TIPS TO CREATE MENUS THAT SELL!

One of the first steps to open a business in the food business (restaurants, bars, hamburger shops, snack bars, etc.) is to think and structure the menu. Also named list or letter, it is considered the soul of the enterprise. Therefore, it should be aligned with the concept of the brand, public and even the location. It is necessary to know the profile of people who live and circulate in that area to understand if your product will be accepted and if the prices are adequate. If it is an establishment within a hotel, these points must also be considered. Furthermore, it is very important to consider that one of the customer's first contacts with the company is through service and with the product is the menu.   

One of the principles used for the elaboration of menus, appeared in 1937, and was created by Pedro Escudeiro. In this planning, 4 laws are considered:  

• Law of Quantity concerns the amount of food which must be sufficient and must meet the basic needs of everyone, taking care that there are neither excesses nor restrictions.   
• Law of Quality refers to a diet which contains all the food groups and provides all the nutrients necessary for the body.   
• Law of Harmony, nutrients must be balanced   
• Law of Adequacy, food consumed must adapt to the body's needs, respecting the life cycles: childhood, adolescence, adult, elderly. 

 Of course, each style of food service has an identity and will present its dishes and drinks in the way that makes the most sense, but, in general, menus are composed of: • hors d'oeuvre, variety of bread or toast, sausages, raw or preserved vegetables. 

• Starters: salads or raw vegetables, soups.   

• Main dishes: can be divided by type of preparation: red meat, poultry, fish, pasta, risotto, sandwiches, omelets.   

• Desserts: include a variety of sweets typical of the restaurant and some traditional sweets, in addition to fruit.   

• Beverages: mineral water (sparkling or still) juices, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea.   

• Wine list: if it is aligned with the business. 

After adapting these points, it's time to structure what will be served. 

THINKING THE MENU : Quantity is not synonymous with quality!

Obviously, most people arrive at the restaurant hungry, and having to face a menu with 3 or 4 pages wastes time, energy and discourages decision-making, and that's everything a hungry person doesn't want. The frustration gets worse when he chooses something, and the waiter informs him that it is out of stock. 

This is one of the disadvantages of extensive menus. To produce all the dishes, you will need to:   

• · Keep many products in stock, 
• · Have a large team to perform different preparations at the same time, 
• · Have a larger space to accommodate these people, make and store the preparations. 

Menu: less is more: There are studies that indicate people tend to choose one of the first five products on the list, so the suggestion is to build a lean menu. It will be easier and faster for the customer to decide. It will optimize his time and that of the waiter, who will spend less time at the table giving suggestions and taking orders.   

One option is to have specific menus for different times of the year. In addition to taking advantage of the seasonality of some raw materials, there will be a variation for habitué customers. To structure this new menu, it is advisable to carry out an analysis and keep the favorite dishes, the ones that sell the most, the ones with the highest added value. This review also serves to understand what can be maintained and/or needs to be replaced on the menu. 

BE CAREFUL IN THE NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCTS: Take into to account the name and description of the dish - “House style steak”, for example, does not mean much. In this way, it is important to think of names that are easy to interpret and that must be supported by good descriptions. It is suggested that the description follows the model and style of the restaurant: 

•  In the popular ones, it can be little and direct, 
•  In casual, small and fast, 
•  In the formal ones, detailed about the preparation, ingredients and origin of the dish. 
•  Big 8 on the menu: Do you know what that means? Speaking of ingredients, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a list called the “Big 8” which are the priority allergens. That is, the ingredients that cause almost 90% of food allergies and that can cause severe reactions, even if consumed in small amounts. This group is composed of: Milk, Egg, Crustaceans, Fishes, Nuts, Peanut, Wheat, Soy. Therefore, it is recommended that, when used in the preparation of dishes, they are described in the menu. 

WANT A MENU THAT SELLS? FOLLOW THESE STEPS 

 When possible, include weight, measurements or quantities. The more information available, the less questions to the waiter and the more agility in the service. Use terms that sharpen the palate. Example: 

Prime cut of chicken marinated with fresh herbs, roasted at low temperature on a bed of vegetables to maintain its juiciness. It is served with potatoes with a crispy crust, finished in butter and rosemary. - This description is different from “Roasted chicken with potatoes.”  - Which activated your palate the most? 

