Flavor Trailblazer: Thomas Dritsas

Balancing flavor innovation with guest expectation can be a high-wire act. And while adding high-impact ingredients to familiar formats is a sound strategy, true differentiation in the marketplace comes from, of course, implementation: finding the magic that lies in creative combinations and unexpected moments. Thomas Dritsas, corporate executive chef of Houston-based Truluck’s, expertly navigates this challenge. He fulfills the promise of the seafood-centric fine-dining brand while adapting to modern flavor preferences and evolving consumer habits. We spoke with Dritsas about contemporary innovation, its challenges and its opportunities.

Katie Ayoub: Truluck’s is a legacy brand, founded in 1992. How is the brand balancing its heritage with innovation?
Thomas Dritsas: I came on board two years ago to help bring the brand forward. Since then, I’ve identified some staleness in the menu, where we needed to innovate and give our guests a reason to come back. Our legacy guests are between 55 and 75 years old. Now we’re trying to attract younger diners, too, without alienating our core guest. The strategy is all about tweaking classic dishes to modernize them without our legacy guests coming after me with pitchforks. I’m taking the familiar and introducing flavor trends through high-impact ingredients that fly under the radar.

KA: Please share examples of how this comes to life on the menu.
TD: We’ll take something familiar like a piece of fish and introduce chile crunch as an accompaniment, like a salsa. We also have added it to an aïoli that we glaze over tempura shrimp, introducing a trending flavor pop that way. Another way we’re bringing innovation to familiar dishes is through our Lobster Frites. I love the idea of steak frites, but how do we work it into our DNA? We landed on a broiled 20-oz. lobster tail topped with truffle-king crab butter hit with yuzu and Aleppo pepper, served with truffle fries featuring freshly shaved truffles over top. This approach to flavor building offers guests the familiar but piques their curiosity with unexpected flavor touches. Weaving these innovative elements into the familiar foundation gets us where we need to be.

KA: You’ve added several trend-forward, casual dishes to your bar menu. Was this driven by two factors: first, a shift in when people are dining out, and second, a desire for more value-oriented menu options?
TD: Yes, it’s great to attract adventurous eaters at a lower price point so they can explore and get to know our brand. Last summer, to answer the call for elevated yet value-conscious menus, we introduced TRU Ninety-Two, a high-value experience prix-fixe menu with petite portions that is available until 6 p.m. I actually got the idea a few years back from a session at Flavor Experience that explored the opportunity in afternoon hours. With this promotion, we’re trying to hit that midday time, when people are leaving the office early or they’re not in the office anymore but need a break from their home environment. We used to have all these barriers to entry, and the question was: How do we take those barriers down and bring people in?

KA: A hot topic today is ‘Ozempic Nation,’ and how dining preferences are shifting in response to the rise in anti-obesity medications, which impact the size of appetites, as well as the demand for higher protein options and alcoholic beverages. Are you seeing any effects yet and if so, how are you responding?
TD: We’re seeing exactly what you outlined and have been soul-searching as to why we have guest erosion. Our check average is down, especially in the liquor, beer and wine categories, and we do chalk it up to people consuming less because they’re on those medications. So, we’re exploring how to meet the needs of these guests and how to lean into opportunities for healthy eating at Truluck’s. All our Prime Seafood entrées are available in petite sizes, so guests can eat smaller portions, too. On the beverage front, we’re building a robust menu of flavor-forward, zero-proof and low-ABV drinks to ensure there’s no downgrade in the experience when ordering a nonalcoholic option.

KA: What’s your biggest challenge with innovation?
TD: Our biggest challenge is staying true to the core guests and the DNA of the brand while trying to bring in flavor pops that don’t alienate those core guests. It’s about finding a way to introduce those flavors without making them the focal point. Our approach is for them to enhance our story, rather than become our story.

KA: How do you filter today’s trends?
TD: We look to global flavors to enhance the foundation of our menu. How do I bring in yuzu, Aleppo pepper or hot honey? How does Truluck’s approach the hi-lo trend? That’s where items like our Caviar & Chive Dip and our Lobster Tempura Bao come in.

QUICKFIRE

Source of inspiration:
First, I would say my chef collective—a group of like-minded peers who inspire each other and riff off each other. I also love visiting global markets like H Mart, finding an ingredient I’m not familiar with and figuring out how to apply it. My other source of inspiration is, of course, travel. I usually do market immersions, visiting restaurants, food trucks and farmers’ markets.

Something in your fridge that would surprise people:
With my Greek background, I’d have to say skordalia (a dip made of garlic, potato, almonds and olive oil). It’s always in my fridge, serving as a great flavor booster. I’ve made a few derivatives, changing out the potato for bread or using black garlic instead of regular garlic. You’ll always find it on my table as a condiment.

Cuisine or ingredient you’re particularly excited to explore:
I’m Greek and my wife’s Mexican, so we’re constantly using those two cuisines in the house. She’ll make garlic rice; I’ll make souvlaki. We call it ‘Grexican.’

Your go-to late-night snack:
We have five kids, so we always have bananas and end up freezing them all the time. I love almond butter and will slice a frozen banana then dip it in the almond butter. It hits the sweet spot.

Best bite you’ve had recently:
I absolutely love fried chicken, especially cold fried chicken. I cooked it the other day with a chile crisp made with black sesame. When I was young, I was addicted to Kentucky Fried Chicken. We’d have a bucket on the stove, and we would always eat it cold, in a sandwich with mayo. Delicious.