| Does your favorite restaurant really have recipes so | | | | had the cook come out and tell me most of the |
| top secret that their employees are forbidden to | | | | ingredients and how they are mixed and cooked, but |
| reveal them, on pain of firing or even worse, such as | | | | he said there were two "secret" spices he couldn't |
| being sued? | | | | reveal to me. He claimed that those spices gave the |
| I have long wondered this myself. So I asked the | | | | dish its special zing that made people so crazy for it. |
| managers of three of my favorite eating places, all | | | | Based on this admittedly limited experiment, I would |
| belonging to major chains, about it. Specifically, I | | | | say that, yes indeed, many restaurants do indeed |
| asked them if they would give me the recipes for | | | | have their own "top secret" recipes--but not all. If |
| some of their most popular dishes. The results were | | | | you love a particular dish at a restaurant, don't |
| quite interesting. | | | | hesitate to ask for the recipe. You might be |
| One manager had the requested recipe already | | | | pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to get. |
| printed up and readily handed it to me. "People love | | | | On the other hand, don't take it personally if you are |
| this one so we're happy to give it to them," he said. I | | | | refused. Major restaurant chains spend a lot of |
| asked him if he was worried that his customers | | | | money developing and testing new dishes and |
| would start making it themselves at home and would | | | | marketing them to the public. When they have a |
| stop coming to his restaurant. He didn't seem | | | | winner on their hands they may be understandably |
| concerned. "People come here for the dining-out | | | | reluctant to let the recipe out into the public where |
| experience as much as for the food, to relax and be | | | | anyone--including a competitor--can get hold of it. |
| waited on. They can't get those things at home." | | | | Fortunately for us foodies, some pretty smart people |
| It was a different story at the second restaurant I | | | | have figured out many of these top secret recipes |
| tried. The manager there politely but firmly refused | | | | and put them into books for us. Some of the best of |
| my recipe request. The most he would do is tell me | | | | these books--because they are constantly updated |
| the ingredients, but as for quantities and and how to | | | | as new recipes appear--can be downloaded from the |
| put them together, it was no go. "Our headquarters | | | | Web. |
| guys would kill me," he said with what I hope was | | | | So yes, there really are top secret restaurant recipes. |
| overstatement. | | | | The good news is, they don't have to stay "top |
| At the third restaurant, the manager said he wasn't | | | | secret" to you. The information is out there; you just |
| at liberty to give me the exact recipe I asked for. He | | | | need to know where to look. |