Make the Menu Work for You (2/3)

People like to be “introduced” to the chef when reading about the restaurant’s dining selections: include a brief interview with the chef – how did he or she select the dishes, method or menu? Is your cuisine new to the neighborhood? Perhaps a game or a culture quiz can appear on the menu, as it is a way of inviting the diner feel closer to the experience and become a frequent guest. Make the Menu Simple. You don’t have to offer every possible item all the time – start by preparing some main items VERY WELL and become known for these dishes. The “simple with a signature” method works well at many restaurants. This method includes core menu items that are simple and a signature dish that has a broad appeal. A common mistake restaurants make is offering too few beverages. Boost sales with an assortment of beverages, wines, and offer pairing ideas. Make the Menu Easy to Navigate. Don’t make the menu overwhelming – select no more than 6 items in each category, although you could have a few more appetizers. Highlight important differences, such as low carb, heart healthy, vegetarian selections, seasonal special, new additions, etc. If your menu is one page, place the most popular dishes in the top half of the page. For a two page”spread,” Use the “z” strategy: Take your two page menu and draw a large “Z” drawing across the top of the two pages, coming down diagonally through the middle to the very bottom, and extending right to the end of the right hand side of the layout. Place all your important information on the right side of the dividing line. For a three page “gatefold” menu, keep in mind that a viewer’s eye will travel first to the center, going up to the right, and then across the top to the upper left. Also use the four corners for your high-profit selections, and place the lower-profit ones in other places. Make the Menu a Key Sales Tool. Customers buy more and pay more when a restaurant “upsells” its menu choices to create “Family combos,” “Extra value meals,” and “Take-out specials.” Learn to “upsell” your meals by offering another item for $1 and offering combination meals. Coupon usage additionally brings in higher levels of awareness about your restaurant, and results in more traffic. Develop menu categories to increases sales. Separate appetizers, salads, soups and main dishes on your menu. Highlight categories such as “Chef’s suggestions, Signature Dishes, Trend menu (low-carb, vegetgarian, etc.), Most popular dishes (voted #1, etc.), “Get Together” items (serving 3 or more people). Note if you are trying to eliminate ingredients with trans-fat, or trying to cook in the low fat method. Develop 2 or 3 sets of menus, such as a luncheon menu, children’s menu, take-out menu, etc. Make a Menu Profitable. Buy right- buy simply – use your purchasing power to engineer your menu for maximum profits. Make your kitchen production system simple. Consistently review the menu to eliminate the “losers” – see what is coming back on the diner’s plate with regularity, consider what is not selling. Work carefully to design a menu that has common basic ingredients so you can buy kitchen staples in bulk. Be sure to review your food costs monthly vs. what the sales have been to determine if your offerings are worth offering. Be realistic – don’t be too attached to an idea that is simply not working! A good plan is to weigh in popularity vs. profitability. Create a sheet and divide the space into four categories: High Popularity/High profitability Low Popularity/High Profitability High Popularity/High Profitability Low Popularity/Low Profitabilty Place your menu items in one of these categories: determine which ones you should keep, which ones to watch, and which ones are the “losers.” Also, what can you do creatively to convert the losers or borderline offerings into winners? Use the Menu Everywhere.