Menu Engineering
Menu engineering is a critical process for restaurants and coffee shops that want to maximize their profitability. By strategically designing and optimizing their menus, businesses can encourage customers to order the most profitable items, reduce food waste, and improve operational efficiency.
One of the most important aspects of menu engineering is understanding customer preferences. Restaurants and coffee shops can collect this information through customer surveys, sales data analysis, and social media monitoring. Once they have a good understanding of what customers want, businesses can start to make strategic adjustments to their menus.
One common menu engineering technique is to divide menu items into four categories:
- Stars: These are the most popular and profitable items on the menu. Restaurants and coffee shops should place these items in prominent locations on the menu and use descriptive language to entice customers to order them.
- Plow horses: These items are popular but not as profitable as the stars. Restaurants and coffee shops can increase the profitability of these items by slightly increasing their prices or by offering smaller portions.
- Puzzles: These items are not very popular but are profitable. Restaurants and coffee shops may want to keep these items on the menu to attract a wider range of customers, but they should not place them in prominent locations.
- Dogs: These items are not popular and not profitable. Restaurants and coffee shops should consider removing these items from the menu altogether.
In addition to categorizing menu items, restaurants and coffee shops can also use menu engineering techniques to influence customer behavior. For example, businesses can use pricing strategies to steer customers towards more profitable items. They can also use menu design elements, such as placement and color, to draw attention to high-margin items.
By implementing menu engineering effectively, restaurants and coffee shops can increase their profits, reduce food waste, and improve operational efficiency. This can lead to a more successful and sustainable business.
Contact Stryker Consultants today to learn more about how we can help you improve your profits through menu engineering.