A Menu is More than Just a List of Dishes and Drinks
Updated: Mar 14, 2021
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: