Change is Good...Real Good

Restaurants are always looking for new and exciting ways to change their menus. They want food that will wow their customers. New foods that will draw new diners. Reinventions of old favorites for the loyal customers. The focus is always on the food, and what it can do for the restaurant.

But not at Jason’s Deli. Our focus is on what the food can do for our guests. We have always been proud of the food we serve, as well as the way we serve it. We care about our guests, and to that end, we are unveiling a few big changes to our menu that reinforce our values of serving real good, real food. We have a new section in our menu, a major announcement about our Salad Bar, and a new option for our sandwiches.

The most obvious change to the menu is the new “Real Choices” section. When ordering from this section our guests have the choice of organic blue corn tortilla chips and homemade salsa, fresh fruit, steamed veggies, or baked chips and a pickle. In addition to the new choices, new symbols will appear on the menu. Vegetarian options will now have a “V” in a purple circle next to them, in order to make room for the new green leaf organic symbol. Just a few small touches remind our guests that they can trust that we have put our heart and soul into our menu… to nurture their hearts and souls.

All of the “Real Choices” were chosen based on their nutritional value or their organic content by our Research and Development folks. Pat Herring, director of Research and Development explains the need for the “Real Choices” section. “At Jason’s Deli, we believe that there has never been a more appropriate, more important and more necessary time to serve real, good food than right now. Why? Because it makes people happy, and we know that when we feed our families clean, healthy, un-fooled-around-with food, we’re going to live happier, healthier, longer lives.”

And that’s what this is all about. Not only do we want Jason’s Deli to be around for the next hundred years, but we want our guests to be there to celebrate with us. And with that in mind, we are very proud to announce that our Salad Bar is officially 100% High Fructose Corn Syrup free. The dangers of HFCS were outlined in the last issue of Love Bites, and we couldn’t be prouder to make this announcement right now. Yes, it has led to some changes, but not changes that our guests will even notice (except for the temporary removal of the Lance crackers… don’t worry, they’re almost done making HFCS-free crackers, so they’ll be back soon). The complete removal of HFCS from the Salad Bar brings us even closer to serving nothing but REAL food. Again, Pat explains why. “At Jason’s Real = Responsible. Anything less would not be Jason’s.”

Serving real food is very important to us, but so is the “responsible” part of that equation. We have chosen to offer half Sandwiches and potatoes on our menu. True, this may impact the ticket price, but we feel it is our responsibility to offer guests smaller portions, in an effort to combat obesity and diabetes. Pat goes on to say that “Love guides all of the choices we make. It is our reason for existing, and influences the choices for the food we serve, eat and feed our families.”

So, what do you think? We are very proud of the new menu. In fact, we feel it is more than just a menu…it is an extension of our values. It stands as a sort of mission statement, letting our guests know that we are a caring family, doing whatever it takes to serve quality food in a warm, friendly environment…as if we were serving our own family members. Enjoy the new options, and remember to come back for our 100th anniversary.