Menus & To Go Menus Desktop Publishing

The Menu The menu is the heart of the restaurant. It embodies the restaurant's demographics, concept, physical factors and personality

Four Categories Stars -- popular items for which diners are willing to pay much more than the dishes cost to make. Plowhorses -- popular but less profitable items, like steak. Puzzlers -- high-profit items that are tough to sell, say, sweetbreads. Dogs -- not many people like and aren't profitable.

7 Common Menu Ploys 1.First in Show. Many restaurants group their offerings under the obvious headings:, entrees, appetizers and so on. *Testing has shown that if you decide on chicken, you are more likely to order the first item on the chicken list.*

7 Common Menu Ploys 2. Menu Siberia Unprofitable dishes, like a seafood combo plate, that require expensive ingredients, and lots of work, are usually banished to a corner that's less noticeable or in a multi-page menu stashed on page five.

7 Common Menu Ploys 3. Visual Aids If you draw a line around it, people will order. That's why many menus box off something they want to promote. Photos also sell dishes

7 Common Menu Ploys 4. Package deals. Think McDonalds Extra Value meal…customers spend more than you intended

7 Common Menu Ploys 5. Dollar-Sign Avoidance Focus groups who've been asked to opine on menus display an acute discomfort with dollar signs and decimals.

7 Common Menu Ploys 6. The Small Plate-Large Plate Conundrum A restaurant may offer two chicken Caesar salads, one for $9 and one for $12. You may think that you're getting a break ordering the small one, but that's really the size the restaurant wants to sell.

7 Common Menu Ploys 7. Ingredient Embroidery List the recipe for each dish making each ingredient sound ultra-special

Static Menu This is the menu in the Restaurant. Rarely Changes Divided into Categories Lists ingredients Shows price Uses all layout techniques to strategically place lower cost options

To Go Menu Meant to be a take-home menu. – Brochure – Flyer Used mainly for take-out orders. Categorizes options Lists price No recipes provided (some exceptions) Follows same layout techniques

Menu Design Organization is important – Categorize the food options Use pictures to make some options stick out (strategically on static menus only) Use appropriate fonts and font sizes for the type of restaurant Include Restaurants name, logo, slogan, & contact information Have a theme that customers will appreciate.

Your Task Research & create a static menu for your favorite sit down restaurant. – Business logo – Website – Address – Phone Number – Categories (minimum of 6) – List of ingredients – Visual aids….Picture of the food option (at least one for each category) – Price in the proper format (no “$”) – Uses all layout techniques to strategically place lower cost options