Menu Design: Optimize Your ‘Silent Salesperson’ to Boost Check Averages

The menu in any restaurant plays a pivotal role as a marketing and sales tool, acting as the primary printed advertisement that customers are highly likely to read. Its influence goes beyond aiding customer choices; it contributes to streamlined inventory management and precise sales revenue forecasting. A well-crafted menu can strategically shape ordering decisions, resulting in heightened sales and increased customer loyalty. Through intentional placement and highlighting of specific items, restaurants can successfully showcase preferred dishes, optimizing overall revenue. This article will delve into techniques for enhancing menu design to elevate check averages and foster customer loyalty, all without relying on waiter assistance during the ordering process.

Menu is Restaurant's Business Card

A menu's design is crucial, aligning with the restaurant's concept and image to convey the overall dining experience. It functions as the restaurant's business card, introducing customers to its atmosphere, service, food quality, and price range. The design, including colors and graphics, should complement the restaurant's aesthetic. Regardless of the restaurant concept fine dining, casual, fast-casual, or fast food, a well-designed menu contributes to achieving sales goals, cost management, quicker service, and desired average checks. Planning during the menu design process is essential for these outcomes, not left to chance.

Regrettably, menus frequently don't receive the attention and resources they deserve as crucial marketing tools. In many well-known, busy restaurants, menus might be understated, lacking the impact necessary to draw customers if the logo and name were absent. This could dissuade potential diners. Hotel concierges often rely on menus to recommend and reserve local restaurants for visitors, emphasizing the importance of menus in guiding dining decisions based solely on their content.

The creation and production of menus should receive the same care and effort as the design of the dining room and kitchen. Reflecting the expertise and dedication of chefs and owners, menus often lag in professionalism despite significant investments in decor and equipment. The surprising lack of attention to menu design, considering its critical role in a restaurant's success, is notable. Recognizing this, more restaurant companies are prioritizing menu design to boost check averages.

What is Menu Science?

The science of restaurant menu design is a strategic blend of psychology and marketing principles aimed at influencing customer behavior and maximizing profitability. It involves meticulous planning in layout, pricing strategies, and item descriptions. The organization of menu items, effective use of visuals, and adapting to customer preferences contribute to a positive dining experience. Menu engineering matrix, analyzing the popularity and profitability of items, guides the placement of dishes for optimal revenue. Integration of seasonal ingredients and current food trends, along with the incorporation of technology in digital menus, adds a modern touch to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.

The Wall Street Journal published an article about restaurants that strategically highlighted their most profitable menu items to boost sales. By training their staff to promote these offerings when customers requested recommendations, these establishments applied menu design psychology, a concept borrowed from the retail industry where merchandizing techniques have been used for years to increase sales. By drawing attention to merchandise through store windows, counters, and mannequins, retailers have successfully influenced customer purchasing decisions. Similarly, restaurant operators can use menu design technique to promote high profit/low-cost items, thus increasing sales.

Albin Seaberg introduced the concept of menu design psychology in his 1971 book "Menu Design," highlighting the crucial role of designing menus to captivate customers and boost the chances of them choosing specific items. Historically, menu design was frequently entrusted to printers or graphic experts, lacking input from restaurant managers, waiters, and customers. By grasping and implementing the principles of menu design psychology, restaurants can greatly improve the overall quality and impact of their menus.

Impress in 109 Seconds

Many years ago, Gallup reported that, on average, customers spend around 109 seconds reading a menu, which is the time frame you must convey your message to them. To address the time, it takes to read the menu and decide, your menu design and presentation must be taken into consideration. Restaurants such as Bennigan’s, Paul Bakery, PF Changs, TGI Friday's, and The Cheesecake Factory have been known for their extensive and multipage menus, featuring a wide range of menu items. However, this can lead to longer table turnover times, especially for first-time guests.

Thanks to POS systems, gathering information on menu item sales has become quicker, revealing that a significant portion of sales 50% to 60% of sales from a limited selection of 20-25 items. Consequently, the trend is shifting away from offering 50-100 choices to streamline order-taking, reduce inventory, and optimize operations.

Understanding the significance of menu sales mix is vital for restaurant operators. A well-designed menu not only captures the diner's attention but also influences their choices. Items highlighted should boast high gross profits, low food costs, and contribute to achieving the desired average check. Additionally, considering preparation difficulty is essential; items requiring extensive time and multiple stations may not be ideal for prominent promotion.

In addition, the degree of preparation difficulty should be considered when evaluating meal options. If an item cannot be made in 10-12 minutes, requires numerous stages, and must be moved between more than two stations or personnel before arriving at the pickup window, it may not be one you want to prominently promote on your menu. While menu design and item placement on the menu can influence customers' decisions, they will not be influenced to purchase products they do not desire. Menu design can assist enhance the likelihood of an item being chosen.

Enhance Sales, Control Costs, and Connect with Customers through Menu

At first glance, the following statement may seem to contradict what has been stated earlier. However, I would like to emphasize that any menu, regardless of its design or format, will produce a predictable sales mix if it is served continuously for an extended period. In other words, regardless of how the menu is designed, the popularity of menu items will change over time, allowing management to forecast customer preferences and plan purchases and preparation quantities accordingly. The key point we want to make is that if a sales pattern can occur without any intentional design on the part of the menu, imagine the possibilities if the menu were designed to specifically promote the items the restaurant wants to sell more of. Instead of leaving it to chance, the menu can be designed to direct customers' attention towards those items, thereby increasing their sales.

How can you leverage your menu to not only control costs but also serve as a powerful tool for marketing and communication?

By implementing specific design practices and techniques in the visual layout of your menu, you can subtly guide the choices made by your guests. These methods are not subliminal or deceptive; instead, they present ideas to consumers that they may not have considered previously. Like television commercials, YouTube videos, Instagram posts, or newspaper advertisements, menu design has the power to plant ideas in consumers' minds, increasing the likelihood that they will contemplate certain choices when making a purchase. Without exposure to these design elements, the purchase might not have even crossed their minds.

The Power of Menus in the Digital Age

Menu psychology principles, once primarily applied to printed or displayed menus, have evolved in the wake of the digital age, with a significant shift towards menus presented in QR code format. While verbal menus delivered by servers still have their place, especially for specials or in upscale establishments, this discussion will primarily focus on the transformation of menu dynamics in the context of digitalization.

The art of designing and producing menus now includes considerations such as digital aesthetics, accessibility through QR codes, and user-friendly interfaces. Elements like graphics, artwork, and illustrations still play a pivotal role in capturing attention, but the strategic placement of items on a digital screen becomes a new aspect to explore. Menu psychology techniques continue to guide the presentation of items in a way that enhances memorability and order likelihood.

Reflecting on a study conducted at Florida State University in the early 1980s, which highlighted challenges with a lengthy printed menu, todays restaurants face different dynamics. Digital menus, often accessed through QR codes, offer a streamlined and dynamic approach to presenting items. Businesses can now strategically reposition items and apply menu psychology techniques in a digital context to influence sales without altering menu items or prices.

Various digital menu formats exist, each with its unique focus on driving sales. Careful curation of items for prominent display remains crucial in this digital realm, emphasizing house specialties and signature dishes.

The organization of menu items in todays restaurant landscape has adapted to the digital format, influenced by the type of cuisine and price range. Categories are now arranged for easy digital navigation, guided by the order in which items are typically consumed. The rapid adoption of digital menus, especially through QR codes, reflects the efficiency and contactless aspects required in the post-pandemic dining experience, showcasing the evolving power of menus in the digital age.

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