A fancy restaurant with a dull and complicated menu! No, it’s not worth it. Remember the menu of a restaurant is the first thing the customers see and the last thing they consult before placing an order. A supreme menu is the heart of a restaurant. It showcases the signature dishes of the eatery, reflects the ambience, concept and style of the establishment. Menu enhances the overall guest experience, expresses the restaurant’s personality, and delivers emotions.
Presenting dishes in print catering to the theme of the restaurant is crucial to educate the visitors about the experience they are about to have. An ideal menu will make them visualize the deliciousness of the dishes before they enjoy it. Menu is not just about offering a list of dishes. It is an important sales tool too.
In your quest to promote profitability of your eatery, don’t overlook the silent seller. No matter whether you are developing your restaurant’s menu for the first time, or planning to reinvent your existing one, it is essential to keep a strategy handy for making a menu that ‘sells’.
In this article we have listed down some steps that are sure to take your menu from good to great. Without further delay, let’s get started:
- Keep Your Options Limited
Don’t get tempted by menus with never ending lists of items. In fact, maintaining a little self-restraint is the first step to create a good menu. It is advised to limit your options on your menu. Remember the fewer items you have the more your menu sells. Now, you might be wondering why the limits? Well research shows that satisfaction of customers goes down as the number of options increases.
Firstly, overloading of choices can confuse guests, cause stress. Secondly, sometimes it is hard to maintain quality & consistency when the objective is to master endless dishes. So, it is better to keep your dishes to seven to eight in each section.
- Create an Easy-to-Read Menu
Difficult to read fonts and too much content can be difficult for guests to get a complete overview of the list of offerings. Therefore, it is important to keep the menu design simple, readable. Plus, arrange and print the items sequentially to make it easy for customers to find dishes they are searching or recommended by any previous guest. Using clear section headings, highlighting dish titles are smart approaches to draw attention of the visitors. To create a highly focused menu, create division on the menu using boxes emphasizing on the specialties the restaurant has to offer.
- Play with the Guest’s Psychology
Studies have shown that people tend to look at the front and center part of the menu. Placing the most interesting, quality dishes at the entrée front and center of the digital print is a trick to seek the guest’s attention towards the restaurant’s specialties. Moreover, it is a good way to put an item that you want to push, or one that will boost sales.
Using attractive color can have certain psychological effects. It has been researched that yellow grabs viewers’ attention, red seems to increase the appetite of a diner.
- Include Easy-to-Prepare Items
It is suggested to have items on the menu which can be prepared in a jiffy. Having complicated menu items that take a long time to prepare can be annoying for the guests. Make sure to have dishes on the menu of the eatery that are easy to prepare on the spot. Opt for sautéing or grilling to stay ahead of time.
- Do Competitive Research
Change in trend, styles, design, even the food is very common. Therefore, checking out the competition is essential before you initiate to Make a Restaurant Menu. Keeping an eye on your competitor’s performance and the specialty they are in can help discover gaps if you have any.
Manage some time to find out what other experts are doing to create a selling menu. Moreover, access their items’ costs, themes, and cuisine. Try to find out what offers they come up with on special occasions. Also, watch their designs to get an idea of making your menu highly attractive. Get noticed by offering something that they don’t.
- Give Your Menu an Eye-Catchy Design
Once you are done with the text for the menu, it’s time to make your menu appealing to the visitors. Design is one of the most important variables in a menu. To get a professional looking menu, turning to an experienced graphic designer is a wise decision. It might cost you a bit but the investment is worth, ensuring that your menu gets the look you desire. However, downloading a menu maker tool is a smart way to get the job done in no time that too over the web. The best part is that you don’t have to hire anyone for giving a professional touch to your restaurant’s menu which of course is cost effective.
Remember not to list the items on your menu card from lowest to highest price. This calls for price comparison which is silent sales killer. Make sure of the fonts you use while designing your menu. It can create or ruin the overall appearance of the digital print. Readable fonts, attractive color add elegance to the menu and make the restaurant profitable.
- Have the Correct Food Cost
Considering the prices on your menu items is one of the most important aspects of the restaurant’s menu. All menu items of a good eatery are priced appropriately, keeping in mind the profits up and the affordability of the customers. However, it is imperative to price your menu based on the amount it costs you to make the dishes or any specialty.
- Always keep it Simple
Keeping the text, design and pricing simple on the menu of an eatery is the key to increase food sales. An understandable, attractive and simply priced menu can give the guests a clear view of the restaurant’s theme and the specialties they offer with the prices in detail. One rule of thumb for a menu that sells; try not to put any dollar signs or zeros on your menu. The dollar and zero sign have some psychological effect on consumers. It might make them feel that they are spending much while zeros can create the illusion of expense.
- Offer Special Menus on Special Days
Special offerings on special days like Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day can add variety to the menu. Therefore, this smart trick can get people through the door of your restaurant to make the most of these special days.
- Always do the Proofread
After setting up the list of items your eatery is offering, don’t forget to cross check its every detail. From the starters to the desserts, have a third set of eyes to check typos before you get the items digitally printed. Have a thorough glance at all the special dishes, happy hours meals, nightly specials before finalizing the menu.
Conclusion
Creating a memorable and profitable menu is something that can help you stand out from the crowd. Keeping the menu simple, compact and focused with dishes that you want to be known for is the path to a profit-making eatery.
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