Do you remember the last time you sat down at a restaurant and the waiter handed you a long menu? Unless you’ve been to that restaurant before and knew exactly what to order it was probably stressful to pick just one thing. Some menus are so long they look more like a grad student’s dissertation then a lunch menu.
Long Menus Are Harder To Understand
One of the biggest mistakes a restaurant can make is to put too many choices. Long menus lead to analysis paralysis. Diners have trouble deciding what they want to order. This makes them take longer to place their orders.
Restaurants with long menus that are hard to navigate are missing out on sales due to a lack of proper visual representation. When a menu is easy to read with clear images and descriptive language, customers order 16% more.
Aside for the unnecessary stress long menus induce in customers there are other problems with long menus.
Stretched Out Menus Lead To More Logistical Nightmares
Lengthy menus mean that restaurants need to stock more ingredients. The more I fresh ingredients you have the harder the logistics of running the kitchen becomes. It’s more tk keep track of, increases food costs and leads to more food waste if people don’t order certain meals off of the menu.
Logistically you need to find a place to store these ingredients. Keep track of additional inventory and order from more vendors more often.
How To Cut Down Your Menu Without Hurting Sales
Old fashioned restaurant owners usually meet the suggestion of cutting items off of their menu with fear. They worry that they could be missing out on a sale if someone wants one of their less popular items.
If you have a long menu you should look at your sales analytics from the past year and delete the lowest preforming bottom third of the menu.
On the other hand a menu that is too short will also hinder sales. If you don’t have enough variety it will be hard for people to find something they want to eat.
You Can Convert A Long Menu To Digital to Decrease Customer Confusion
If you have to have a long menu you can decrease customer confusion by utilizing a digital menu.
Digital menus when made properly use intuitive technology to make navigation easy for users. Think of how your iPhone stores tons of data. Despite the library’s worth of information in your phone, its design makes it easy to retrieve data easily. Simple to click apps, search boxes and voice search capacity make it easy to find contacts and email addresses.
The same can be said for a digital menu! Digital restaurant menus can be divided into categories that are accessed from a drop down menu. They also have search bars at the top that customers can use to filter out different ingredients.
It’s easy to get a QR code based digital menu by using a free QR code menu generator that will open up a simple pdf version of your menu.
While this option is good for contactless dining if you want a smart menu that’s going to make your customers lives easier you’ll need a smart menu.
So Much More Than A Menu
Digital menus are revolutionary for restaurants that have a customizable options. If you own a salad bar where people can build their own salads. Or a pizza shop in which people can choose their toppings. An easy-to-navigate digital menu is integral to ease of ordering.
Imagine this…
- You place your easy scan for menu QR code on the table and your customer walks in and opens the menu with their camera ap.
- Instantly, a beautiful photo of a pizza pops up with a button that says, “choose your custom options.”
- Another series of clickable images will come up that state a small personal pizza or a family size pie. Your customer can click on the size pie they want.
- Once they select, let’s say the small pie. The menu will move to a picture of eight custom toppings with the words that say, “click up to 3 toppings.”
- Your customer quickly clicks mushrooms, cheese and basil. The items highlight as they select.
- Once they’ve picked the max number, the menu will navigate to an order summary. Under the order summary the text will say, “Is this what you want to order?”
- Once they click yes the menu will take them to a payment portal where they can input their payment information solidifying the order.
Customers will have a clear picture of what the options are without having to ask a waiter. They also won’t crowd the register while trying to decide what they want.
Orderific Can Make You A Custom Digital Menu That Wont Leave Your Customer’s Head Spinning
Orderific can create a free digital menu for your restaurant with the navigation capabilities described above. And more! Click the link below to book a demo with one of our representatives.
Our educated specialists are available 24/7 and speak multiple languages. As our gift to you you can keep the bespoke menu we create for you for free. You can use it for the lifetime of your restaurant as our gift to you.
FAQs
How do menus influence customers?
Menus influence customers by shaping their dining choices through descriptions, pricing, and visual appeal, impacting their overall dining experience.
Why is menu content analysis important?
Menu content analysis is crucial for understanding customer preferences, pricing strategies, and profitability, helping restaurants optimize their offerings.
What is the menu analysis strategy?
Menu analysis strategy involves evaluating item popularity, cost margins, and customer feedback to make informed decisions about menu changes and pricing adjustments.
What are the disadvantages of long menu?
Long menus can overwhelm customers, slow down service, and increase food waste, as it becomes challenging for kitchens to maintain consistent quality across a wide variety of dishes.
How does the menu contribute to the establishment and influence the guest?
The menu contributes to the establishment by conveying its identity, influencing customer perception, and directly affecting sales and profitability through item selection and pricing.
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