Boosting Restaurant Revenue
PART FIVE: TOP 50 MENU ENGINEERING & DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The single most important marketing collateral a restaurant possesses is its menu. One of the surest ways to effectively and measurably increase sales, profits, and guest satisfaction scores in a manner that is both quick and sustainable is to roll out a new menu. The menu should function as a tour guide and prove to be the best salesperson in your company. Menu engineering and design is the perfect marriage of both the science and art of successful restauranting. If you look at any lauded and successful restaurant turnaround, you’ll see signs of the CEO focusing on the inside and working outward; and find more specifically that a new menu was at the heart of the brand renaissance.

Each of the below considerations links to a short description (brand-new blog post) on the topic. Each topic below is focused on approaches and important considerations specific to menu design and engineering for restaurant companies large and small. I don’t expect you to read each and every point/post, but if you are about to endeavor on launching a new menu strategy, I am certain you will find lots of goodies in this list that can have a meaningful impact on your efforts. If you’re not embarking on a new menu strategy but know someone who is, please forward this to them and hopefully they will thank us both. A lot of hard work went into creating this list which is the culmination of experience having represented more than 10,000 restaurants spanning six (6) continents and 45 countries. It is my privilege and pleasure to share this kind of original content with you and your company. Your feedback is very much welcomed and appreciated (consider it blog and newsletter fuel!).

Here goes…click on any and all that catch your interest…

1.         Brand Platform – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/brand-platform/

2.         Meaning of Color – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-meaning-of-colors/

3.         Use of Colors – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-use-of-color/

4.         Food Photography – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-food-photography/

5.         Nested Pricing – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-marketing-blog-post/menu-design-nested-pricing/

6.         Don’t Use Dollar Signs – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-dont-use-dollar-signs/

7.         Different Languages – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-different-languages/

8.         iPad – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-ipad-other-tablets/

9.         Digital Menu Boards – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-digital-menu-boards/

10.      Negative Space – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-negative-space/

11.      Icons – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-icons/

12.      Kindergarten Class – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-kindergarten-class/

13.      High-Rent Areas – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-high-rent-areas/

14.      Copywriting – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-copywriters/

15.      Short versus Long Descriptions – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-short-versus-long-descriptions/

16.      Highlighting Specials – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-highlighting-specials/

17.      Season’s 52 Dessert Program - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-seasons-52/

18.      Exterior Menu Displays – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-exterior-menu-displays/

19.      Menus ToGo - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-menus-to-go /

20.      Item Names –  http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-naming-menu-items/

21.      Trademarks & Copyrights -  http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-trademarks-copyrights/

22.      Pricing Strategies –  http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-engineering-pricing-strategies/

23.      Menu Ads – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/advertising-on-restaurant-menus/

24.      Sponsorships and Supplier Logos -http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-supplier-logos-and-sponsorships/

25.      Cooperatives -  http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-marketing-cooperatives/

26.      Readability - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-readability/

27.      Brand Personality - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-brand-personality/

28.      Brand Story - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-the-brand-story/

29.      Brand Promise – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-the-brand-promise/

30.      Brand Positioning - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-brand-positioning/

31.      Locations - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-location-considerations-for-multi-unit-operators/

32.      Durability – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-durability/

33.      Menu Covers – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/custom-menu-covers/

34.      Menu Engineering – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-engineering/

35.      Personalized Menus - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-idea-personalized-menus/

36.      Table Tents – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/table-tents/

37.      Menu Stuffers - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-stuffers/

38.      NEW – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/new-menus-how-often/

39.      Placemats – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/zone-merchandizing-placemats

40.      Glossary - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-design-ideas-glossary-of-terms/

41.      Zone Merchandizing - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/zone-merchandizing/

42.      Adjectives versus Superlatives – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/adjectives-versus-superlatives/

43.      Source – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-strategy-sourcing/

44.      Educate - http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/restaurant-customers-want-to-be-educated/

45.      Approachable –http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/you-can-never-make-it-too-easy-to-buy-from-your-restaurant/

46.      Production – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-production-how-many-menus-should-we-print/

47.      Modify, Kill or Reposition – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/kill-modify-or-reposition/

48.      Modifiers -http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-modifiers-when-less-is-more/

49.      INVEST – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/menu-investment-and-budgeting/

50.      Hire Smart – http://aaronallen.com/blog-post/restaurant-menu-design-engineering/hiring-a-menu-consultant/

We adamantly believe menu engineering and design requires multi-disciplined team approaches. The process must be rooted in your operational capabilities, brand platform, and culture so it demands involvement from nearly all departments (finance, culinary, marketing, operations, etc). It can’t be done in a vacuum and yield its fullest potential. That said, hiring outside experienced and specialized help can expedite the process and facilitate more cross-departmental collaboration, contribution and buy-in. If you’d like a complimentary assessment of your menu – send us the current in-use version of your menu and cover letter. We’d be happy to proffer some thoughts and suggestions.

Restaurant Consultant