|
|
|||
|
|||
Many restaurant owners wait until the last minute to get their takeout menus designed, setup and printed before opening a new establishment. Your takeout menu needs care, understanding and the respect they deserve. New customers will look at a menu and make a decision to try your restaurant or not for three seconds or less. Your menu is your first real low cost advertisement to the public and you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Don’t blow it. The following tips will guide you to your first successful low cost takeout menu.
Put Vital Info on Your Menu Cover
The cover is the most neglected area on takeout menus. Always add all your vital information on the cover. Many times owners neglect to do this. You should have your full business name, address with city, state and zip code, phone and fax numbers with area codes, website address written as www.yourcompany.com (no need for “http” ), your hours of operation, delivery, pick-up, eat in or takeout. If you have room, add a small local map. Do not limit your establishment to one zip code. People will travel far if they like your food, so make it easy for them to find you. With today’s advances in technology you must be prepared. Have this contact information on the cover of your takeout menu so it is available to your existing and potential customers.
Lunch, Dinner, Catering on One Menu.
Yes, one large takeout menu should have everything you offer on it. Having three separate menus confuses customers and costs you a lot more. Think about it, your customer that comes for lunch everyday might not know that you offer catering. Your Saturday dinner customers might not know that you offer a Monday lunch special. It is much cheaper to print an 11x17 size menu with everything on it than three smaller separate menus. For example your menu can be setup as follows:
Lunch Dinner 1/2 tray Full tray
Eggplant $4.95 $6.95 $18.95 $29.95
Chicken Cutlet $5.95 $7.95 $19.95 $39.95
Veal Cutlet $6.95 $8.95 $22.95 $49.95
By putting all options in front of your customers your sales will increase.
Keep Your Prices in Check
Price structure is very important; keep them consistent throughout your entire menu. Ending your prices in a “9” or “5” gives the impression of lower prices. For example, use “$6.95” or “$6.99.” The new trend is to just have a whole number like “$7” or “ $7.5.” This is all up to your specific market and what you feel comfortable with. Choose one format and stick to it throughout your entire menu. Do not use oddball numbers like “$6.94” or “$7.71,” as this will just confuse the reader and it makes your menu look disorganized.
Let’s Make Some Profit
Your highest profit items should be in the first and last position of each section of your menu. This is where customers look first so let’s tempt them with the items you make the most money on. Place a box on your menu to list special events (i.e. wing night, lunch specials, entertainment etc.). Have your printer highlight any house specials that you want to sell (homemade mama’s meatballs with Sunday gravy, Aunt Mary’s lasagna ...). Put a section for healthier selections. Use words like grilled, baked, fit, light, heart healthy, broiled, steamed, sautéed…etc. Do not forget the kids. Kids want healthier choices today also. Add grilled chicken, baked fish nuggets and fruit cups to your kid’s section.
Two-Color vs Four-Color Menus
Two-color takeout menus are great for new places and a low cost way to get your name out there. You can print low minimums and have changes made often. When first opening you will need to have a “soft opening”. A soft opening gives you a chance to get your place in order and time to tweak your operations, prices and menu. After your first few weeks of busy days and nights you will know what works and what doesn’t. Make sure you get your two-color menus designed and printed professionally. Do not use home publishing programs or try to save by getting cheap photocopies. Today you can get a two-color menu printed professionally for less than a one-sided photo copy.
Four-color menus are not good for a new place. You need time for your soft opening and need to get your place in order. Menu items need to be added and taken off, prices need to be changed. After a few months in business, talk to your printer about upgrading to a full color menu. Four-color printing is a process and takes a little longer to do. Remember four-color menus should be custom designed for your establishment and printed on the best paper stock. Print low minimums of 5,000 or 10,000. You do not need 25,000 or 50,000 menus when you first open. For more tips on the printing process read “Printing101” located at www.pmq.com/mag/2005november-december/printing101.php
More Ways to Market Your Takeout Menu
“My Car is dirty and I’m hungry.” Car washes are a great way to promote your takeout menus. They average around 250-300 customers a day. Talk with the owner about having the guys who dry the cars leave your takeout menu in every car that gets a wash that day. You can also give discount coupons for a car wash to your customers. Your customers will appreciate this and come back because your menu will be placed in their car. If the car wash owner isn’t receptive at first, maybe offer to provide two or three pizzas for an employee day once a month.
1,000`s of Hangers and a Hole Puncher
Dry cleaners are also a high volume source of untapped customers. They work on a small profit margin so they have to do a lot of business. Speak with the owner about putting your menu on each hanger. Of course you should have your staff punch the holes for them. In turn you can get some sort of coupon to give to your customers. This really does work. Not all owners will do it, but if you target four or so dry cleaners and one says o.k., it’s much cheaper than doorhangers. You are also targeting affluent potential customers.
30-minute Oil Change? Let’s Eat
It never fails, customers always have to wait in dirty waiting rooms for an oil change, tune-up or basic car maintenance. This is an opportunity for you to draw in these hungry customers. Work out a deal to give a discount for your restaurant while their car is being worked on. In return you can give a discount to your customers for car maintenance.
If you work out deals and cross promoting incentives with car washes, dry cleaners, mechanics and a few more non-competitors, you can put all these discount coupons and fliers in a nice #10 envelope and give it to your customers with their check or place it in all your to-go bags. Give your takeout menus the respect they deserve.