Greetings!
In this day and age, I’m ashamed to say this is my first blog post. No worries, though, because I get to write about one of my favorite topics (yes, I need to get out more). EATS is Delta’s new onboard purchase program. Hopefully, most of you have tried at least something from the menu on our flights. If not, here’s a little about it…
EATS is an opportunity for Delta to offer a consistent, high-quality product to our Coach Class customers. The first thing we did pre-launch was talk to you about what types of food should be included and what characteristics were important. We heard you loud and clear:
1. The food must taste good
2. We want healthier options
As we review our menu items both internally and with Chef Todd English, we look at the quality of the offering to ensure that we are using the right ingredients. An example of our commitment to use high-quality, tasty ingredients is our relationship with Earthbound Farm. We use only their organic greens in our salads and menu items. We also make a number of the sauces and marinades used in Todd’s recipes from scratch in our catering kitchens. (By the way, what a fantastic chef and great guy!)
Our most popular selections on the menu are the fruit and cheese plate and our sandwiches. So far, we’ve had Chicken Caprese, Roast Beef Steak Cobb, and Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches (currently offered) onboard. I always enjoy Todd’s signature items as they are rarely mainstream dishes and provide a unique look at the chef’s personality.
My favorite of the selections we’ve had onboard so far has to be the Hummus. Todd created this dish exclusively for us, and it’s unbelievable! Check it out on the menu cover (click image for full menu). We’re talking marinated chick peas, pita chips spread with an amazing olive tapenade, carrots and celery sticks, radish wedges, and a pepperoncini pepper.
Now that I’ve finished writing this, I’m starving. Thanks for taking some time to check out our blog. Next time, I’ll have news about our beverage selection. It’s about to get a lot more interesting!
What snack items do you typically take with you on flights? Feel free to share your favorite EATS menu items as well.
T.J.
Product Manager
Global Product Development & Delivery
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April 7th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I like the healthy and diverse options offered. It definately is a first for an airline.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
please consider adding the nutritional information to the menu, both ingredients that might cause food intolerance (nuts, gluten) but also calories, sodium, and key nutrients.
April 14th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
My upgrade luck has been great this year but I did order from EATS once this year. I was surprised at how big the portions are. The only improvement I can think of is to offer some sort of combo. Instead of just a sandwich, throw in a bag of chips and a pickle (or something like that). I would pay a little more for that.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Wow! I’m thrilled that people are responding. Thank you for taking the time.
golich17,
We’re doing what we can. The goal is to have a healthy, but balanced menu which provides choice. In my opinion, a part of being healthy is the occasional indulgence (for sanity’s sake). This is why you see M&M’s and the Dove Dark Chocolate bar offered next to Earthbound Farm organic greens in our fresh items. The goal is to provide quality and choice every time you fly.
HRGM,
Great point. This is a subject which has spurred a lot of discussion. The non-perishable items have nutritional and ingredient information on the wrapper. Fresh items are a little more difficult. Though created according to recipe, kitchens are producing the selections in many different locations across the country. With the number of facilities we have producing the food, it would be difficult to accurately represent nutritional information.
side note: While much of the product we use is nationally distributed product, some is local purchase. This means that the brand, size, and ingredients, at times, can vary.
If you look at the menu, I list ingredients as the item description. This is, specifically, for anyone who is vigilant about their dietary intake or has a food allergy. If you have suggestions, please pass them my way. If I can make the menu more customer friendly, I’m all about it!
Geoffrey,
Glad to hear your upgrade luck has been good in 2008. It’s always good to hear our valued customers are able to take advantage of their hard earned perks. Portion size is something we watch closely when creating the menu. It’s very important to us that the portion sizes are hearty. After all, value is important to everyone. We want each person who purchases an item from the EATS menu to feel like they’re getting their money’s worth and more!
I like the way you’re thinking with the bundle concept. We’re running promotions onboard each month where two items are combined for a $1 off the total purchase price. This has only been in place since February, and we’re working on making it more comprehensive as EATS grows. For April, the special is Emerald’s Berry Blend Trail Mix and a signature cocktail of your choice for $7. May will be the Chicken Bistro Salad and a glass of wine for $12. There will be other types of promotions as we head into summer, so keep an eye out!
Thank you for the comments, and please keep them coming. Our team here is working hard everyday to try and make each flight the best experience possible. Continue to let us know how we’re doing and what we can do better for you!
t.j.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I recently purchased the Chicken Bistro Salad on a flight from LAX to CVG and was impressed by the freshness of the greens and how good it was. The May special (bistro salad + glass of wine for $12) sounds like a winner to me. Keep up the good work!
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Hello, could you maybe change your menue a little more frequent and also add individual friuts like apple or banana ? That would be great
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 am
Suggestions on EATS:
1. Menu need to be updated at least quaterly. It gets old real fast.
2. Items to offer:
-classic ppj sandwich
-ham and cheese sandwich
-avacado turkey sandwhich
-carrot sticks
-sugar snap peas
-fruit bowls
3. Where’s the nutrition info? If places like McDonalds have provided such info, EATS certainly should.
Other Comments:
WAY too much packaging for the foods you serve! Peanuts come in little plastic bags, plastic cups per each drink you hand out, plastic cover over another plastic cover on foods on the menu. Over kill?
May 30th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Great feedback, all. thank you!
rorivera,
Thank you! We are doing everything we can to consistently provide you with quality selections. I’m glad to hear the Chicken Bistro Salad lived up to your standards. This has been a popular one for us. I’m interested to hear your feedback on the salad (…and if you took advantage of the promotion).
GF77,
We change our menus, currently, every three to four months. It becomes very difficult to change them more frequently than this. The product we use on one menu may not be used on the next or anywhere else within the recipes we have onboard at that time. As I’m sure you know, it’s very hard to end a menu and use the exact quantiy of product ordered.
The individual fruits aren’t something we’ve looked into before, but I definitely will.
gr8celee,
We do update menus every three to four months. Hopefully, this is often enough to keep the choices fresh. The last thing I want is a menu staying onboard too long and our customers losing interest.
The suggestions you offer a great. We’ve toyed with the idea of a PB&J, Ham and Cheese, and a simple fruit bowl. With Todd English designing a large portion of our menu, we’ve stayed with items that align with his brand as a chef. As we move forward and the program evolves, these are all solid suggestions that we’ll put in the consideration pool.
Nutritional information is a bit tricky for us. McDonald’s and other national chains, to the best of my knowledge, have all of their products sourced through national distribution channels. This means a store in North Dakota receives the same product as a store in New York. Our system doesn’t work the same. There are certain ingredients we use which either aren’t in national distribution or our needs within an area don’t meet order minimums. In these cases, we approve local purchase by our kitchens. For us to supply nutritional information, we’d have to employ a nutritionist to visit every facility where we provision EATS, and this isn’t feasible at this time.
We’re getting ready to roll-out a new menu in June which should be a hit for the summer. To leak a little info…. we’re offering a Fried Chicken Sandwich with a mildly spiced chicken breast (ranch and bbq sauce as options on the side), an oregano Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad with caesar dressing and breadsticks, and a Todd signature Mushroom Pea Orzo. I’ve tried them all, and they are great! I have to say, though, the Orzo is my favorite.
The June menu will debut onboard beginning Thursday, June 5. Our special for the month is the Mushroom Pea Orzo with a glass of white wine for $12.
Thank you for trying our food, and keep the feedback coming!
t.j.