Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi consistently sells as one of Mimis Cafe's top three Seasonal Specials and is among the top four seafood dishes on the entire menu.

In the company's first-ever segmentation study completed in 2007, more than half of the 15,000 guests surveyed said they wanted more seafood. Mimis responded with more than a dozen new items, most in the Seasonal Specials section.

Among these dishes, The Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi, $14.99, was a surprise hit. Prepared by coating a marinated fish filet in freshly ground macadamia nuts and then searing it on a griddle, the fish is accompanied by a seasonal sauce, vegetables and guest's choice of potatoes. “Unit sales of the mahi mahi doubled with the introduction of the macadamia-nut crust,” says Vice President of Food and Beverage Adam Baird.

Mimis had been offering mahi mahi pan-griddled or blackened with Cajun spices for six months before it launched the nut-crust option in July 2007. “Guests saw added value with the addition of the nut crust, which has an upscale appeal,” Baird says.

The crust brings textural contrast, and the flavor is versatile, pairing well with a variety of sauces. Changing seasonally since February 2007, sauces have included orange-parsley butter (February 2007), lemon-caper butter (September 2007 and February 2008), citrus-artichoke-crab sauce (December 2007), and avocado-artichoke salsa made with lightly pickled red onion, lemon juice, artichoke heart, tomato, parsley and avocado (May 2008). Half of the guests who order mahi mahi get it with the nut crust, and 40 percent of these guests also get the sauce. Lemon caper has been most popular so far.

Banking on the success of the crust, Mimis is now offering it with orange roughy, added to menus in May. Baird is also experimenting with hazelnut, pecan, pistachio and cashew crusts. “The nice thing about these is that a small amount of nuts goes a long way, which helps with the food cost,” says Baird.