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menu template tips
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HOW TO CREATE MENU TEMPLATES THAT SKYROCKET PROFITS

When it comes to creating a menu template, there are 13 fundamental aspects of menu design that should be followed to maximize sales. So, sit back and prepare to discover the secrets behind menu engineering!

How to Increase Food Sales with Clever Menu Template Design 

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1. Use absurd attributes

 

The way an item is described in your menu template is directly connected to the way that item sells. For example, Hot Wings and the words "tender, tasty, and immersed a rich, savory sauce" or Prime Rib and the terms "marinated in fresh garlic and herbs, then slowly roasted to tantalizing perfection." 

 

By using powerful, taste provoking words, you will set the guests mind to imagine the flavors. This produces sales!

 

2. No $$$ Symbols 

 

The dollar symbol represents money. When removing the $$$, you pull the subconscious trigger that guests' minds will see and think of the cost. These minutiae changes within your restaurant menu template will go a long way if you are looking to place focus around your food and building value in its descriptions, quality, and flavor.

 

3. The .99 Game

 

Try changing a $20 meal into a 19.99 meal. This 1 penny difference is another trigger-point if you are looking to create value. If you are a higher-end restaurant, do not use this tactic. It will work against your image because your position is quality, not price. 

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4. Family style names and descriptions

 

Hit home and make it personal by using family-based words. Using words like grandma, homemade, and fresh in descriptions, you are connecting the items to long-ago memories of your grandma's cooking. This type of writing is highly effective when looking to create a significant demand for a specific item. 

 

5. Ethnic words to describe items

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Are you looking to transform your bland spaghetti and meatballs dish name into a signature, more authentic item? Go to google translate, and bam, there you go! "Spaghetti e polpette" That simple translation not only makes a name unique but brings an entirely new level of authenticity to your restaurant menus template. It takes a standard item and turns it into something fantastic sounding!

 

6. The power of brands

 

Have you been to a BBQ restaurant and found an item named Jack Daniels Whiskey Glazed BBQ Rubs? By incorporating an ingredients brand name into the descriptions or name, you associate the item to the brand's image. Another plus is if the guest likes that brand, they are more likely to order it!

 

7. Price Prioritizing

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By grouping several high-priced items, you are creating a pricing nest: an example; lobster. You have a $69, $52, and $36 item. Out of these three, $36 vs. $69 appears to be a much greater value. This menu template pricing strategy sets the scene for getting away with higher prices while still creating value in the guest's mind.

 

8. Bringing attention to items

 

Try adding boxes, icons, and arrows around critical items in your menu template to draw eyes to that item. Another tactic is to incorporate several professionally taken images of food that look incredible and loaded with flavor. Adding a section or box with an eye-catching header, "Chef's Special," also works well to highlight specific items.

   

9. Glasses of Wine

 

Believe it or not, people are cheap but don't like to appear cheap. Because of this, 73% of the time, guests will order the 2nd least costly glass of wine. Knowing this, restaurant owners will purposely add a substantial mark-up on this wine. 

 

10. Limit price examining 

 

When making pricing easy to find and always in the spot on a menu template, you are encouraging price shoppers. Consider removing the standard pricing column that is still listed on the right. 

 

Another tactic is to add the price at the end of each description. This indirectly forces the guests to read or scan over the descriptions before getting to the price.

 

11. Try exotic words  

 

Spice up your descriptions with one or two exciting words:

 

  • Tangy

  • Hot spicy

  • Infused citrus

  • Sauteed garlic 

  • Flaky crust

 

By using unusual yet original verbiage, you paint innovative items that inspire your taste buds' imagination.

 

12. Portions   

 

Salads and sandwiches are the two most typical items that offer half or full portions. You don't know exactly how big the serving is, but the concept of half and full gives you a general idea. The half portion is marked up more to position the full portion as a more excellent value from a pricing perspective. 

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13. First items method

 

According to studies, guests tend to order the first item listed in a menu template category 1 out of 5 times. By listing your highest margin item first, you will increase your odds of maximizing your profits.

 

Conclusion

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It's simple. Position your menu template for success. Augment your sales by using these 13 tactics. It may take more time when, but in the long run, it is well worth it!

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