menu design and engineering techniques menu buzz · pdf filemenu design and engineering...

SYSCO Food Services of Cleveland, Inc.

SYSCO Food Services of Cleveland, Inc. 22801 Aurora Road Bedford Heights, Ohio 44146 216.587.0200

Menu Design And Engineering Techniques

Menu Buzz Words

Helping a customer rewrite a menu? The Hot Bytes newsletter says these five product descriptors will beespecially effective in 1998: fresh, organic, roasted, homemade, and “crusted”. The publication also predicts thatthis globe-spanning list of cuisines will have a big impact throughout foodservice this year: Greek/Turkish,Moroccan, Persian, equatorial Asian (Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese), Cuban, Brazilian, Med-Rim fusion andclassic American diner (chili, pot roast, macaroni and cheese).

Menu Facts

< Think pro-actively about menu - Don’t wait for your menu to be a problem< Your menu is your number one source for sales yet some restaurants don’t change menus for years< Avoid formula pricing - price each item for its own worth based on value perception (coffee is a great

example - if we priced coffee by the multiply by three formula, we would sell it for 12 cents!)< Your customers only take three minutes to scan your number one sales tool (your menu) so you must hit

them hard and fast< Use table tents to continue to sell after the menus have been taken away (especially effective for desserts

and drinks)< Shop your competition regularly< Talk to wait staff about pricing - get their opinion< Avoid odd ball pricing such as $4.32 or $3.63 - your customers will not perceive the difference between

$4.32 and 4.50 or $3.63 and 3.75< Use boxing techniques (increases order frequency by 27%), shadows (increases order frequency by 17%),

highlights, logos and the words special or new (increases order frequency by 15-20%)< Side dishes, appetizers, and desserts build check averages without the customer directly feeling as if they

are spending money - they have a lower price perception - but the profits really start to add up< Have separate dessert and beverage menu. Doing this doubles the sales in these highly profitable categories< Menu boards are very effective sales building tools. Letters should be at least 1" high and should be two

colors of text (recommended yellow and white on black background for highest visual impact). The boardshould change regularly at least every four weeks

< Use Brand identification to help impact sales and offset menu costs< Use buttons, wall hangings, table tents and tee shirts to support your menus sales efforts



APPETIZERSAPPETIZERS

CEVICHE white sea bass, shrimp and scallops 5.95 Highest Selection RateESCARGOT CASSEROLE with garlic and cream 4.50CLAMS cockles steamed with garlic and white wine 6.50SHRIMP traditional cocktail with homemade sauce 5.95OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL (6) 6.50

APPETIZERSAPPETIZERS

CEVICHE white sea bass, shrimp and scallops 5.95 Highest ProfitESCARGOT CASSEROLE with garlic and cream 4.50 Lowest ProfitCLAMS cockles steamed with garlic and white wine 6.50 SHRIMP traditional cocktail with homemade sauce 5.95OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL (6) 6.50 Highest Profit

Offer Constructive Ideas (Invest in Solutions)

The Rounding Strategy - to -open the doorSpecials Placement - highlighting GP winnersBoxing Technique - create a showcase effectSignature Icons - develop seasonal awarenessThe Shading Effect - menu engineering at its bestMenu Item Placement - the right place at the right timeMerchandising Low Cost - "Sides" new product introduction"Specials" and Dessert Menus - promoting signature itemsMenu Boards - the same concepts with a different spinCreate Sample Menu Items - featuring SYSCO products, naturally



Menu Presentation

Menu / Service Style

1. Menu Presentation Hand menu to guest, do not set on table

2. Blackboards Correct spelling Block print at least 2" high List prices

3. Core Menu vs. Specials 10 - 1 ratio 3 changes per year 10 % - 20 % changes

4. Plate Presentation Techniques “Caring hands” Code meal to guest - clockwise ( don’t approach the table and ask “who gets the burger”)

5. Oral Presentations Script options such as: “Is this your first visit?” Or “Would you like a suggestion?” Describe specials Close with noting of table tents or special boards or any other note worthy menus



1999 Menu Trends

As we start a new year, most operators could use a crystal ball to spot trends. A profitable year'send often depends on knowing what's hot now, and what menu concepts are starting to heat up.Data from a recent IFMA -sponsored Forecast and Outlook management seminar highlights someimportant trends.

An NRA menu study reveals the growing importance of 'small bites' such as appetizers, ethnicentrees, kid food and the renewed vitality of vegetarian items.

While dominant new trends may indicate there's nothing totally new under the sun, there's alwaysroom for improvement on old favorites:

Updated Italian continues to grow in fast food, casual dining and upscale dinner house chains... Olive Gardens.Revitalized steak houses are also in high growth mode... Longhorn Steak House. Roasted chicken combines a healthy image with high consumer acceptance... Pollo Loco & Pudgies Food-to-go concepts are gaining in popularity, especially restaurant delivery and HMR - Home MealReplacements.

