New Menu Item: Devil in the Details

Saucy seafood fillings give Kincaid’s deviled eggs a contemporary spin.

By Monica Rogers, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 8/1/2007

Fifties-era cookbooks are chock full of retro delights. Some, like the somewhat dubious-sounding mashed sardine canapés, may never enjoy a revival at home or commercially. But other old favorites such as deviled eggs with deluxe fillings are restaurant-renaissance ready.

Dolled-up deviled eggs are making a comeback. Menued at hot New York concepts such as Resto and the East Village Yacht Club, the saucy morsels are also a hit at 14-unit Kincaid’s Fish, Chop & Steak House, growth concept for Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited.

Kincaid’s Seafood Deviled Egg Trio, $8 for six pieces, is the best-selling new small plate on a revitalized menu that the company launched in May. Deviled three ways—with crème fraîche and smoked salmon, Chilean bay shrimp and wasabi cocktail sauce, and Dungeness crab Louis—the eggs are being gobbled up at the bar as a snack and in the dining room as an appetizer.

Two weeks after launch, the Egg Trio was garnering 10 percent of section sales, making it the No. 3-selling appetizer on the menu, behind the Hot King Crab and Artichoke Dip, $14, with Parmesan, sliced onions and herb ciabatta; and Teriyaki Tenderloin, $10, filet mignon slices with pickled ginger and sushi rice, $10.

Special Occasion Comforts

"Deviled eggs just have the ability to say ‘special occasion’ and ‘home comfort’ at the same time," explains Senior Director of Food and Beverage James Miller. "They’re a little adventurous, but don’t take guests too far out of their comfort zone."

They also have just the sort of contemporary Americana style Kincaid’s hopes will bring younger customers in for before-dinner sharing at the bar as well as late-night noshing. "Shoulder hours," says Senior Director for Marketing Will Powers.

"Kincaid’s has long been viewed as a place where parents and grandparents celebrate over dinner," Powers says. "We’re working to expand that perception."

Across the Spectrum

Toward that end, Kincaid’s contemporized its 10,000-square-foot store design with a new open look last year and developed a 7,500-square-foot prototype. Miller then revitalized the menu with appetizers and entrees that are a little more flexible, contemporary and shareable.

"Clean presentations, ample portions and classics—but with a twist," says Miller.

Dishes such as the scallop, shrimp and lobster sausage Seafood Corndogs in buttermilk-cornmeal batter, $12.50, exemplify this in the appetizer section. In the entree section, it’s Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese, $24, with gruyere, cheddar, fontina, lobster and truffle oil.

But among the new offerings, the Seafood Deviled Eggs Trio is selling best.

"The pendulum swung to both extremes" when shaping the deviled eggs, says Miller. "On the high end of the spectrum, I had a caviar and cognac-cured house-smoked salmon version. On the other, a variety that was so simple it was one step from the paprika-sprinkled version your aunt might bring to a potluck." Miller found the sweet spot with three guest favorites: the cocktail sauce, the crab Louis and the smoked salmon.

One month into market, quantifiable info linking new menus to increased traffic during happy hour and late-night was not available. However, "The snapshot we’re getting from each market suggests that guests are thrilled with the new items," says Powers.