Menu Make-over

Moderator

______________________________________________________

Matt-thanks for the feedback. Here are some answers to your questions. The last page is blank because we have been working on a history and how we got started. We have not perfected it yet and don’t want to put the page out if it’s not perfect. We are always open to other ideas and it seems you have some very good suggestions.

Besides our burgers, our All Day Entrees are where we really shine. Yes the restaurant is a fun atmosphere but we don’t want to be known as a burger joint. We will not have the crowd we need for dinner just on burgers. I would agree we need more spacing but I was unsure of how to make that happen. I designed the menu and all of the descriptions but I am not a menu designer nor do I have expertise in the subject. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Lynn

______________________________________________________

Hi Lynn
I like to think the first rule of designing a menu is keeping it true to your theme and you have. You make it fun to read and appetizing. Here are a few changes I would make.

Let talk color scheme. Heavy borders are overpowering and are creating an illusion of tight space within the menu “this is called lack of whitespace.” If you need a border then try one along the top and bottom this will open it up. Bring a color into the categories and item. Bold dark colors. Blue, Deep Red, Green etc (Keep in mind that red is always hard on the eyes) If space allows photos of your theme or food are always a nice option.

Fonts. I’m not crazy about “Font Diner.” But the descriptions are easy to read. Not crazy how titles are centered then items are left align with indent. Center it all or left align all. Another thing you could do is add 3 columns to the top and maybe 2 at the bottom to create flow. Keep in mind that on a two page menu the readers eyes move in a “Z formation” So you want to place things in other zones that will drawn attention.

Let’s talk about food and profit. I don’t see any one item that sticks out. Showcase your “hot” items by boxing them in or adding a tiny graphic “icon” that specifies this is a house specialty.

Prices. I assume your customers come to you because they love your food and atmosphere so remove the price “$7.99” right after the item’s name and place it behind the description in the description font size. Remove the dollar it will give your menu a cleaner feel. You have all your prices ending in 9’s which is very smart.

I love your menu item’s name. Very fun and I can see a lot of thought when into it and it shows.

Check out food networks Food Trends of the 2010…keeping it real, grandma’s cooking with a twist. Locally grown…. If you have a chance to incorporate any of these into your menu as Martha would say “It’s a Good Thing”. Best wishes. Donna

______________________________________________________

I think that all the comments are great! I think Menu Designer hit nail on the head. To expand on his comment about profit and boxing Item comment.

Review your menu from a profit contribution aspect and see which items you are a fan of i.e. present well, easy to get out etc. but also have a high contribution.

Contribution meaning dollars in the bank after production. You will want to box these and call attention to them and people will order them ultimitely driving profit. It is amazing. Try it with a few items and watch your profitability kick up. This is not necessarily the items with the best food cost % but at the end of the day you don’t take %’s to the bank you take dollars.

Good luck and keep us posted as you make changes.

Jonathan Munsell

Read More or comment here