Grilled Cheese and ?

[lovebenton0]

I don't like the mayo dressing as well. Another option is to dress it with a vinaigrette. I had it like that at La Brea bakery.

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Taste-wise, I agree that's a better option. But then is it really coleslaw?

I guess I have to start a new thread if I really want an answer.

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there are many different recipes for coleslaw. not all have that creamy tart/sweet mayo dressing. a spicy vinaigrette dressed slaw is very refreshing.

a curried slaw is probably my fav.

you're right... we could do a whole thread on different slaws alone.

[sladeums]

I only scanned this thread, so excuse me if this has been addressed.

The only mention I saw of dressing was of "...oil and vinegar..." served at the table for the diner to dress the salad themselves.

Have you considered that people aren't eating the salad because they are not getting their dressing of choice?

Could this be an issue?

It's possible you are losing people without some 'ranch'.

[Babe Ruthless]

IMHO any grilled sandwhich (Rueben, cheese, etc) needs to come with a nice crisp pickle... But I also like to dip my sandwhich (which is why the beef dip is my favorite) so a side of soup is nice too.

I think you need to ask your customers what they want. I ordered a lovely sandwhich at the Gourmet Shoppe in Columbia, SC on Wednesday and had a choice of differant sides - potatoe salad, cole slaw, fruit salad, etc and it was nice to choose what I wanted. I'm not suggesting that you offer all those choices at any one time, but try a few differant sides and ask your customers what they prefer!

Too bad I've already started Souvlaki for dinner because this thread has got me craving a nice grilled cheese on hallah!

[chefzadi]

People will pay for a pickle. Glenn can sell pickles as a side. He doesn't have to give it away for free.

I haven't seen a copy of the menu but there is so much one can charge for a sandwich in a sandwich shop. It sounds like he tries to use the best ingredients within reason for the type of place he has. It's also a fairly new place, so maybe the place isn't yet doing the volume it's capable of. If his cost for a side is 50 cents, he should actually be charging the customer $1.50 cents for it minimum.

Glenn's initial question was a less expensive substitute for a free side that fits in with his

menu/scheme.

I hate pickles by the way.

How about a lightly "pickled" cabbage slaw?

[andiesenji]

There is a barbecue place here in town that sells a lot of sandwiches, including grilled cheese (however they do not serve hamburgers or their relatives, it is barbecue (pork, beef, chicken) for the meat eaters and grilled cheese for the ones who don't eat meat.

They have 3 sides and two kinds of pickles, dill and bread and butter and also those little hot yellow peppers common to every barbecue place I know of in SoCal.

They also have barbecue sauce (hot and mild), ketchup and mustard but no mayo, no salad dressing. That is the extent of the condiments.

The sides are coleslaw, german potato salad (warm) and mac and cheese (also warm).

The sandwiches come with one side and people can choose, the pickles are included.

The sides are served in the little paper cups that hold about 1/3 to 1/2 cup (my estimate, haven't measured) and extra sides are 1.00.

Some people don't bother to get the sides, since they have a choice.

I have been in the restaurant when three people would come in together, get their sandwiches and sides and one person would eat all three sides. (A man with two women, guess who ate all the sides?)

When they first opened they also had French fries but had some trouble with the fryer and it was taken out and replaced by a bigger toast machine - the kind that carries the bread or rolls in a wire rack up and over and the toasted stuff falls out into a tray at the bottom.

I inquired and was told the 3 4-slot toasters they had could not keep up with the orders.

Occasionally they have specials when you get two sides with a sandwich along with a free drink.

They also sell the meat and sides in bulk but they are all pre-measured into pint and quart containers. I don't recall the prices because I have never bought them this way.

They don't do anything special with their grilled cheese. You can get a choice of type of bread and the choice of cheese is very mundane, American, cheddar or pepper jack.

They have the advantage of being close to the high school and do a lot of business early in the morning and right after school lets out. They are only open till 8 in the evening - 10 on Friday and Saturday nights. Open at 6 a.m. every day but Sunday when they open at 10.

The pepper jack is very popular in this area.

I think that they figured that the best way to go would be to keep things simple and straighforward. They are trying to buy the property next door to their lot and if they can get it at a reasonable price they may expand the place so they have more room for service and for parking. Right now it is not expandable.

Those sides are all delicious. The coleslaw is the creamy, sweet-sour type that I love, with celery and dill seeds throughout. The german potato salad is one of the best I have every eaten and the mac and cheese is pretty good. They make them all on site.