Putting Reality on The Menu

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Putting Reality on The Menu
Dino Perris at Patra’s Burgers in Glassell Park.

Dino Perris knows what sells at his fast-food drive-through and diner in a working-class area: fried chicken and charbroiled hamburgers.

Still, Perris decided to let celebrity chef Jamie Oliver add healthier fare to the menu at Patra’s Burgers, his Glassell Park eatery. Patra’s menu makeover is scheduled for the second season of Oliver’s reality TV show, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” The goal of the show is to promote balanced meals with fresh ingredients.

When Oliver came in, were there too many cooks in the kitchen? Perris acknowledged that he and Oliver “bantered” over some of Oliver’s suggestions. For example, removing French fries from the menu was a nonstarter. But the greatest challenge was creating healthy food that was affordable for his customers.

“I told him, ‘You’ve got to bring the price down,’ ” Perris said. “A $12 burger won’t sell in my fast-food business. The demographics of the neighborhood are lower income.”

In the end, Oliver delivered. He created the Revolution Burger, a grass-fed beef patty that doesn’t contain any antibiotics or hormones, and costs $4.95. It’s still pricier than the Patra’s Burger at $2.69, however.

Other Oliver items now available at Patra’s include a veggie burger called the Happy Cow; a veggie burrito made with a whole wheat tortilla; and a salad of red and green cabbage, onions and cilantro.

Oliver’s people picked Patra’s after getting booted out of West Adams Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles after school district leaders thought Oliver’s show wasn’t going to show their progress in improving its menus. All filming of reality TV shows on campus was suspended.

Perris said he kept an open mind and learned a few things from Oliver, who introduced him to Spin Fresh, a frying machine that spins foods such as French fries to get rid of excess oil.

Perris plans to keep Oliver’s items on the menu, but he’s not certain customers will take a bite out of the lower-calorie burgers and burritos.

“Is it going to supersede the carne asada burrito?” Perris said. “That’s a tall order. But this is a start.”

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