 As previously mentioned, this must make sense for the business model in question. 

• Be careful with foreign or very regional expressions. Remember that clarity is very important. 
• Always review the material to avoid spelling errors, this devalues your business. 
• Take care of the images. If you can, hire a photographer or seek expert advice. 
• Avoid using photos taken from the internet, in addition to not representing your product, which can frustrate the customer, there is still the risk of being notified for improper use of image. 
• Even small establishments need to have well-structured material. 

Neurology on the menu? Check out these expert tips: Pedro Camargo, author of the largest number of books on neuromarketing in Latin America, suggests that the price should always be in small print, with fine font, without dollar signs and without numbers after the comma. According to the specialist in neuroscience and behavior, the information “12” is read by the brain differently from “R$12.00”. In this case, the first option is understood to be cheaper. Another very important issue mentioned by the author: unconsciously we repel everything that is dirty. This instinctive way of acting of the brain is a protection against illnesses. Therefore, never give a dirty, greasy, crumpled, torn or scratched menu to a customer. Reprint, if necessary, opt for good paper or other options that value this material, which is one of the communication vehicles for your restaurant or bar. 

The menu and the service of the waiters 

Coming this far, it is possible to consider that the menu, when well structured, is a great sales assistant for the waiter. Optimizes time, avoids returning to the table for clarification and, above all, customer frustration.   

An objective and efficient menu, added to the quick and quality service of the waiters, are the first steps to generate consumer satisfaction and a memorable experience with food. Thinking about this whole journey, Desbravador Software developed an app to further improve the service operation: the iPDV App. 

APP iPDV DESBRAVADOR :

It is a tool for placing orders, for use by waiters, which guarantees fast and assertive service. 

Its malleability makes it possible to configure it for different business models. 

It can be used in: 

• Restaurants. 
• Bars. 
• Burgers. 
• Snack bars. 
• And other establishments in the gastronomic sector. 

 And in the hospitality segment, in properties that have one or more points of sale in the same location: 

• Hotel chains. 
• Hotels of all sizes. 
• Hostels. 
• Inns. 
• Multi-properties. 

In these cases, it is possible to register more than one point of sale in the same establishment, for example: 

• Restaurants. 
• Bars. 
• Snack bar by the pool. 
• Convenience store. 
• Kiosks. 
• As well as room service. 

And for each of them, different Food and Drink options. 

The tool allows you to include different categories of customers, such as: If you are participating in an event on site, if you are a regular customer, employee, passerby, or guest, in the case of hotels, etc. In addition, it is possible to link these people to consumption cards, wristbands or QR Codes. These and other functionalities can be activated and configured through the establishment's management software or PMS (hotel management system). 

The iPDV app is fully integrated with these management systems.

This facilitates the organization, control and inclusion of all customer or guest consumption on a single platform. The administration of waiter services can also be carried out via a management system or PMS, as each professional accesses the app with an individual username and password. In addition to being a facility for the POS, it is a great work tool for the waiter and other teams. iPDV App - facilitates and speeds up the service of waiters and with an intuitive interface, the application is very practical to use. With a few clicks on the cell phone screen, the waiter will be able to: 

• View the map of tables. 
• Search for menu items and values through accessible menus. 
• Place orders, change quantities, include notes on each of the requested dishes or drinks. 
• Give suggestions and offer extra products. 
• Check the requested items and the total amount before sending them to the kitchen or bar. 
• Launch the order and start a new service. 
• Orders are instantly sent to the kitchen and registered in the hotel's management system or PMS.   

Do you want to speed up and organize the service? 

Facilitate the work of teams and have full control of your business operations and deliver unique experiences to customers? 

Request a free demo of iPDV app and learn about the facilities of other Desbravador systems and PMS. 

Take advantage of this opportunity! 

vendas@desbravador.com.br (49) 3321 0900