Moulin Rouge Gala Dinner Promotion

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Grand Moulin Rouge Gala Dinner

France! A country that conjures up romance, great food, good wines and that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that gets our pulses racing. With a little imagination you can reproduce some of that same magic in your own venue . A grand Moulin Rouge gala dinner promises an exciting evening with a decidedly French flavour

Your target customers could include

People who love France
Regular customers looking for something a bit different
Couples looking for a romantic evening out
People learning the language – evening classes and French conversation groups, French culture groups
French people living in your catchment area (but it better be good!)

Know your audience

If your catchment area consists largely of adventurous travellers who like to take chances then you can afford to be bold. If not, avoid dishes likely to provoke a negative reaction - e.g. snails, frogs legs, tête de veau (calf’s head) or andouillettes (a haggis-style sausage). Classic French favourites are usually safer, for example coq au vin, bœuf bourguignon and moules.

It’s all very well to use the proper names of dishes on your menu and even descriptions in French, but if you want to avoid alienating those who didn’t do languages at school, it’s a good idea to include explanations in plain English as well. See our sample menu for ideas.

‘Gala dinner’ suggests something special so a few extra touches are called for. . . .

Amuse-bouche

Literally ‘amuse the mouth’, these tasty morsels, usually served with the aperitif, are designed to get the saliva flowing in readiness for the feast that is to follow. Small is the key - the idea is to tickle the palate not to fill up the stomach – that comes later! Small squares of toasted white bread with tapenade (see recipe), morsels of pate, cod roe or salami with green olives on cocktail sticks, tiny cheese pastries, in fact anything available in your kitchen that can be delicately and imaginatively presented.

The Food

Sorbet

Sorbet is served just before the main course to cleanse the palate. Acidic flavours work best - lemon or champagne for example. Portions should be small and delicately served, decorated with a mint leaf or similar

Fromage

The French eat more cheese per head in a year than any other nation so make sure your cheese board doesn’t disappoint. Offer a selection of quality soft and hard cheeses including camembert, brie, a blue cheese, at least two varieties of goats cheese (immensely popular in France) plus a few lesser-known varieties for guests to experiment with. Go to frenchcheese.co.uk to find out all you need to know on the subject, including advice on accompanying wines and even a cheese quiz (Tour de Fromages) to amuse would-be fromage connoisseurs. Serve before the dessert if you want to be true to French tradition or let your guests decide if you think they might prefer it the other way round.

Ambience

A souvenir to take home

It’s not just children who like a present to take home. Adults also appreciate a free bag of goodies. Approach a few local businesses and see if they’ll chip in a few free samples to promote their own wares – French perfume and makeup samples from department stores or beauty shops, French holiday brochures from the local travel agent, papers and magazines from the newsagents, money-off vouchers from hairdressers, florists, butchers or one-day guest pass from the local gym. Persuade one of them to supply the bags and add a touch of luxury by adding a few chocolate truffles hand-rolled by your chef.

Wine

People don’t just love France for its food. Its world-famous wines please the most discerning of palates and a French-themed evening is a great opportunity to sell up on them. Offer a selection of well-known names from different price ranges and a reasonably-priced house wine, red, white and Rosé, either by bottle or pitcher that will go with most of the dishes on your menu. For guidance on matching French wines with food go to terroir.france.com or allrecipes.com

Create a romantic ambience with dimmed lighting and a few French-themed posters featuring Moulin Rouge, can-can dancers or shots of night-time Paris.

Cover tables with red cloths and checkered napkins or white cloths and red napkins.

Put out baskets for plenty of fresh crusty baguettes

Make a centrepiece of red flowers and a red candle

Make your own souvenir Moulin Rouge menus (see example) .

Play soft background music with a French feel to it. Several internet sites allow you to download French music without charge – try EZ tracks – French songs for free..But take care with the choice and go easy on the volume –Edith Piaff at too many decibels could ruin even the best of meals.

Get waiting staff to enter into the spirit of things by dressing the part (go formal with black tights, black straight skirt and white blouse for the girls and black trousers, white shirt and black bow-tie for the guys, or fun, with a hint of burlesque - red can-can style skirts for the girls, gaudy jackets and handlebar moustaches for the guys with everyone sporting a French beret perched at a cheeky angle)

Have fun with the language! Get staff to greet guests with bonsoir, say merci beaucoup when they take the order, bon appétit when they serve the first course, bon continuation with every subsequent course served and of course au revoir when people leave.

Consider a mini French trivia quiz

Turn the time waiting for the meal to arrive into a bit of fun with a mini French trivia quiz. Print 20 questions on cards with the answers on the back, Trivial Pursuit style, and put on each table (see our sample quiz). Or, to keep it simple, just print these out on a sheet of paper and hand out answer sheets later, offering a small prize for the table with the highest score.

Entertainment

Not essential but can add a little zest to the experience. Examples - an accordion player to serenade each table in turn (but hear him play before you book him!), a mime artist (visit www.mimespace.co.uk) or, if you’ve enough space and a big enough budget, can-can dancers. If you want to keep down costs, ask the local dancing class to do the honours in return for a free meal!

When to run this event

A Moulin Rouge gala dinner will add sparkle at any time but timing it to coincide with another notable French event can make marketing even more effective. For example....

With the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau (available from midnight on the third Thursday of November)
Bastille Day (14th July)
Tour de France (July)
Important rugby matches when France is playing
When French markets are in your area

We hope you have an excellent soirée!