Be on the lookout for more "minis" and "maxis": Minis are high end, retail / prepared foodboutiques. They're full of gourmet products, baked goods, health drinks and specialty foods.Famous branded concept foods offered in kiosks at airports, sports arenas and the like can also beconsidered "minis."

Maxis are restaurant/entertainment complexes with appeal to special occasion diners. Included inthis category are supper clubs, gambling casinos, 'floating' restaurants and such crazes as 'medieval'dining.

As the two-income household remains the norm for most baby-boom families, demand is expectedto grow for convenience foods and services. Overall, the aging of the boomer generation should beviewed as a positive indicator for food-away-from home.



CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

How to Develop a Signature Concept

Remember: You should strive to provide unique features and personal touches which become identified with yourrestaurant's dining experience. Typically, this means offering special benefits and experiences which the guestcannot find at home because they require extensive time, specialized skills and/or equipment or they are costprohibitive.

FIRST: Evaluate Guest Dissatisfaction - What do guests complain about on a regular basis?

WHY GUESTS BECOME DISENCHANTED AND FREQUENT YOUR COMPETITION

1. Ashtrays with more than two butts in them 2. Salads which aren't chilled 3. Water glasses not automatically refilled 4. Hot food on cold plates or hot beverages in a cold cup 5. Hot or cold food at room temperature 6. Being placed on hold for longer than 30 seconds 7. Chipped dishes or glassware

8. Spotted or tarnished place service 9. Streaked glasses10. Menus or placemats with stains, tears or smudges11. Stale bread or rolls12. Insufficient menus for guests13. Unimaginative salad bars and buffets14. Waiting longer than three minutes for a drink order15. Food visible in the pick-up window waiting to be served16. Insufficient china, silver or glassware17. Crooked place settings on tables18. Less than perfect tabletop19. Dirty sugar bowls - lint or dust inside20. Greasy salt and pepper shakers - half empty salt and pepper shakers21. Dirty or sticky Ketchup bottles22. Running out of any item in the kitchen or the bar ANYTIME23. Service staff with an "attitude" problem24. Late starting time for banquets, receptions or coffee breaks25. Flat soft drinks26. Debris, bits of paper or food not IMMEDIATELY picked up27. Opening late or closing early contrary to posted hours28. Paying top dollar for food and beverage and not receiving it29. Ordering by the description of the dish and receiving something else30. Not being acknowledged with a smile, hello or eye contact immediately upon entering the restaurant



How to Develop a Signature Concept - Continued

31. Waiting in line while empty tables are visible32. Dirty, stained or torn booths, tables and chairs33. Breakfast guests who don't get free coffee if -they must wait or who are not offered coffee immediately upon being seated34. Luke warm coffee35. Dried out fruit garnish in the bar36. Slowly replenished buffet tables or salad bars37. Incomplete or poorly timed service of orders38. Asking "Who gets what?"39. Stained coffee cups40. Murky water in flower vases or wilted flowers41. Soiled, stained or torn table linen42. Wobbly tables and chairs43. Wiping tables with dirty, greasy rags44. Service staff who talk to the order pad and avoid eye contact45. Frozen desserts served too hard to eat46. Leaving the restaurant without being thanked47. Breakfast guests who cannot complete the meal in under ½ hour48. Sloppy, wet, stained or incorrect food checks49. Receiving beverage orders without something to snack on50. Hard butter51. Feeling "processed" rather than served52. Restaurant policies which intrude on guests enjoyment53. Seating smokers next to non-smokers54. Lighting too dim to read the menu55. Long dissertations on the restaurants specials56. Intrusive background music57. Messy or foul-smelling restrooms58. Unclear or nonexistent exterior and interior signage59. Manager's and staff who don't listen to guests60. Anything to make a guest feel wrong, stupid or clumsy



SECOND: Create Interesting and Creative Dining Concepts

1. Lemon in water glasses 2. Special china pattern 3. Fresh flower for garnishing desserts 4. Fresh flowers and plants in dining room 5. Special napkin fold 6. Etched glass throughout room 7. Fresh fruit juices 8. Hot herb bread 9. Variety of desserts10. Variety of teas11. Variety of European /foreign coffees12. Lemon wrap for fish items13. Fresh grated Parmesan cheese14. Fresh vegetables with entrees15. Bread sticks in a basket16. New, trendsetting or any well executed decor17. Pizza and pasta at reasonable prices18. Pasta bar concept19. Wine display and presentation20. Fruit display for breakfast or brunch21. Orange Juice machine22. Fresh fruit cup for breakfast garnish23. Reasonable prices24. Imaginative food presentation25. Chilled salad forks26. Salad carts27. Dessert carts28. Unique or signature food items29. Signature ornamentation /decor30. Gallery/display kitchen31. Home made soup32. Bacchus wine opener33. Fresh flowers for guests34. Original ethnic recipes35. Literary or historical footnotes



