Restaurant Menu Design:
Study Findings
May 3, 2023
An expertly designed restaurant menu is key to attracting customers and maximising profits. You could have the most state of the art kitchen, buy the best ingredients and hire the best chefs in the world. But if you don’t have a menu that entices and compels your patrons to buy more dishes, then you still might not have success as a restaurant owner.
Where as the right menu can help you overcome even an imperfect location and some other disadvantages that you might have.
Drawing on the latest research, I’m sharing 3 things and tips on photos, dish names, pricing strategies, and menu engineering to help you elevate your restaurant’s menu design.
Photos and dish names: a delicate balance
To captivate your customers, consider the interplay between food photos and dish names. A study published in the ‘International Journal of Hospitality Management’ (You can access the full research Here) reveals that the impact of photos varies depending on the type of food names and how people process information.
- For dishes with clear and descriptive names, adding high-quality pictures can enhance customers’ feelings about the menu item, making them more likely to order and enjoy it.
- For dishes with vague or ambiguous names, the effect of using photos can differ. While pictures can be helpful for verbalizers (those who prefer words and descriptions), they may be less appealing for visualizers (those who think more in images).
Using sensory and evaluative adjectives, as well as cultural, geographical, and emotional associations, can make dishes more enticing. Remember, striking the right balance between visual and textual information is crucial for effective menu design.
Pricing strategy: how to present prices effectively
The way you present prices on the menu can significantly impact customers’ perceptions and choices. A study published in the ‘International Journal of Hospitality Management’ (You can access the full research Here) suggests that removing currency symbols and avoiding a separate price column can minimize the focus on price, encouraging customers to make choices based on their preferences rather than cost.
Menu engineering: boosting sales with strategic placement
Menu engineering techniques can help you identify the most profitable and popular items, allowing you to strategically place them on the menu for maximum visibility and sales. By featuring these items prominently, you can drive customer interest and increase revenue.
Conclusion
By considering the delicate balance between photos and dish names, implementing strategic pricing, and applying menu engineering techniques, you can create a menu that entices customers and drives more sales.
If you’d like a hand in crafting a menu that does all of these things, let’s connect.
