposed Rendering: Proposed Floor Plan: Proposed Menu .