Why would a restaurant kill à la carte when the majority of fine dining is bringing it back?
Adam Minster is a partner in The Food Dudes — the group behind Rasa, Sara, Chop'Hop and Pantry — and this spring Sara went all-in on a single seven-course tasting menu.
We talk about the 70% of guests who'd already made the decision for him, the choices that keep it $115 instead of $300, and how a $60 wine pairing works economically. Plus: the hospitality reflex you can hire for but can't train.
If you run a restaurant, work a floor, or just want to know what a $115 tasting menu is really buying you, this episode is a must-listen.
Tasting Menus Are Out. Sara Bet on One. — Adam Minster
Timestamps:
00:00 Why Sara killed à la carte
02:12 $115, not $300: the strip loin math
04:02 The Journey, course by course
09:15 The hospitality reflex: hire for it, can't train it
11:07 A $60 wine pairing, and why guests just want to trust you
17:49 "I can't eat your dry eggs anymore"
20:57 "This is the guy": The Food Dudes to Rasa
24:13 Cook for the guest — and the salad people would riot over
29:50 Opening Sara: "I wasn't ready"
35:25 COVID, the great equalizer
37:55 Closing Rasa for a month. Still worth it?
40:06 Chop'Hop, 3pm closes, and the best salads in Toronto
51:12 Delivery apps: "They f***ing suck"
53:04 Which half of the restaurant the robots replace first
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Hosted and produced by Alex Abbott Boyd · Recorded in Toronto · © 2026 Tasting Notes Toronto.
Episode 27