MenuWorks Blog
Menu Update: The Increasing Popularity of Plant Based Foods
Plant based foods are everywhere these days. Naturally appealing to non-carnivores, even meat eaters are digging in, trying something different and discovering new alternatives that taste good. Are you ready to offer tasty plant based options at your restaurant and get in on this growing trend? Let’s take a look at some interesting stats, see what restaurants have been serving alternatives, and explore this burgeoning market.
Keep On Top of Rising Restaurant Costs
It’s no longer news that supply chain issues are raising the price of many products and ingredients restaurants use and that employee salaries are also contributing to increased costs. The good news is that restaurants can and should effectively address this -- the sooner, the better.
Now’s the time to mitigate rising food costs, and this doesn’t mean drastic changes. Whatever the new normal is in your area, consumers are adjusting to and accepting the fact that some things they like, want or need will just cost more. So, it’s perfectly fine to review your costs and make much needed updates to your menus to cover increased expenses. If you’ve taken a wait and see attitude and put off pricing updates, odds are you’re missing out covering your increased expenses, so updating your menus should be done as soon as possible.
‘Tis the Season to Boost Sales with Restaurant To-Go Holiday Meals
The holidays have always been a great time for restaurant owners to plan a seasonal array of enticing meals for their patrons. In addition to filling tables with holiday reservations, with a little advance planning, restaurants can develop another revenue stream by featuring to-go holiday meals. These days, it’s more relevant -- and profitable -- than ever to focus on to-go holiday selections, promoting them in advance for maximum exposure.
With more families and individuals staying home for the holidays and hosting gatherings of their own, to-go meals offer them a highly appealing, stress-free way to celebrate with family and friends. Delicious to-go offerings from your establishment are the perfect option for those planning at home fêtes. And, it’s the time of year that consumers are willing to pay more for convenience and special menu items.
Leveraging Gift Cards to Increase Your Business
Gift cards are a valuable tool for restaurants of all types and sizes. They are the go-to gift item for patrons who recognize that gifting with a card is an easy, efficient way to please everyone on their gift list for a variety of holidays and special occasions. They are also a sign of loyalty when your customers choose to give your gift cards to family, friends, and co-workers and serve as a recommendation of your establishment when gifted to others.
LTOs Add Urgency, Excitement, & Help Boost Profits
With increased costs due to supply chain shortages and higher staff wages, Limited Time Offers (LTOs) make more sense than ever, benefiting restaurants of all sizes.
To avoid raising prices on expensive menu items not consistently ordered, LTOs enable you to increase revenue by offering pricier dishes on a revolving basis. LTOs can boost profits by creating excitement with time-sensitive offers on special dishes patrons are willing to spend more on. They also attract new customers and reward current patrons through special promotions and/or discounts.
Outdoor Dining Tips to Maximize Capacity, Comfort & Confidence
Fall is in the air and that means that more people will be looking to enjoy their meals outdoors while taking in some fresh air. Now more than ever, outdoor dining is an important way to help keep business moving forward. It’s essential to provide your patrons with a safe and pleasant atmosphere with measures in place that follow up-to-date Covid-19 guidelines for dining al fresco in your city or state.
Are QR Codes Alienating Some of Your Best Customers?
The Covid-19 pandemic gave a huge boost to the use of QR codes for all types of businesses, especially restaurants shelving their repeat-use menus and encouraging contactless ordering. Now that things are shifting back to normal all across the United States, it’s time to review the pitfalls and rethink using QR technology.
Originally utilized by manufacturers to convey detailed information in lieu of a barcode, QR codes make a lot of sense in industrial applications. However, used on a consumer level, some businesses failed to factor in the user experience, moreover, what types of people would not use a QR code for daily exchanges, such as ordering from a menu.
What’s on Your Menu? Why Microban® Makes a Difference.
As more and more companies are offering antimicrobial treatments on their products, far and above other antimicrobials on the market, Microban® is a name that resonates with consumers. Beyond its wide-reaching promotion online and in the media, it has top name recognition in addition to truly being a high performing antimicrobial built on necessity, quality, and product integrity. More and more businesses are incorporating Microban® into thousands of items used every day by people around the world. From doorknobs to luggage to household appliances, computer keyboards, mattress covers, and of course, menus, Microban® is on the job, protecting frequently touched surfaces by combatting bacterial growth that can cause stains and odors. Microban® is recognized and included in products by well-known brands including Whirlpool, Samsonite, Conair, GE Appliances, and more.
Restaurants:
Maximize Sales with User-Friendly Meal Kits
With companies like Home Chef, HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and more stirring up the home meal kit sector over the last several years, there’s been a consumer shift in preparing home cooked meals with pre-sourced recipes and ingredients. In addition to a positive do-it-yourself feel, meal kits save time from a shopping perspective, provide easy-to-make tasty dishes, and have definitely appealed to those staying close to home during the pandemic. The latter has been a real driver for restaurants to shift to this space and over the past year, chain restaurant brands have led the way in crafting DIY meal kits and family meal bundles (i.e., feeding 4-6 people) for customers to enjoy at home.
