Restaurant menu. It is said that the appetite comes by eating, and yet how many times have we sat in a restaurant and leafed through the menu we got a mouth watering? Scrolling through the different names of the dishes we evoke flavors, scents and suggestions that make us lean for a recipe or another.
This happens as long as the menu is well thought out, edited and written. Very little remains of the paperboard drawn by hand with the list of the courses of the late nineteenth century. Today nothing is left to chance: from the format, to the graphics everything is designed to improve the performance of the restaurant.
If you have a well-organized menu, in 3 minutes you will be able to orient the customer to choose the dish that is easier for you to make or the one with the greatest margins, with the aim of maximizing profits. Otherwise, the preference could fall on a great classic, but cheaper.
1.The restaurant menu must be original
Restaurant menu
The restaurant menu offers an ideal balance of unique and old dishes, for example the basic burger. It can be offered in a classic or with American cheese. You can even offer a unique version, one that fits with the themed restaurant, like topping a burger with guacamole cheese and pepper jack for a Mexican themed restaurant.
2.The restaurant menu must be versatile
This simply means that no item in the menu should be alone. If you offer a fresh lobster roll, be sure to include lobster in other dishes.
3.The restaurant menu should have the correct cost of food
Restaurant menu
In order to keep profits and prices accessible to customers, each item on the restaurant menu should be evaluated to determine its food in terms of costs with the actual amount it costs you to make the dish. The expensive ingredients (as already mentioned the lobster) is equivalent to an expensive menu. This does not mean that the food you order should be the cheapest quality available – it is the most important aspect of creating menu items – but it is necessary to balance the high and low cost of food at a reasonable profit margin.
4.Menu items must be easy to prepare
The menu items should be easy to prepare and these are two useful tips:
1 – easy to prepare on the spot (sautéed, grill, etc …)
2 – easy to prepare in advance and heat (lasagne, pasta, ribs).
5.The restaurant menu should have an easy to read format
Reading characters and too much text make it difficult for users to read. Keep your menu with simple design and avoid using too much culinary jargon.
6.The restaurant menu should be in a manageable size
Restaurant menu
The sky is not the limit when it comes to your restaurant menu. Avoid the temptation to offer a wide selection of articles, otherwise you will inevitably throw food at the end of the evening. Consider also what your kitchen restaurant is able to produce. There are enough stations to offer grilled dishes, sauteed dishes, salads, soups, baked goods, etc …
7.You should know when to update your restaurant menu
Restaurant menu
In order to keep the cost of food under control and keep up with other costs, you need to update your menu at least once a year. This does not mean that you have to rewrite the entire menu or add all the new dishes. It is simply a good time to make sure that prices are where they should be, and to evaluate the menu items with those that are not being sold.
8.You should know what to avoid on the restaurant menu
There is a long list of things to avoid in a restaurant menu, such as reading difficult characters or overly descriptive languages. The menu is like an ambassador for the restaurant, and you want to set the right foot.
9.One must know when to offer special restaurant menus
Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day often deserve a special menu at a fixed price. A fixed price menu limits the number of items available at a time, making it easier for the kitchen to result in a large number of meals in a short space of time. Even if it’s not a party, a set menu also acts as a big promotion during slow times. Special-price menus of two-for-one or a fixed-price wine tasting menu are great restaurant promotions to convince people, even in difficult economic times.