With seating capacity reduced by social distancing guidelines, it’s going to be critical to make as much as you can from every seat and keep tables turning. Now is the time to take a hard look at your menu and make sure it’s optimised for profitability and operational simplicity.
Here are a few suggestions to ensure your menu is working in your favour:
Scale it back.
Focus on the items which represent 60-70 percent of your food revenue or look at your top ten selling items and consider scaling back the rest. Start with a temporary, short-term menu that’s profitable, easy to execute and requires less time and skill to produce.
Engineer your menu for profits.
Menu engineering is a process for improving the layout of your menu (paper or online) to focus attention on your most profitable, best-selling items.
Keep it seasonal.
When ingredients are in season, they’re usually less expensive because of the large supply. Focus on perishables like fresh vegetables when they’re least costly and manage your protein offerings according to the season.
If you buy it by the weight, sell it by the weight.
Take chicken wings, an item bought by the Kg. The weight of the dozen wings you offer is highly variable. This variability can dramatically raise your food costs if you’re not careful. One way to mitigate this is to sell products like this by the weight, if that’s how you buy them from your supplier.
Look for deals.
Finding discounts on ingredients is another way boost your profitability. Be proactive. Ask your sales reps and suppliers if they have anything on special. Do they offer contracts, bulk purchases, or guaranteed purchasing agreements that can lower your costs? What about their slow-moving inventory? If you’re doing a lot of volume, you may be able to negotiate special deals with your distributor and other suppliers.
Try combo pairings.
Use free goods you may receive from a bulk buy to incentivise the purchase of a more expensive menu items. For example, if you received some promotional wine as part of a deal you made for the bar, use those bottles to sell more steak entrées and raise your spend per table. “Buy a steak, get a ($10/half price/discounted) bottle of wine!” Be sure to remain in compliance with the liquor laws.
Make sure your menu is on at least one online ordering platform.
Online ordering is the new normal, with millions of people being introduced to it during the COVID-19 crisis. Having visibility online is a must.
Your menu is one of the most important marketing pieces your restaurant has. It’s also your road map to profitability. Make sure your menu is working as hard as it can to bring in revenue and keep customers coming back.
