Menus are advertisements.  Effectively designed menus “sell” food for their restaurants in many different ways. (you can read further on this in one of our previous blog posts What Makes a Restaurant Menu Design Effective?)  As we all know however, ads can be misleading. Advertisers will use all sorts of tricks to persuade someone to buy, sneaking in strategically ambiguous words, which have multiple or vague meanings.  Some examples would be phrases like “affordable housing”  “decent income” or “large city” which, depending on who you are, is all relative.  Another little trick is sneaking in euphemisms, which is when you replace a common sounding word with a better sounding word; such as calling the bathroom a “powder room” or extra large sizes “women’s sizes.”  This is the area in which it seems some restaurants pull out all the stops, using  vague phrases such as “world famous” “Garden Fresh” and “Homemade”  An article from the Tribune dining staff discusses all of these overused phases and more. Read this article then let us know of any more annoying menu phrases that you think should be banned.

9 Phrases to Ban From Restaurant Menus

Menus are not the only place with ambiguous phrases, restaurants put them in taglines and logos too! Here are a few examples:

Preparations for the Sysco Eastern Wisconsin’s 2009 Concept Show are in full swing.Blueprint Design Studio has partnered up with Sysco Eastern Wisconsin to present a restaurant stimulus package that offers detailed ideas and tips to maximize profitability for restaurants.

The restaurant stimulus package will help restaurant owners to discover ways to increase sales, learn cost control and bring you up to date with the latest trends.Restaurant owners, managers, executive chefs, floor managers, decision makers, food purchasers and general managers will get a peek into the deals from the Sysco Truckload Sale and rake in savings from the Warehouse Clearance Center.As well as being able to sit in on multiple stimulating seminars.

Blueprint Design Studio helps restaurants to become more profitable with effective menu designs, or by creating a website design to increase exposure online with proper marketing being implemented.

The show will be held at:

Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park
8200 W. Greenfield Ave.
West Allis, WI 53214

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Blueprint Design Studio will be at booth 1402

Recent Resource Links:
Restaurant Stimulus Packages…
Cobra
Stimulus Plan Update
CA Restaurant & Bar Owners (not drinkers) Will Feel the Pinch of Nickel Tax
We’ve Got A Sweet Deal For You!

Consumers are down in the dumps about the tough economic times we are in and restaurant owners are not happy. As this recession continues restaurant owners are seeing an increase in alcohol sales. This is a good thing right? Not so fast.

People are going out more and more during the times that restaurants have their happy hour and/or extended specials and are looking to save as much as they can.

“We don’t see a change in what people are drinking as much as seeing a change in the time they are drinking,” said Kip Snider, beverage director for the Yard House chain of restaurants.

Still, a growing reliance on happy hour — as well as a “reverse” happy hour with the same specials from 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays to Wednesdays — is not a bad strategy.

“In times like this, the bar business should take on more of a focal point for restaurants because of the incremental profit that comes with each sale,” Henkes said.

Restaurants net about 15 cents for every dollar of food purchased but 38 cents for alcohol, Henkes said. So it makes sense for casual dining spots, in particular, to pitch booze.

Alcohol typically is a pretty recession-proof item but due to marketing strategies put in place when the economy was stronger may places seem to be taking a hit. When putting specials (drink or food) in place it is important to keep your costs in check. The “specials” do a great job to bring in customers during an otherwise slow period.

The cutback in beverage revenue comes as customers eat at home more often, putting restaurants in one of the most severe slumps the industry has faced in decades.

During times like this restaurants should but extra emphasis on food sales for an incremental profit that comes with each sale.

Here’s some recommended ways to help jump start your sales:

1. Arrange a meet up or event. Go to sites such as http://www.meetup.com. Come up with a cleaver themed event and post it on that site. Making it relevant to your establishment is a great way to target potential customers that have never hear of your place. Example: If you have a Golf themed restaurant or bar (or even decorated that way) set up a local golfers meet up or get in contact with a local golf club to arrange for a meet up.

2. Give out samples. Great customer service goes a long way. Some times people are afraid to even try new things. Walking around giving samples of food or drinks to patrons will give them a chance to fall in love with a food/drink they never imagined trying.

3. Add pairings & photos to your menu. Give recommendations for what food/dessert and drinks go well together. This is a great way to increase average profit per ticket. Also hire a photographer to photograph the pairing and put it on your menu. Food photos is a great way to give customers of a preview of a dish.

A restaurant menu is a huge part of the restaurant’s brand identity.  It reflects who you are in the market.  Menus should be viewed as an investment for a restaurant owner, not as a cost because a menu design or redesign can improve sales if designed correctly.

Customers need guidance when trying to decide what they want to order off a menu.  That is why the placement of menu items, pictures/graphics and item descriptions plays an important role when designing a menu.

The inside right page of a menu is considered to be a high profile spot for a menu.  This is where it’s recommended that you place high end specialties.  It is recommended that you change up the font a little to make this section stand out more than the rest of the menu.

Menu item position affect sales.  It’s known that people/consumers tend to remember the top two items on a list as well as the bottom item.  This is a good location to place most profitable items.

Draw attention to specific areas of the menu. The font type, as well as font size, borders, boxes, symbols and shading all help to draw attention to specific items.  Just remember to not over do it.

Menus should not describe common or familiar items. Some items just don’t need to be described.  If something special or unusual is being offered, there should be a description for that item.

Don’t align prices on a menu, this causes the customer to look at the price of the item to determine what they will order.  If you put the price at the end of the description in the same type without dollar signs, this will allow the customer to focus on the item rather than just the price of the item.

Proofread!!! Proofreading is very important.  Spelling errors and typos are things that can cause customers to not take you seriously.

To see the full menu used above click here.