SECRETS ABOUT MENU DESIGN

Menu Research
If you are doing research before designing or redesigning your menu than you are already ahead of the game. Menu design is a $2.5 billion a year industry. Your Restaurants menu is the most powerful marketing tool your restaurant will ever have. It is a reflection of who you are in the marketplace. Redesigning your menu will increase annual sales 6%-10% so how you choose to design or redesign your menu should be seen as an investment not a cost.

To maximize your menu's profitability be sure to maximize your menu strategy before the design and layout.

Menu Design and Layout
Here are the key steps to designing a profitable menu.


Write your menu items exactly as they will appear on the menu before you begin to design your menu

• Try to describe each item as much as possible in the name of each item

• Make your menu unique by incorporating geography, local history, or ethnic terms that may apply. For example Hudson Bay Seafood Platter sounds better than Shrimp and Scallops

• Most menu items won't need any further description, however if it is a specialty item let your customers know.

• Customers don't want to know every ingredient in each menu item. They just want enough to be enticed. Your menu descriptions should make your customer's mouths water

• If the menu item has a description keep in mind that certain words have more selling power than others. For example "marinated", "roasted", or "lightly battered" is more appealing than "fried" or "cooked"

• Make sure that all words on your menu are spelled correctly. We get in the habit of abbreviating menu items. You would be surprised how often this happens and how unprofessional it looks.

• It is important that your menu sections (appetizers, salads, soup) are clearly separated and marked

Decide exactly the layout and design of your menu

• Your restaurant's menu design should communicate the look and feel of your restaurant. It should incorporate the same colors and textures that are seen by your customers throughout your restaurant. It should exactly match your restaurant's concept or theme to convey the same attitude experienced in your restaurant

• Direct the customer's eyes to what you want them to order by using borders, pictures of menu items, bolder or larger font, and highlighting areas with colorful background shapes. Using a smaller or lighter font will of course have the opposite effect- decreasing emphasis on details such as price

• Font size, type, and color are important factors in making your restaurant's menu easy to read. a 12-point sized font is large enough to be easy to read without over doing it. Mix more than one font type, but try not to use more than three different font types.

• Be sure to use all areas of your menu. The front cover of your menu should include your restaurant's name, logo,  address, phone number, website address. Use open areas on the front and back of your menu to advertise reoccurring events or promotions

Menu design and layout Psychology facts
The following is based on a 4 page menu including front and back covers

• Menu items located on the inside right page just above the center will sell three times more often than any other item on the menu.

• Studies have also shown that the top two items of each category sell twice as often than other items in that category.

• The average customer spends less than 2 minutes looking at your restaurant's menu. This proves that proper placement of higher profit menu items makes a huge difference.

New Menus, Done At Last
Designing or redesigning your restaurant's menus is a daunting task, but it doesn't end there. Here is a check list for your new menus

• Keep Menus looking clean- Always. A dirty menu is a reflection of your establishment in the marketplace. A dirty, sticky menu says that your kitchen is dirty and sticky as well. A clean menu says that your restaurant runs smooth and your kitchen is clean.
  

• Accent your menus with matching table tents and menu inserts

More tips see Menu Strategy
                     
                                                                           

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