How do you use menu psychology and sensory cues to influence customer behavior and satisfaction?

Our eyes are always on the top left of any paper or website. If there's something you really want to push, place it there. Other captivating menu designs have boxes around special items.

Menu psychology taps into customer perceptions and subtle cues to guide their choices and enhance their experience. By thoughtfully designing aspects like layout, font, colors, and descriptions, you can highlight high-margin items and make the menu easier to navigate. Placing certain dishes in eye-catching boxes or using high-quality photos can draw attention to specials, while descriptive language like “succulent” or “house-made” creates a stronger emotional pull. Even pricing tricks, like removing dollar signs or decimals, make prices feel less daunting. The ultimate goal is to create a menu that feels intuitive, inviting, and aligned with what customers are likely to enjoy and order.

Menu psychology optimizes restaurant menus by using layout, typography, colors, descriptions, prices, and categories to influence customer choices. Key strategies include: - Placing high-margin items in top reading spots. - Using bold fonts and appetizing colors. - Writing vivid, sensory descriptions. - Omitting dollar signs and decimals to ease price perception. - Highlighting specials with graphics and boxes. These tactics help promote profitable dishes and enhance the dining experience.

Los ojos tienen un movimiento natural y crean un recorrido mientras vemos el menú, hay variaciones dependiendo si es una sola hoja, si son dos (tipo libro) o tres (tipo tríptico). Un punto interesante es que lo que vemos primero o al final es lo que recordamos mejor (por lo tanto, los platillos estrella deberían estar en estos puntos). Puedes poner los platos populares y de baja rentabilidad en medio de este recorrido visual. Otro punto es que los colores llamativos, como rojo o azul eléctrico, pueden ser sumamente llamativos si lo que quieres es destacar el título de un plato (solo los que quieres destacar) conviene usar una imagen y una descripción no mayor a 10 palabras (destacando la frescura, origen o ingredientes principales)

Sensory cues play a powerful role in shaping the dining experience, engaging customers’ senses to build a deeper connection with your restaurant. By adjusting elements like lighting and music, you can set a cozy, lively, or romantic ambiance that enhances mood and makes customers feel at ease. Inviting aromas, like freshly baked bread or spices, spark appetite and even nostalgic memories, while thoughtful textures and temperatures in dishes elevate the eating experience—think of the satisfying crunch of a toasted baguette or the warmth of a creamy soup. These sensory touches help make the dining experience unique, memorable, and one that customers want to revisit.

Menu's are an identity to the couture of your restaurant undoubtedly reflecting on the brand identity. Menu should tell a story, build hunger, entice curiosity, teasing the taste buds strongly influencing temptations. These days theatric service delivery strongly differentiates the flagship identity of restaurants reinventing guests to return. Menu's should be easy to read while the gastronomic infusion should be in the delivery; undoubtedly the dishes should be seasonal, demands and influenced by local produce. A very exotic menu can leave the guest indecisive, suggestions to curate a palatable balance through suggestive pairing is key; subsequently strike a balance with costs and strategic approach in pricing to its positioning

Treat your menu as a living and breathing entity. Do not make decisions based solely on cost, trends, or profit. Instead, focus on meeting the expectations of your customers! For example, if you're running an Asian restaurant, adding pizza to the menu might not be the best move... However, based on your target demographics and price range, your version of Korean Corn Dogs could turn out to be a bestseller. Avoid simply imitating others, as your customers will just compare you to the original. The key to developing your menu is to create dishes that can only be enjoyed at your venue and can not be easily replicated at home. Only after that should you consider costs, trends, and profit. Be unique and above all match the local palate!

When faced with a page - be it a magazine spread, a billboard, or a menu - our eye is drawn to the top right, so your important promotions need to sit in this area. If you’re doing a menu reprint and don’t do them in house, make sure you do a small run at a lower cost first if you can. This will allow you to adjust items that don’t sell as you’d expect.

Menu engineering is indeed a powerful strategy for fine dining establishments. Optimizing your menu based on the profitability and popularity of dishes not only maximizes your revenue but also enhances the guest experience. By strategically positioning high-profit, high-demand items (stars) in prime spots like the top right corner or center of the menu, you draw immediate attention to them. For items like plowhorses, which are popular but less profitable, clever bundling or offering premium add-ons can increase their profitability. Implementing these tactics allows you to effectively guide customer choices while maintaining the elegance and exclusivity of a fine dining experience.

Menu engineering is all about maximizing both profitability and customer satisfaction by analyzing which dishes are most popular and profitable. By categorizing menu items into stars (high-profit, high-demand), plowhorses (low-profit, high-demand), puzzles (high-profit, low-demand), and dogs (low-profit, low-demand), you can make data-driven decisions about pricing, positioning, and promotion. Stars, for instance, deserve prime real estate on the menu, where customers' eyes naturally land, and may even justify a slight price increase. Plowhorses, while less profitable, can be made more lucrative by pairing them with add-ons or creating bundles.

