Creating a High Tea Experience at Your Restaurant

For many restaurants, filling the gap between the lunch crowd and the dinner crowd can be a challenge. However if you can manage to seat a high tea sitting midway between lunch and dinner you can access a whole new group of customers. Here are some of the ingredients for a perfect high tea experience.

Small savouries

High teas tend to be a communal experience, so offering a choice of small bite sized savoury options on a share platter is ideal. Consider crust-less sandwiches, cheese and vegetable tarts or small frittata slices as a savoury options for your savoury plates. Expect to serve 3 per person.

Petit fours and mini-pastries

Teeny morsels of rich chocolate treats, exotic pastries and sweets are also popular at high teas. Be sure to keep the individual portion sizes small so that people can try multiple snacks with (limited) guilt. Concentrate on making sure the treats looking just as good as they taste, as taking snaps of your high tea to post on social media is a great way of ensuring some free marketing to bring in new customers! Again these are usually shared; so plan plates of 3-4 items per person.

Fine teas

Fine teas are a traditional accompaniment to a high tea. The delicate flavour of tea can let the taste of your delicate treats shine through. Don't feel limited to traditional tea varieties when there are also some great herbal and modern fruit blends that can also complement a high tea. Try some green teas and herbal blends including some that are specific to match different dishes, such as ginger biscuits with ginger tea. Serve your tea in fine china cups with delicate crockery to complete the experience.

Bubbly wine and champagne

For a special occasion, many guests like a chance to enjoy a glass of bubbly white wine. Offer a selection of different local and French wines, with different taste profiles so you can choose some for everyone. It can be great to also have a range of bubbly non-alcoholic choices, as baby showers are a popular celebrations at high teas and the mum-to-be often enjoys the chance to have a non-alcoholic toast.

A high tea experience is a great way to attract new clientele and make the best use of the quiet afternoon period in your restaurant. Why not start working on creating a spectacular high tea experience in your restaurant? Glean more tips or ideas from resources like Caffe Belgiorno.