Running a bar or restaurant is not just a business; it’s a science. Not only is your restaurant’s layout a science to get people to stay longer but your menu has a whole science behind it as well. Ever get the feeling that your customers are having a harder time deciding what to have than they should be? The layout of your menu can be a pretty complex thing to get down, making sure to not overwhelm your customers. Here are five great pointers for you to consider next time you are re-designing your menu!
- Limit the Options Available
- The “Paradox of Choice” is a psychological theory which says the more options available to your customers the more anxiety your customers will feel when ordering. Per menu engineer Gregg Rapp, the golden number is seven options per food category. Beginning with seven appetizers, moving on to seven entrees. Rapp also was quoted “When we include over seven items, a guest will be overwhelmed and confused, and when they get confused they’ll typically default to an item they’ve had before.” It’s not a bad thing to have your customers order something they are familiar with but a well-designed menu will entice them to try something different, maybe even a bit more expensive.
- Add Photos
- Including high quality images of your personal entrees, appetizers and desserts increases sales by 30%! A study was conducted at Iowa State University where researchers tested a ‘digital display’ of a salad on kids at a YMCA Camp. Can you believe that campers who saw the salad photo were up to 70% more likely to order the salad for lunch! Remember; we eat with our eyes first!
- Manipulate Your Pricing
- When building your menu consider removing the dollar signs. Dollar signs are ‘pain points’ for most people because it reminds them that they are spending money. If you don’t want to remove the dollar sign symbol completely try something like this… Instead of listing the club sandwich for $12.00 try something like $12.
- Last but not least about helping customers feel more comfortable with your menu is adjusting the price of items by nickels and dimes. For example when you look at a menu and see $9.95 as opposed to $10 customers tend to find this a bit friendlier.
- Use ‘Expensive’ Decoys
- You probably have seen this in designer or department stores, but trust us; it works! One of the major tricks used in almost all stores and restaurants is the infamous Large and Small portion. You may see an option for a Small Plate for $7.99 then right next to it a Large Plate for just $10.99. Majority of folks are going to choose the larger plate for the extra few dollars.
- Another great ‘mind trick’ is to have an incredibly expensive item near the top of the menu which makes everything else the customers sees more reasonably priced. For example, your server will never expect you to order the $300 Lobster, but it sure does make the $70 Steak look like a bargain!
- Your Menu is a Map to your Customers
- A proper menu is designed to make the most of your gaze. Think about when reading a newspaper or magazine. The upper right corner is ‘Prime Real Estate’. Rapp goes on to explain that the upper right corner is the most natural for a person to begin, and it is where the most profitable items should be placed. The next place your customers’ eyes will glance is most likely going to be the upper left side. This portion of your menu should start off with the appetizers then have the salads directly underneath.
- Ever think about creating boxes around your most profitable items or making the font a bit larger for those items? It helps separate these items from the rest, causing them to really stand out. Having a negative space or a large font will pull your customers' eyes directly to the items.Have any tricks up your sleeve that we missed?!
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Written By: Megan Ricca
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