Restaurant Menu: 9 Things to Know

The restaurant menu must be original 

The restaurant menu offers an ideal balance of unique and old dishes, such as the basic hamburger. It can be offered in a classic or with American cheese. You can even offer a unique version, one that fits with the restaurant theme, such as topping a burger with guacamole and pepper jack cheese for a Mexican themed restaurant.

2. The restaurant menu must be versatile

restaurant menu

This simply means that no item in the menu should stand alone. If you offer a fresh lobster roll, be sure to include lobster in other dishes.

3. The restaurant menu should have a cost appropriate to the food

In order to maintain profits and prices affordable for customers, each item on the restaurant menu should be evaluated to determine its food costs with the actual amount it costs you to make the dish. Expensive ingredients (such as the already mentioned lobster) equates 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 costs of food at a reasonable profit margin.

4. Menu items must be easy to prepare

Restaurant menu items should be easy to prepare and these are two helpful tips:

1 – easy to prepare on site (fried, grilled, etc.)

2 – easy to prepare in advance and reheat (lasagna, cooked 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 design simple and avoid using too much culinary jargon.

6. The restaurant menu should be in a manageable size

The sky is not the limit when it comes to your restaurant menu. Avoid the temptation to offer a large selection of items, otherwise you will inevitably be throwing away food at the end of the evening. Also consider what your restaurant kitchen is capable of producing. There are enough stations to offer grilled dishes, stir-fried dishes, salads, soups, baked goods, etc...

7. You should know when to update your menu 

In order to keep food costs under control and keep up with other costs you need to update your menu at least once a year. This doesn't mean you have to rewrite the entire menu or add all new dishes. This is simply a good time to make sure that prices are where they should be, and to weigh menu items against those that aren't selling.

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 language. The menu is like an ambassador for the restaurant, and you want to put your best foot forward.

9. You should know when to offer special restaurant menus

Mother's Day or Valentine's Day often deserve a special fixed price menu. A prix fixe menu limits the number of items available at a time, making it easier for the kitchen to turn out a large number of meals in a short amount of time. Even if it's not a party, a set menu also acts as a great promotion during slow times. Specially priced two-for-one menus or a fixed-price wine tasting menu are great restaurant promotions to convince people, even in tough economic times.