MENU Design

1. MENU Design From design to evaluation

2. Rationale Everything starts with the menu. The menu dictates much about how your operation will be organized and managed, the extent to which it meet its goals, and even how the building itself - certainly the interior - should be designed and constructed.

3. Priority Concerns Of The Menu Planner Priority Concerns of menu Planner Wants and needs Guest Flavour Concept of Value Quality of Item Consistency Cost Item Price Texture/Form/Shape Availability Object of Property Visit Peak Volume Production and Operating Concerns Socio-Economic Factors Nutritional Content Visual Appeal Sanitation Concerns Demographic Concerns Aromatic Appeal Layout Concerns Ethnic Factors Equipment Concerns Temperature Religious Factors

4. Know your guest - Food preference - Price - Age Know your operation - Theme or cuisine - Equipment - Personnel - Quality standards - Budget Basic Rules Of Menu Planning

5. Menu Design - Type style and/or lettering - Names of food items - Include menu description - Popular items are at the top of a list - Clip-ons, inserts (daily specials) - Operations address - Beverage service notice - Separate menu pages for category items

6. Must be Accurate Truth-in-menu laws exist cannot mislabel a product • “fresh” must be fresh, not fresh frozen • “USDA Choice” actually “USDA Good” • Point of origin must be correct as well as items offered must be delivered.

7. Selecting Menu Items Must have Menu categories: • Appetizers • Salads • Entrees • Starch items (potatoes, rice, pasta) • Vegetables • Desserts • Beverages

8. Menu Order Sequence: • Appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts • Depends on the operation (side orders, salads, sandwiches, beverages) • Placement depends on popularity and profitability • Placement: • Use negative space; boxes; watermarks, etc.

9. Elements Of Menu Copy • Headings - Appetizers/Cheese - Soups/Salads - Entrees/Desserts • Sub-heading - Description written under entrée title

10. Menu Balance • Business balance - balance between food cost, menu prices, popularity of items, financial and marketing considerations • Aesthetic balance - colors, textures, flavors of food • Nutritional balance

11. 2 Panel

12. Techniques to influence buying decisions Keep customer focus on Descriptions Black truffle-fines herb Dumpling Parisienne carrots and turnips, horseradish bavarois and port reduction Strawberry Shortcake Sautéed foie gras, house made drop biscuits, viridian farms strawberries, fennel-strawberry marmalade

13. Reduce Price Influence #1 Pan Seared Duck Breast Over Kalamata Olive and Rosemary Ravioli, with a local Blackberry Demi Glace -26 Place prices after the description & centering makes it difficult for customers to scan for the lowest price. Warm Peaches & Donuts Fresh White’s Farm Poached Peaches with Belgian Chocolate filled donut Holes & Toasted Pistachios -10 #2

14. No • Not putting a dollar sign next to prices makes a customer feel like they can spend more. The dollar sign signifies the picture of actual cash in the wallet being spent, where random numbers add up to a total which we can quantify with the experience, not the cost. • It’s a quick and simple removal of information that leads to more and higher sales. Try it with your next menu!

15. Featured Areas Eyes are drawn to “featured” choices placed in boxes

16. Supplemental Merchandising Copy Includes information such as: • Address/Map • Telephone number • Days and hours of operation • Meals times served Additional Info: (3 fold = inside panel or back, 1 page = back) • Reservations info/min. and payment policies (Gratuity %) • Other services provided • History of the restaurant or a statement about management’s commitment to guest service (theme)

17. Menu Fonts Format: • Menu’s size • General makeup Typeface: • Printed letters • Font size • Type face

18. Reading Ability • Use fonts that make it easy for all to read.

19. Menu Layout Artwork: • Drawings, photographs, decorative patterns, borders Paper: • Texture Cover: • Color • Texture

20. Menu Marketing Menus need to match the ambiance of your establishment to build your brand and promote satisfying dining experiences.

21. Background Color Use • The background colors have a major impact on overall ambiance customers experience. • Fiery red or orange =spicy entrees & trendy food selection. • Cool blues and sea greens lead to a calmer frame of mind and smooth flavors with subtle accents. • Black and white is a classic choice for high-end food that speaks for itself.

22. Common Menu-design Mistakes • Menu is too small • Type is too small • Every item treated the same • Some of the operations’ food and beverages are not listed • Graphic problems • Basic information about the property and its policies are not included. • Spelling errors

23. Common Menu Mistakes • Failing to conduct a competitive and profitability analysis at least 2x p/yr. • Failing to update the menu and prices at least 2x p/yr • Selling “like-items” that are competitively comparable • Failing to have a specialty drink menu (even if you don’t serve alcohol there are opportunities) • Physical menus overly susceptible to wear and tear (food, grease, tears, water stains, etc) Resource: Atlanta Restaurant Real Estate Brokers http://www.shumacher.com/restaurant-consultant-reveals-80-most-common-restaurant-mistakes/

24. Evaluating Menus • Print your menus 2-3 times on regular paper to review edits OFF the computer screen. • Read out loud if reviewing alone. • Print your final copy on professional paper, once you have reviewed and are COMPLETELY satisfied.

25. Menu Evaluation: Questions Most Often Asked • Is the menu attractive? • Do the colors and other design elements match the operation’stheme and decor? • Are menu items laid out in an attractive and logical way? • Is there too much descriptive copy? Not enough? Is the copy easy to understand? • Is attention called to the items managers most want to sell, through placement, color, description, type size, etc.?

26. Food Truck Menu

27. Bar Type Menu

28. Graphic Fonts = Sell Casual

29. 1 Page Menu

30. Bar Menu

31. 1 page Desserts Menu

32. Beverages • Put your drinks first. Your wait staff offers a round of water when most people sit down, but let me assure you, people don’t want the water. • If the beverages are listed as the first thing on the menu – above the appetizers, consumers are more likely to order one.

33. Food Pics = Don’t Sell Words do! • Pictures are always deemed unrealistic in diner’s eyes, written descriptions are taken more to heart. • Crafting a back-story or short description for your dishes will work the imagination of your diners, while showing them a picture replaces the memory with it. When the delivered meal is not exactly like the picture, the disappointment is inevitable.

34. Kids Menus w/ Combos & Options • Price as a combo - entree, side or dessert, and a drink. • Pricing strategy removes the burden from parents to patch together an appropriate portion size with a la carte options, and eliminates some decision-making stress. • Parents do expect the freedom to customize their child's meal by selecting a beverage, side, or dessert. • Selections should also account for food allergies; list all ingredients and allow substitutions (e.g. corn tortillas instead of flour).

35. Designing Kids Menus Activities: • Word puzzles ages 6-10. • Coloring or maze activity for pre-readers (5 and under). Designs: • gender neutral; robots, animals, or adventure scenes • Use a sans-serif font = easily legible for young readers ("silly" fonts or fonts that mimic kids handwriting = not the best) • And of course, coloring menus should be printed on crayon-friendly paper.