Improve your Menu as a Sales and Profit Magnet

There are so many types of menus – blackboards, digital screens, multi-page books and simple printed pages. But how many of them make you think yum and entice you to order more? Think of your menu as a profitable storyteller – this menu sales strategy will help you make a lot more money.

Menus grow and grow, sometimes for no reason, and changes often take a long time. The design layout is usually according to what’s easiest to do in a Word document or fancy software program. It’s not seen as a document that can dramatically improve profits according to the way it’s laid out and designed.

When you see your menu as a powerful sales document, you will take it seriously as a profit generator, and give it lots more attention. Learning the principles of menu engineering can be very interesting, and you won’t stop making improvements when you realise they all produce more profit. Modern digital menus also make it simple to change and update items and prices instantly.

How to make positive menu sales improvements…

Check Menu Range and Popularity

• Do your customers drive your choice of menu items? Get to really know your local demographics from the latest Census data and your own experience, then use this to drive what’s on it.
• Are there enough choices for him and for her? For families in a hurry and couples who want to stay a while?
• Do you have plenty of ‘no-problem’ dietary choices – vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and low-fat?
• Does the menu answer people’s questions? Good descriptions mean the customer is ready to order quickly. Make sure problem choices are covered eg ‘the chili beans are spicy, not hot’.
• Have something predictable for the 80% of people who order the same as last time, and something new for the 20% who like things different.
• Offer plenty of well-priced extras – vegetables, salads, special sauces etc. A good range of add-ons or ‘modifiers’ are extremely important on App Menus, where they can substantially increase the Average Customer Spend..
• Improve the sweet treats available at the end of a meal – so tempting that at least 25% of customers order one!

Check Menu Pricing and Layout

• Don’t leave money behind – price things at $18.50 or $18.80 not $18. Customers don’t notice, and that’s a $50 or $80 bonus for every 100 you sell.
• Place prices at the end of the description so they are less noticeable than if they’re in a separate column.
• Is the menu easy to skim and to read? That means having sections with headings plus good size print for the 60% of people who wear glasses… and left them behind! It’s been said that men skim a menu and women read it – do you agree?
• Vertical format is easier to read than horizontal, and columns give you a lot more flexibility.
• Position the most dollar-profitable items at the beginning of a section – because that way they will sell more!

Check Profit Margins

• Everything on the menu should live in your recipe manager system, showing exact profit margins that adjust with changing ingredient prices.
• Does the menu have too many items? Shrink it by 20% and no one will notice – that’s a lot fewer items to purchase and store.
• Are there enough high-profit items? That means dollar profit, not a percentage – there’s a reason that ribs and chicken wings are so popular in foodservice!
• Do you need to raise some prices? Make a few changes every month, don’t wait for a big annual increase.

Reap the Benefits of Designing a Menu Sales Document…

• Watch your sales and profits rise with a well-engineered menu – expect at least a 10% sales increase just from rearranging it, even if you don’t change the contents!
• Add more extras, better descriptions and some more profitable items, and you could see a 25% increase in Average Customer Spend! Wow!
• By adding more customer favourites, and knowing who really lives in your area, you will also bring more of them to your door and keep them coming back.

It’s Time for Action on Your Menu…

• Print a plain copy of your current menu and start gathering feedback – and use a red pencil generously!
• Print your costed recipes in order from most to least profitable – any surprises?
• Some menu items go, new and better-priced items arrive and it becomes a much more profitable document.
• Test and measure – track popularity and update regularly, based on sales and the profit margins you obtain from recipe costing.

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Check the other useful blog posts on the Foodie Coaches website…