A Menu is More than Just a List of Dishes and Drinks

A menu is the main marketing, communication and selling tool of a restaurant.

A carefully planned menu incorporates the strategy of the restaurant’s manager, reflects the atmosphere of the restaurant and becomes a silent salesperson.

The first step to start preparing your menu is the selection of the dishes and drinks to be included. The manager and the chef coordinate to decide which dishes remain and which are added in the new menu. The nature of the restaurant, the tastes of its clientele, the costing and the profitability of each dish are the main factors considered.

The calculation of the prices and the way to be presented on the menu is the job of the manager, who takes into consideration the cost, the competition, the nature of the clientele, the level/category and the geographical position of the outlet.

The next step involves the cooperation with a professional agency in order to design and print the menu. Smart restaurant owners and managers should not leave menu design to chance, as a well-designed menu upgrades the dining experience and leads to a more profitable restaurant.

In the first meeting the restaurant manager informs the agent about the restaurant. Τhe account executive of the agency has to collect certain information in order to start designing the menu.

• The name and the logo of the restaurant

• The nature of food served e.g. Italian, gourmet

• The quality standard of the restaurant e.g. casual, fast food

• The strategy of the management

• The way the menu comes in the hands of the client e.g. remain on the table, given to the clients by the waiter

• How the personnel serve the clients e.g. self service, top professional waiters

• Decoration e.g. wooden, traditional, colors

• Restaurant’s lighting

• Languages to be used in the menu

• Clientele e.g. age, nationalities

After receiving above information the account executive will come back in a few days to give his proposals and quotations.

The proposals should specify following information:

• Size

• Shape

• Number of pages

• Cover

• Binding method

• Paper to be used

• Printing methods

• Printed colors

• Paper type and weight

• Lamination

After certain explanations and discussion the restaurant manager asks the account executive to proceed with the design. The restaurant manager sends the text and prices of the menu in a word file.

After a few days the designer prepares designs and layouts of the menu and the account executive presents them to the restaurant manager to choose with which design to proceed for the final menu. Also the manager should correct the text very carefully and avoid many changes from the initial text in order to have the menu ready on time. In this stage we send the final text for translation, in order to be inserted in the menu.

When final design and text are approved by the client the designer prepares the menu artwork for printing and production.

The client should respect two factors if he wants to receive a quality menu in all aspects and on time. The necessary stages to plan, create, design and finalize the artwork and the time needed for printing and producing the menu.

Planning, designing and printing the appropriate menu is a process that needs the closed cooperation of the client and the professional agency.

For more information and orders contact us:

Telephone: 22257160

Email: idealprsolutions@hotmail.com

Website: www.idealprsolutions.com