How to get a restaurant to name a dish after you

Ever wished a restaurant would name a dish in your honor? Kathie Jenkins recently researched the origins of a few "named" dishes at Twin Cities restaurants, such as Billy Morse's "Billy Club" at the Boxcar and Carl's Special Breakfast at the Backstreet Grill. If you've been mystified by a pie called "The Bear" at Pizza Luce St. Paul, Jenkins writes that it's named after co-owner Scott Nelson's dog, who apparently liked to eat it with a thin crust. So what steps do you need to take to get your name on the menu?

1. Be a friend/relative of the chef/owner.
Many of the dishes Jenkins mentions are named after parents, children, spouses, or friends. If you have a signature recipe that the chef/owner loves, your chances are even better.

2. Be a regular.
This has worked for several of the folks named in the Pi Press article, as well as noted ad man Tom Whalen (inspiration for the "Wheels" Whalen cheese plate at O'Donovan's) and highly-caffeinated scribe Neal Karlen (the force behind Karlen's Karma coffee drink at Sebastian Joe's).

3. Be the chef/owner.
American Burger Bar chef Rino Baglia writes his own menus, which was why he was able to name the spicy Rino 911 burger after himself.