Forget the drive-through. Try five upscale spins on classic fast food at Trouvaille’s Fast Food Our Way dinner on Sunday, Aug. 9. The five-course menu will feature creative takes on nostalgic favorites for one night only.
This is the second dinner in the Trouvaille Presents dinner series, developed by co-owners Joe Kmetz and Jennie Garrique in response to the slow summer months for restaurants. The two noticed more Richmond restaurants urging customers to come in and support them. With erratic summer schedules, Trouvaille felt it too and chose to use it as an opportunity to innovate. “We created an experience people will go out for,” Kmetz says.
The first dinner, Asian Street Food, took place on July 1. Trouvaille had hosted traditional wine dinners in the past with mixed success, so this time they decided to change a few things. First, they aligned the menu around a theme. Second, instead of a single seating, Kmetz decided to sell tickets and host seatings throughout the night. With just him and one helper in the kitchen, this makes service simpler. And as a cocktail enthusiast, he decided to experiment with cocktail pairings for each course instead of wine.
For the first dinner, they offered just 33 tickets, and not only did the dinner sell out, but most of the guests were new to the restaurant…