Menu EngineeringIncreasing customer profitability through

effective menu design

Starting back at the beginning What have we learned so far?

• Plate Cost using Menu Analysis

Moving ahead Then the fog started to lift…

• Determining profitability using Menu Profitability

Just when you thought you learned it all

• Increasing customer profitability through effective menu design

Wow! Now that’s a pretty menu!

Laying out the menu for Laying out the menu for profitabilityprofitability

• Number of offeringsNumber of offerings– Sales volume, storage, workforce, speed of service

• Specials vs. regular itemsSpecials vs. regular items– Regular items are proven whereas specials are

market tests

• Physical location on the menuPhysical location on the menu– Does this really matter?

Location-

Location-

Location

Top 10 Menu Mess-Ups

#10: #10: Year old pricingYear old pricing- Has anything about our industry changed in the last few months?

#9: #9: Fried to PerfectionFried to Perfection- Or how about Smothered in gravy? Yummy.

#8: #8: Price List Line UpPrice List Line Up- Who likes to be price shopped?

#7: #7: Clip Art CrazyClip Art Crazy- Dancing chickens don’t help sell food or make profit

#6: #6: HomemadeHomemade- What if the chicken salad is listed as “homemade” but nothing else is?

#5: #5: Teeny Tiny FontsTeeny Tiny Fonts- The older you get the better your eyes get?

#4: #4: And, And, And, And…And, And, And, And…- Who goes out to eat to read a novel? How long do you have to read a menu?

#3: #3: Beware of photosBeware of photos- Does the picture look like the items looks on the plate?

#2: #2: Icky, Sticky, Ooey, GooeyIcky, Sticky, Ooey, Gooey- Is scratch n’ sniff the best idea?

#1: #1: Too distressing to Too distressing to discussdiscuss……- Can you guess? Yep, whiteout or correcting tape!

5 Questions to start a Business Conversation

1. When was the last time you re-did your menu?

2. What is your most popular item? Is this your most profitable item? How do you market that item to your customers?

3. Do you see your menu as a profit center?4. How do you price your menu? Gross

profit $ or Food Cost %?5. Is your menu as successful as you want?