à partir du moment où un restaurateur a un objectif de CA clair, de bénéfice clair, et de vente à effectuer à x% de co?t, alors il sait exactement comment créer sa carte.

Menu testing involves evaluating your menu with feedback and performance metrics before it goes live, ensuring it resonates with customers and meets business goals. By collecting insights from customers, staff, and even experts through surveys, focus groups, or online platforms, you get a clearer sense of how items, descriptions, prices, and layout are perceived. A/B testing, where you present different menu versions to separate groups, lets you measure which design or layout drives better results. This process helps identify potential issues and optimize your menu’s appeal, profitability, and clarity, so you can launch with confidence and impact.

Una de las mejores prácticas al lanzar un menú de campa?a es participarlo con el personal de la cocina y servicio, mediante capacitación y degustación, para que sea un proceso honesto de venta, no hay nada mas triste en el gremio y es un vendedor de servicio que sugiera o recomiende algo que ni siquiera sabe a que sabe, por eso es importantísimo que el equipo de trabajo esté enamorado del producto que esta vendiendo

Menu updating is about periodically refreshing your offerings to stay aligned with customer tastes, market trends, and ingredient seasonality. Regular updates keep your menu exciting, allow you to showcase creative new dishes, and ensure efficient inventory use. For instance, analyzing dish performance and customer feedback helps identify items to keep, improve, or remove, while adding seasonal specials or limited-time promotions can create buzz and draw in both new and returning customers. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also streamlines operations and reduces waste.

The angle at which triangular foods are presented can influence people's preferences. According to a study by Shen et al., downward-pointing food was rated significantly less pleasant and less liked than when the same food pointed upwards. Evolutionary psychologists suggest that the primitive brain perceives something angular pointing towards us as a possible weapon that could be dangerous, even if it is as harmless as a slice of pizza or cake. As a result, customers may subconsciously perceive downward-pointing angular foods as a threat, leading to a negative perception of the food. Chefs and waiting staff can use this insight to improve customer perception by presenting angular foods upward.

Menu training equips staff with in-depth knowledge of menu items, ingredients, preparation, and key selling points, so they can confidently engage customers. Well-trained staff can describe dishes persuasively, suggest pairings, and handle questions or complaints smoothly. Techniques like quizzes, role-plays, and tastings can make training interactive and memorable, helping staff learn the menu’s highlights and benefits. With strong menu knowledge, they’re better prepared to upsell or cross-sell dishes, make informed recommendations, and create a welcoming, informed experience that boosts customer satisfaction and sales.

El entrenamiento es indispensable para que los asesores puedan sugerir con criterio determinados platos del menú, acá la estrategia puede tener varios frentes, como lo son, la venta, promover la rotación de materias primas, en algunas cadenas hacen concurso de ventas de los menús de campa?a por tiempo limitado.

Quand on parle de formation sur le menu, on pense facilement à la partie technique/ cuisine, organisationnelle (celle qui se go?te et se voit). Mais on pense trop peu à l'autre partie : qu'on vit et qu'on entend. Le discours de vente, le story telling, les recommandations, les accords. Selon moi, la formation sur le menu doit s'articuler en 3 parties (indispensables) : - cuisine, HACCP, stock, appro, qualité - discours, service, marketing du menu - rentabilité, vente additionnelle

Menu training ensures that staff are knowledgeable about every aspect of the menu, including items, ingredients, preparation methods, and selling points. This training enables staff to confidently and effectively communicate with customers, enhancing the dining experience. Methods such as quizzes, role-plays, and tastings help familiarize staff with menu details. Additionally, training in upselling, cross-selling, and handling customer questions or complaints further improves service quality. Knowledgeable staff can make personalized recommendations and address dietary concerns, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and sales.

I see wine lists too undergoing the same sort of focus on design and performance metrics. Encyclopedia style of wine list specializing in verticals of 1st growth Bordeaux, Grand Cru Burgundies, Super Tuscans while mesmerizing, look archaic. Shorter lists curated by knowledgeable staff, reflecting the colors and flavors of the season , resonate well with customers for whom wine is now an every day pleasure. I would like to see more sparkling wine choice by the glass. Prosecco DOC Treviso (or Superiore DOCG) as the default BTG pour, Cava, California, (or English Sparkling), Cremant de Loire & Champagne.

As a server, I found this article incredibly useful. Understanding menu psychology and sensory cues is like unlocking the secrets to creating unforgettable dining experiences. From strategic placement of items to the power of descriptive language, every detail matters in influencing customer behaviour and satisfaction. This piece offers practical insights that I can't wait to apply in my interactions with guests.