| Believe it or not, over 90% of all menus are leaving | | | | 6. Can the guests read the menu quickly and process |
| money in the table for a number of reasons. In fact, | | | | its content efficiently? Or, is the menu difficult to |
| based on my experience with restaurants over the | | | | navigate because it contains too much information, is |
| past 20 years, the measurable impact of this loss | | | | overwhelming, confusing, or even too stimulating? |
| ranges from $.25- 1.50 for every mean served in the | | | | Again, because of the inherent processing and time |
| restaurant. Based on the number of meals sold in most | | | | limitations discussed before, the menu needs to help |
| restaurant companies, this adds up to a lot of lost | | | | the guest process its content, not make it more |
| dollars! | | | | difficult. |
| The following list highlights the top ten factors which | | | | 7. How focused is the menu? Are the most important |
| contribute to this huge loss of income. Use this | | | | categories and products clearly emphasized? A good |
| checklist to determine how your menu stacks up. | | | | way of understanding this point is to view the menu as |
| 1. Does the menu primarily have a creative orientation? | | | | needing to have a tour guide built into it. When the |
| When revising the menu, is the primary consideration | | | | menu has a clear cut starting point, then the tour guide |
| the look of the menu (design, size, format, color, etc.) If | | | | leads the reader through the menu on a very definite |
| the answer is yes, your menu is guaranteed to be | | | | and strategic review of the menu. Without a tour guide, |
| losing money. | | | | the reader will certainly get lost and have a difficult |
| Rather, is it most important to first develop a well | | | | time appreciating your restaurant/menu's most unique |
| planned merchandising and marketing strategy for the | | | | features/products. |
| menu? After this strategy is determined, "creative" | | | | 8. Do you copy the competition? Whether it is the type |
| should be used to support the strategy. | | | | or style of menu, design characteristics, or even |
| 2. Is the menu democratic? Do all product names and | | | | products and merchandising, there are hazards |
| their descriptive copy have equal appeal? To be most | | | | involved with this approach. Remember the statement |
| effective, there needs to be a product "continuum of | | | | that 90% of all menus have problems? Then why |
| appeal" which reflects what we want or need to sell. | | | | copy other menus when they have such a high |
| All products may taste good, but some need to be | | | | probability of being "wrong"? You can gain more by |
| communicated as being more desirable. In other words, | | | | developing a strategy that reflects your restaurant's |
| those products we want or need to sell should sound | | | | uniqueness rather than copying somebody else's. |
| better than those we do not. | | | | 9. Check out the following rules of thumb and see if |
| 3. Also related to point #2, is there a clear priority for | | | | they apply in your restaurant: |
| what you want to sell? We humans can process a | | | | -If you sell entrée specials, do they represent at |
| limited amount of information and because most | | | | least 20% of the entrée menu mix? |
| people prefer not to spend a lot of time trying to figure | | | | -Do 20% of your guests order and appetizer or |
| out the menu, it is critical to determine what you want | | | | dessert with their meal? |
| or need to sell. In fact, all products should be prioritized | | | | If the answer is no to either question, your menu is |
| from most preferred through least preferred. | | | | underachieving. |
| 4. Do you view the menu as real estate? In fact, the | | | | Please note: these guidelines apply to casual and |
| menu is the most important real estate the company | | | | dinner house restaurants. With higher priced concepts, |
| owns, since it will generate the overwhelming majority | | | | the percentages should be even higher. |
| of the company's sales and profits. A very important | | | | 10. Finally, how are products listed within their specific |
| part of the menu strategy is to assign appropriate units | | | | categories- in one single column or in two or even |
| of real estate to the individual tenants, (i.e. products) on | | | | three columns? "Primacy" and "recency" are |
| the menu. Obviously, important tenants receive | | | | psychological principles stating that people are best at |
| premium real estate, while less important tenants | | | | processing information that they see first or last. |
| receive poorer locations. | | | | These principles can be best applied when using single |
| 5. It is amazing that most menus do not answer the | | | | columns. Using multiple columns decreased the |
| basic questions that guests want answered: | | | | likelihood of definitively predicting and influencing what |
| - What's really good? | | | | information the guest is processing. |
| - What are the restaurant's signature items? | | | | So, how did you do? Did you find room for |
| - What should I order right now? | | | | improvement in your menu? How much opportunity |
| How well does your menu answer these questions? | | | | does your menu have to generate profit dollars? |