“If you hand someone a 20-page menu, is going to be overwhelmed. “We don’t want to overcomplicate the menu,” says Wright. Tony C’s, a baseball-themed fast-casual restaurant named after Red Sox great Tony Conigliaro, offers patrons a simple one-page menu with food on the front and drinks on the back. Wright stresses the importance of a simple, easy-to-read menu to make ordering as simple as possible for your patrons. Next, let's explore printed menu design ideas to help increase customer engagement and revenue. And the option to have both is still very much on the table. Whether a digital or printed menu is the right choice for your establishment, there are some design elements that remain the same. “Having a physical menu in front of a guest allows the server to connect with that guest and build a returning customer,” says Wright. Like social media, digital menus can be a potential distraction from the dining experience. In Wright's experience, the conversations that happen between a server and customer over a printed menu are the difference between a one-off transaction and building brand loyalty. Gordon Wright is the manager at Tony C’s, a fast-casual chain in the greater Boston area. While the move toward digital menus is accelerating, not all restaurateurs are convinced it’s headed in the right direction.
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They can even collect feedback through surveys. And the data collected from customers’ orders can give owners real-time information about the popularity of food items. In fact, half of fast-casual customers prefer to pay digitally to speed up the process.Īll of this technology takes the wait out of ordering and paying, allowing restaurants to turn over tables more quickly. Printed Menusīecause Gen Z customers (and for that matter, Millenials and Gen-Xers) are looking for the same kind of digital efficiency from their restaurants as they get from Amazon, interactive digital menus are popping up in establishments around the country.ĭigital displays in restaurants like McDonald’s and Panera allow patrons to order and pay for their food quickly and efficiently - no human interaction required needed.įast-casual restaurants like Uno’s have adopted digital menus at the table, and online delivery apps are also gaining popularity fast. Recommended Reading: Gen Z Is Coming to Your Office. They’re also less likely to drink socially.Īll of these departures from generations past should inform not only your menu design, but your choice of menu format: digital or paper. According to the Wall Street Journal, Gen Z is more budget-conscious than previous generations, having grown up during the Great Recession, and they are true digital natives. They eat out more than any other generation before them.īut the way they approach choosing and ordering food is also very different from their predecessors. Generation Z, those born between 1995 and the early 2000s, spent $78 million on eating out in 2016. Catering to their needs could be a lucrative decision for a variety of restaurants. Generation Z is growing up fast, and spending their money eating out.
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But have you considered the age of the people coming through your door? Of course, your location and the type of establishment you run will help determine the kinds of customers you attract. When coming up with restaurant menu ideas, whether creating one from scratch or revamping your existing menu, there are certain things to consider, namely audience, format, product presentation and placement, and pricing. But did you know that the humble restaurant menu can also be easiest way to increase your revenue?
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Your menu design determines how customers engage with your restaurant's offerings and discover your food. You know the menu is an integral part of the dining experience.