As one of the most important components of a successful restaurant, your menu is arguably your strongest selling point to customers. Not surprisingly, well-planned menus rely on some basic psychological tactics to entice diners, and it pays to employ these practices in the menu for your new restaurant to give it the best start possible. In today’s blog, the pros at here Restaurant Rockstars will review a few psychological components of great menus. If you need professional and affordable restaurant consulting, be sure to shop our products today!
Layout
Because your menu is an important visual introduction to the food your restaurant serves, proper and appealing layout is important. It’s wise to consider a couple of things when working on your menu layout.
The Magical Right Corner
When most people pick up a magazine or newspaper, their eyes gravitate to the upper right corner, and the same usually happens with restaurant menus. Because of this, the prime real estate to position your specials is in the upper right corner. Planning the upper portion of your menu layout accordingly can pay off dividends in the end.
Lucky Number Seven
We mentioned in a previous article that too many menu options can leave your customers feeling overwhelmed and anxious. So how can you fine tune your menu to have the right amount of appetizers, salads, main dishes, and desserts? You want your customers to feel like they have plenty of variety without stressing them out, and you don’t want them wondering if they made the right dish choice after they’ve selected it. Limiting each section to around seven items works best.
Visual Cues
Just as the layout is important, there are important details in visual cues that appeal to customers as well. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
Color Scheme
The color scheme you choose for your menu can have a big effect on your customers. For example, establishments that serve fresh foods like salad, fruits, and other natural foods are likely to find more success when they incorporate green into their menu. If you’re concerned about how hungry your guests may be, orange has been found to be a good color for stimulating appetites.
Appearance of Numbers
Pricing your dishes properly is important, but equally as important is how your guests feel when they see the prices on your menu. To remove the emotional response some people have to spending money, many restaurant owners have moved away from using dollar signs and cents in their pricing. Rather than listing $15.00, they may just list 15. Likewise, pricing your dish just slightly below a whole number (i.e. $19.95 versus $20.00) can make your guests feel like they’re getting a better deal.
Professional Restaurant Consulting and Training
If you’re considering entering the restaurant business, or if you’re looking to boost the success of your current establishment, check out the full line of Restaurant Rockstars’ training materials and consulting services. We offer server and staff training along with courses to help you fine tune everything from your business plan to your finances.
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