Menu Strategy: Location Considerations for Multi-Unit Operators
Menu Strategy Location Considerations
[Menu Strategy Location Considerations]
Multi-unit restaurant operators have many additional considerations that must be factored in to their menu engineering and design planning. This includes issues such as different languages, market-level pricing variations, market-level availability/appeal considerations (for instance, a hamburger doesn’t sell in India as well as a veggie burger sells just as a veggie burger won’t sell as well in the USA as a hamburger, etc), fulfillment issues (getting the new menus to all of the locations around the world and implemented on time; programming point of sale systems; training; operational issues spanning the gap from their best performing units/managers to the poorest performers; etc); and even issues such as mannerisms and cultural considerations (such as Ronald McDonald bowing in Asia instead of waving). For chains with diversely located restaurants additional complications arise due to political influences and governmental agencies (such as some markets demanding menu labeling, banning certain kids marketing and menu approaches, and also concerns such as restrictions on ingredients – no use of pork products or proteins with animal by-products in certain parts of the Middle East, etc). Those who are already operating in wide and spanning territories know these issues (and many more) all too well. I mention them here primarily for those emerging brands who may be tempted into prematurely jumping great distances with new openings (cherry-picking markets rather than growing in concentric circles) as just a sampling of cautionary considerations to factor into the decision making process. For QSR’s and fast-casual operators who use menu boards predominantly, new digital menu board technologies solve a host of past headaches such as market-variations and fulfillment (see Digital Menu Boards).
