December 1st, 2006   (Look for the subscribers-only discount!)

Hello again, folks, this is Jim (the Cook) with your monthly Rooster News .

A Re-Invention Obsession

As we come into the holiday season and the end of 2006 appears on the horizon, Brenda and I have been evaluating where Running Rooster is at and where it is going.  And we have decided to make some changes that we hope you will like.

Many things have gone wonderfully well for this business over the past two-plus years.  We have certainly learned a ton about what works and what doesn't, usually by trying what doesn't first and then discovering what does.  One thing we have heard, time and again, is that Hollister needs a casual family-friendly place with good food.  We feel we have come close to that goal at lunch, but our focus on take-home dinners has kept us from offering the right menu to make Running Rooster inviting as an evening place to gather, eat, and have a relaxing time.  So we want to make dinner-time at Running Rooster as welcoming as is lunch currently.

There may also be some confusion among Hollister-ites, some of whom know us as the place you get take-out meatloaf and others of whom know us as a sandwich or Friday burger place.  We feel we need to clearly be one or the other, so we have decided to focus on our in-store restaurant operation and improve our menu and service levels at both lunch and dinner.

This means that as of December 1st, Friday, we are discontinuing our chilled, packaged take-home entrees and sides.  But for those who may have heard that we are quitting dinners, we most certainly are not quitting dinners.  In fact, the new Blacktop Grill (parking lot, get it?) has a lot to offer.  Our new all-day menu, described more fully below, includes lots of great casual food items that you can eat on the spot or take to go.  Our wildly popular 1/2 pound gourmet burgers are now available every day lunch and dinner (and at a reduced price!).  The Memphis BBQ Baby Back Ribs and Grilled Tri-Tip favorites are also still available, along with the Lasagna (hot!).  The same delicious salads are still on the menu, and we will now make your favorite sandwich for dinner if you like.  Want a Pulled-Pork or Hot Pastrami Sandwich for dinner with a salad on the side?  No problem.  And there are some great menu additions coming which we will announce over the next couple weeks.

We know that all of our chilled dishes, especially the pot pies and such, have some very devoted fans.  Feel free to print this email, cut out the little picture of me at the top, and hang it in effigy from a paper clip or something.  I understand.  The only consolation I can give is that we still believe strongly in the idea of putting a good weekday meal on the home table of local families.  We hope to bring our broader menu back, perhaps in the spring, as part of a Rooster Runner Express delivery service.  For now, we are going to concentrate on making our San Benito Street cafe the best it can be.  We hope you'll hang with us and give the new Running Rooster a try. 

Also, here's a subscriber only secret--we'll still have the lasagna chilled and packaged in the back.  It won't be displayed in the case, but if you need a 2-person portion chilled, just give us the old "The Sting" signal and we'll be happy to set you up.

Wood-Roasted Chicken - Once Great Poultry, Now Poultry-geist

Yes, the rumors are true.  We find ourselves mourning the loss of our signature dish, the Wood-Roasted Garlic Rosemary Chicken.  I killed it with a stroke of my blood-stained executive chef's pen.  Many of you may find that a strange decision for one of our most popular dishes, but after six months of cooking them at our big kitchen then hustling them down to the store every day, we simply can't sustain that effort.  Plus, keeping them hot at the store throughout dinner presented quality compromises that I'm not willing to keep making, so I deleted it from the menu.  Our goal is to add a wood-fired rotisserie at the store sometime and then bring the Wood-Roasted Chicken back in its full and best glory.  Lo siento, Pollo.

But What DO We Have, You Ask?

I'm glad you asked (or rather, I'm glad I pretended you asked), because we have great things on the menu for you to enjoy.  First, we have our Favorites Plates, which include the Memphis BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Marinated Choice Tri-Tip (grilled fresh), Old-Fashioned Lasagna, and those Big Burgers you all know.  These are available as individual meals with your choice of side dishes or a la carte in whatever quantity suits your needs.  We even have Party Kits that feed 8 to 12 people with sides to match.  We also have our Entree Salads, like the Chicken Apple Walnut and Chicken Tostada.  Anyone who's had one can tell you that they are plenty big for dinner.  And now we have a great new chewy tangy Crusty Sourdough Bread to go with our popular French Bread.  Feel like a big bowl of steaming Boston Clam Chowder with a Caesar Salad and a couple thick slices of that Sourdough Bread?  Sounds pretty good on a cold winter's eve.

We also, as mentioned, will make any of our big and fresh sandwiches (hot or deli) for dinner like our Grilled Chicken Pesto or popular Turkey & Jack with apricot.  We're upgrading the Tri-Tip sandwich by slicing pink and juicy chunks from the fresh-grilled meat and placing it on a tastier fresh-baked bun with those caramelized onions, zesty BBQ sauce, and cheddar.  For side dishes, we're dropping the mashed potatoes but adding Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Green Salad, and shortly, Coleslaw, Rooster Baked Beans, and Fries (yeah!).

Starting Monday, we'll be adding Chicago-style Red Hots (Hot Dogs to us Californians) and the following week we'll be adding Salmon Burgers.  We'll also be adding some more choices to the kids menu so it is equally dinner-friendly.

Hungry yet?

Weekly Email Updates

You've probably noticed by now the quickie menu updates we've begun sending out each Monday.  We were told by many that they would like more frequent updates about menu specials as long as the emails were very short and to the point.  So that's what we are trying to do.  Believe me, I get plenty of nonsense in my own inbox, offering to make something larger or my wallet fatter or my girl happier because she has a fake Rolex.

Yes, that's a can of Spam.  Couldn't resist.

So each weekly update will have the lunch specials, dinner specials, the soups, discount phrase, and that's about it.

Saturday Lunch Deals - $1 Off Day

Just a reminder that on Saturdays, from 11 to 4, we have the same menu as every other day, only all the entree items are $1 cheaper.  So roll on downtown, have a burger, and save a buck.

Holiday Catering Slots Still Available

I don't want anyone to get the impression, with all this menu changing and such, that we are not offering Holiday Catering.  We are, with lots of great choices in a range of prices.  And several prime weekend days are still available.  Just call the store or drop an email to get the ball rolling.

Pecan Crunchers back on Monday!

Just in time for the holidays, our delicious, addictive Pecan Crunchers will be ready for sale on Monday.  Assorted holiday tins filled with Crunchers are available for the perfect holiday gift, and still available in the little bags for your own purse or pocket.  Why not.  You have to be nice to yourself during the holidays too.

Mailing List Note:
You received this email because you either added yourself to the Running Rooster mail list on our Rooster News page, or you indicated that you wished to be added to the mail list via some other format, such as at the store. To be removed from the Running Rooster mail list, simply reply to this email with the subject line “REMOVE”. Please allow up to 3 days for removal, as I do it manually. After all, I (used to) cook chickens for a living.  This tech stuff is a pain.