New “R & D” Restaurant Series at BCAE

BOSTON - March 14, 2014 - PRLog -- The Boston Center for Adult Education, known for its deep roots in the Boston chef and restaurant community, is currently working on launching a new series in its food & wine department called “R & D” – (Research and Development), in which chefs and restaurateurs opening new restaurants will test their ideas on a ready and willing audience of eager diners looking to get a first taste of a new location.

The new series will give chefs and restaurateurs the opportunity to showcase their menus, cuisine and concepts and have diners give direct feedback in an open forum and in a very transparent way. “I think this is extremely attractive to chefs because not only are they working in professional grade kitchens, but they are hosting guests that evening that know this is a test run and their input is valuable. Essentially, the chefs are getting a chance to see how the public will receive their new concept and they have the option of creating an open dialog with diners that evening to gain feedback, or collect data in a way that is meaningful. For the diner, I think this is extremely attractive as it allows guests to get out ahead of the pack well before opening night by getting a table at that new restaurant before that table even exists,” said Susie Brown, Executive Director of the Boston Center for Adult Education.

Another big boost for chefs is the marketing machine that is the BCAE. Between its e-marketing and print catalog, the center’s reaches well over 100,000 people in the Boston area with every promotion. This on its own could be a very attractive vehicle for new chefs to get the word out about their soon to open restaurant.

For diners it provides bragging rights on getting the first bite of their favorite chefs new restaurant, before the brick-and-mortar location exists.

While no dates have been officially announced, the center is currently in talks with several chefs that are working on new restaurant concepts in Boston and the inaugural event is soon to be announced. The series will also be open to chefs simply wanting to test out new concepts without a pending new restaurant, or current restaurants that are seeking a way to test out menu changes. The first class will be announced on the BCAE website: http://education.bcae.org/bostonsnewestrestaurants.html