I’ll have the Plante Moran, hold the chili

In mid-September, Plante Moran Marketing Consultant Kim Greenspan took some staff members out to Gastronomy, a favorite dining destination located in Southfield, Michigan. While she was there, she noted that a Plante Moran competitor had a sandwich named after them on the menu. Curious, she asked to speak to the manager. “What can Plante Moran do to get a sandwich on the menu?” she asked.

The manager issued Kim a challenge: get 25 Plante Moran staff to dine at the restaurant, and they’d put a Plante Moran sandwich on the menu. Within two weeks, we surpassed the goal, and last Thursday, the restaurant invited a panel of five Plante Moran staff members to participate in “Decision 2013.”

Gastronomy Executive Chef Nathan Yorke devised five delicious possibilities from which staff could choose. He presented the team with a detailed 60-point scorecard whereby sandwiches were judged on everything from visual presentation, taste, and creativity, to ease of use, value, and pride. After sampling sandwiches containing ingredients like slow-braised pork belly, buttermilk-fried tempeh, caramelized apple and onion jam, and horseradish-garlic butter, the team made its unanimous decision.

So what is the “Plante Moran”? It’s Asian-marinated chicken breast, pickled carrot and cucumber, fresno chili, and roasted peanut spread on a house-made soft roll, and it’s delicious. Kudos to Kim Greenspan for such a creative, inspired idea, and kudos to our staff for helping us meet the criteria in record time. (We do like to eat around here!)

What about you? If your organization was to have a sandwich named after it, what would it be?