Marketing to Health-Conscious Guests Chapter 10

Objectives: Describe methods for identifying customer requests. Discuss development and implementation of healthy menu options Evaluate healthy menu options for specific guest requests Describe nutrition labeling laws that apply to restaurant menus

Marketing The process of finding out what your customers need and want, and then developing, promoting, and selling the products and services they desire.

Gauging Customers’ Needs and Wants Interview waitstaff about customer requests. Do a customer survey. (See p. 357) Informally get customer feedback. Key in on: –What are your customers asking for? –Which items are most frequently requested? –How much time does your staff have to meet these special requests? –Which requests are easy to meet? Which are not?

Developing & Implementing Healthy Menu Options Who is involved? How to inform your customers of healthy options: –Simply describe the items well. –Have waitstaff offer and describe the items. –Highlight items with symbols or worlds. –Include a separate section on the menu. –Add a clip-on to the menu and/or a blackboard or lightboard.

Responding to Guest Special Requests Low carbohydrate diet South Beach diet High fiber diet Diet low in added sugars Diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol Low-sodium diet Vegetarian diet Low-lactose diet Gluten-free diet

Responding to Guest Special Needs Good menu descriptions Use waitstaff to provide descriptions Highlight healthy/special menu selections –Use symbols Special/separate section of menu Add a clip-on to menu or whiteboard Use “small plate” approach

Restaurants and Nutrition Labeling Laws Food prepared and served in restaurants or other foodservices are exempt from mandatory nutrition labeling found in packaged foods. Restaurants are not exempt from FDA rules concerning nutrient claims and health claims when used on menus, table tents, posters, or signs. Any food being used in a health claim may not contain more than 20% of the Daily Value for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium.

Restaurants and Nutrition Labeling Laws When providing nutrition information for a nutrient or health claim: –restaurants do not have to provide the standard nutrition information profile and more exacting nutrient content values required in the Nutrition Facts panel of packaged foods. They can present the information in any format desired, and they have to provide only information about the nutrient(s) that the claim is referring to.

Restaurants and Nutrition Labeling Laws Restaurants may use symbols on the menu to highlight the nutritional content of specific items. They are required to explain the criteria used for the symbols.