Restaurants:
Take Steps to Increase Customer Confidence
As restaurants reopen, expand capacity, and look to increase profitability as they weather the pandemic, measures must be taken to instill the confidence of patrons. While diners have always had a choice of where to spend their dollars, the competition heats up in the still-evolving new normal. Now is the time to gain your customers’ confidence which means alerting them to all you are doing to implement and maintain safety protocols at your location(s).
Restaurant Marketing 101:
Promotion Essentials
Marketing has always been important to the growth and survival of restaurants, from single mom and pop establishments to chains, but now more than ever, promoting your business is essential as U.S. consumers and businesses have adapted to a new way of life. Regardless of your restaurant’s current restrictions, it’s important to get your message out there – that you’re open, implementing new procedures, and fully prepared to meet the needs of hungry customers dining at your location or taking out. And, in doing so, it’s vital to not overlook some very basic marketing elements.
Menu Checklist:
Menu Must-Haves for Success
Simply having a menu versus having a menu that is both appealing and works for your establishment are two very different things. Below, we briefly summarize the essentials for create a winning menu; one that engages your customers and helps bring in more dollars to your business.
Can't afford to update your menu?
You can't afford not to!
Updating the pricing on your restaurant menu is one of the quickest and easiest ways to increase your revenue. A modest increase of 5-7% will make a huge difference in your annual profits.
¿Que no puede actualizar su menú?
¡Lo que no puede es dejar de hacerlo!
Actualizar los precios del menú de su restaurante es una de las formas más fáciles y rápidas de aumentar sus ingresos. Un pequeño aumento del 5-7% en los precios produce una diferencia grande en sus ganancias anuales.
Ways to Maintain Business as COVID-19 Threatens the Public & Restaurant Cash Flow
We are all experiencing the effects of the pandemic in a variety of ways. First and foremost, our concern must focus on remaining healthy and taking every precaution to avoid falling ill. Panic is a normal human response but it gets us nowhere. So please follow your local and national authorities as they issue measures such as hand-washing, hand sanitizing, cleaning frequently used items around the home, and self-distancing. And, should you fall ill, self-quarantine and seek the appropriate help from an ER, tele-doctor, or by contacting your doctor’s office for assistance.
The Dish On Laminated Menus: Attractive, Durable & Cost-Effective
Throw on a coat! No, we’re not talking about chilly temps. We’re focusing on laminating restaurant menus for eye-catching and extended use. Lamination really pays off when you consider the cost of replacing your menus over time, so, let’s see what’s cooking when it comes to this cost-effective option...
Food For Thought: New Menus Pay for Themselves
To stay in step with rising food costs, restaurant owners must keep on top of the numbers and update their establishment’s pricing. And, yes, reprinting the menu does cost money – but NOT doing so costs restaurant businesses far more.
When it comes to updating menus, many restaurant owners often hesitate, or worse still, do nothing at all. They will coast along and update their menus every few years, thinking this spares them the expense of new ones, without reflecting their actual food cost increases in the gap that transpires. When they finally do redo their menu, it often includes significant increases based on food costs that have mounted up over the extended period of time. This results in big price bumps that their customers most certainly notice. These larger increases can really backfire, especially if a restaurant’s competitors have been incrementally -- and less noticeably -- raising their prices all along.
Menu Photos That Look Good Enough to Eat
Enticing menu photos are a great way to gain your customers’ interest and influence their orders. By following some simple rules when planning and shooting your selections, you can achieve images that will engage and retain your restaurant’s customers. To help with your shoot, we’ve compiled a list of simple tips for picture-perfect menu photos.
Once They Nibble, Keep Them Biting: The Delicious Taste of Successful Restaurant Customer Loyalty Programs
Anyone in the restaurant business knows (or should know!) that customer loyalty is crucial in today’s competitive market. With the economy playing a role in consumer spending, it’s important to have an edge. At MenuWorks, we specialize in creating memorable and successful customer loyalty cards for small restaurants to large chains to help keep seats filled and customers happy.
The Dirty Truth About Menus
"Menus are among the most unsanitary surfaces in a restaurant. The bacteria count on menus can be as high as 185,000 per square centimeter – far more than found on a toilet seat, according to a study published by Cleaning & Maintenance Management in 2014.
Upwards of 95% of people fail to properly wash their hands after restroom use, according to statistics. That makes handling a restaurant menu before eating a health gamble." (Staff, 2013)
Employee retention: What’s the cost?
Employee retention is important to any company, but especially to restaurants. Many owners may not have considered the cost associated with training a new employee and how it impacts their bottom line. While someone is training the new hire, the trainer isn’t as efficient and the new hire is unproductive. New hires will make mistakes, and until they’re fully trained, won’t function as fast as your experienced staff. They may also be less likely to upsell your more profitable products to clients.