Menuing Basics

Tastes change. Trends come and go. But through it all, beef remains an enduring favorite and a menu anchor you can count on. From ethnic specialties to American classics, nothing sells, sizzles or satisfies like beef. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, it’s infinitely adaptable, and year after year, it’s what your customers crave. And for you, that means endless ways to add “wow” to your menu. Plain and simple … beef has it all.

Don’t believe us? For a look at the latest beef trends, visit www.beeffoodservice.com.

Menu Development Tips

A menu just may be the single most important marketing material a restaurant operator can develop. It’s among the first pieces a diner uses in building their perception of the restaurant and, when carefully orchestrated and well thought-out, can directly affect the restaurant’s bottom line. Make your restaurant more profitable by engineering your menu using these tips:

Menu Engineering

• Use gross profit (menu price – food cost) as a guideline to sell more of your profitable dishes.
• “Product extension” is the easiest way to expand your menu to your benefit; if a particular beef cut is profitable and popular, make it stand out on your menu by adding other dishes that use that cut.
• Designate your most profitable and popular dishes with a symbol that means “Signature Dish Recommended by the Chef.”

Design & Layout

• Choose a menu style that’s consistent with your concept (i.e., a casual design for a casual restaurant).
• Studies have shown that people order the first and last items in a category – use this to your advantage by placing your most profitable dishes there. Start your steak list with Beef Flat Iron Steak and end with Beef Ranch Steak.
• Make sure every word is spelled correctly – have several proofreaders look at the menu before it’s printed.
• That said, don’t be too organized – dollar signs aren’t necessary, and perfectly aligned prices draws attention away from the food (something you don’t want to do!)
• Encourage diners to eat more by separating courses into different sections. For instance, instead of listing “First Courses” separate offerings into appetizers, soups and salads. And never put desserts on the main menu – it may keep people from ordering appetizers, salads and first courses.

Readability & Wording

Avoid using ALL CAPS – it’s easier to read a menu in upper and lower case letters.
Make the font size large enough for all diners to read – no one likes having to pull out their glasses to read a menu.
Be honest in your descriptions of dishes and ingredients, and be sure to list common allergies like milk, eggs, fish, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, soybeans and shellfish.
Beef is what they crave, so “beef it up”! Educate your guests by using the proper names for classic beef dishes like Boeuf Bourguignonne or Chateaubriand and include mouth-watering descriptions of how they are prepared.

Beef Lexicon

Let’s face it… your patrons eat with their eyes as much as they do with their mouths. If food looks appetizing, they’ll order it. And if it reads and sounds delicious, they’re bound to grab their forks and take notice.

Surveys among consumers reveal they are more likely to order a “Juicy, Pan-Seared Ribeye with Sautéed Onions and Mushrooms” versus “Ribeye Steak.” So fill your menu with mouth-watering words and descriptions of the entire entrée to entice patrons. Here are just a few suggestions to get your patrons hungry. Be creative and use these descriptions to enhance the appeal of the beef entrees currently on your menu:

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