SALES DEVELOPMENT

MENU ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES

1. Plastic Jacket Display Format

KELCO INDUSTRIES (415) 483-7765

2. Rounding Strategy

$0.50 INCREMENTS

$0.95

3. Avoid "Formula Pricing"

NEW ITEM COST FOOD COST MENU COST

$2.20 33% $6.60



Effective Use of Rounding

Scallops Sausalito

Cost: $3.20

Food Cost Target: 33%

Formula Price Sell: $9.60

Rounding Price: $9.95

Incremental Profit: .35¢

Total Sales / Year: 10 / day = $3,650

Additional Profit:$1,277.00



ROUNDING STRATEGY

Menu items under $5.00

$0.25 INCREMENTS

$0.75

Menu items over $5.00

$0.50

INCREMENTS

$0.95



PERCENTAGE TARGET MYOPIA(PTM)

Menu ItemMenuPrice

ItemCost $

Gross Prof it

Cost%

Cheeseburger 4.50 1.57 2.93 35%

Tuna Sandwich 2.50 .65 1.90 26%

Reuben 4.50 1.44 3.06 32%

Turkey Club 4.75 1.85 2.90 39%

Danish Roll 3.50 1.15 2.35 33%

Vegetarian Pita 3.25 .95 2.30 29%

REMEMBER:

You take dollars to the bank, not percentages!



WHITE WINES

For greater ease in selection, our white wines are listed in order of dryness to sweetness

Sauvignon blanc Dry, medium bodied with a subtle, smokey flavor Obester 13.95Chardonnay Rich flavor, crisp and dry - an award winner San Martin 12.95French Colombard Crisp and dry - best in it's class Parduccl 10.95White Zinfandel Medium dry and fruity, from San Benito Mountains Enz 11 .9 5

Pinot Noir Blanc "Eye of the Swan" This highly unusual wine features a uniquecopper cast in the same shade as the eyes of a black swan in vintner August Sebastiani'saviary. Full bodied, dry, with a fruity nose. A unique white wine made from red PinotNoir grapes. 11 .95

Grey Riesling A full bodied, dry white wine, full of tradition Wente 10.95Gewurztraminer From the St. Inez Valley. Spicy and rich Firestone 12.95Chenic Blanc Tart and fruity, yet with a soft bouquet Mirassou 12.95Johannisberg Riesling Sweet and delicate, in the Moselle style J. Lohr 12.95

White Riesling From an award winning winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains comes this delicately sweet,flavorful and spicy Riesling. A limited bottling subject to availability. 12 . 9 5

Specials Placement - 15-20 % Increase in Sales

Asymmetrical positioning of the word "Special



Deep Fried Calamari

Delicious rings of Monterey Say Calamari,deep fried In our homemade bow batter.Served with tartar and cocktail sauces. 10.95Smoked Salmon Fettuccine

Delicious flakes of smoked salmoncombined with “al dente” fettuccinenoodles, cream and freshly grated Parmesancheese. 6.95

Baked Avocado and Shrimp Diablo

Two garden fresh avocado halves. brimmingwith mixture of bay shrimp, water chestnutsand green onions. topped with a richMornay sauce. sprinkled with grated Swissand Parmesan cheeses and baked on a badof rice. 12.50

"Boxing" Effect - Increases sales by 27 %

Page Positioning



On a THREE PAGE menu the prime position is the center. On a TWO PAGE menu the prime position is thecenter right. On a SINGLE PAGE menu the prime position is the center of the sheet. Note that on a three pagemenu the eye travels through the center three times.



Descriptions

****WORST

Narrative sentences:

Calamari Steak

Tender medallions of Monterey Bay Calamari, lightly breaded with our ownunique blend of seasonings, then grilled to a golden brown.

****BEST

Listing of ingredients

Baked Avocado & Shrimp Diablo

Avocado, bay shrimp, water chestnuts, green onions, grated Swiss and Parmesancheeses, Mornay sauce on rice.



Menu Item Selection Guidelines

Highest selection rate of menu items are the first and last items in a given category (i.e., appetizer, entrees, etc.)

Lowest selection rate of menu items are those placed in the middle of a category highest profit items should beplaced in the first or last position.

MENU ITEM SELECTION GUIDELINES

APPETIZERS

CEVICHE - White Sea Bass, Shrimp Scallops 5.95ESCARGOT CASSEROLE with Garlic Cream 4.50 HighestCLAMS - Cockles, Steamed with Garlic and Wine 6.50 SelectionSHRIMP - Traditional cocktail with Homemade Sauce 5.95 RateOYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL (6) 6.50

ENTREES

BLACKENED RED SNAPPER - Cajun Style 13.50 HighestWHITE SEA BASS -Grilled with Ginger/Lime Butter 13.95 ProfitTIGER PRAWNS - Sauteed with Lemon and Capers 14.95SWORDFISH PACIFICA - Stuffed with Shrimp and Crab 14.95 LowestCHICKEN BREAST CORDON BLEU - In the Traditional Style 13.95 ProfitSAND DABS MEUNIERE - Sauteed in Lemon and Butter 12.95DIJON SAUTE - Fresh Seafood in French Mustard Sauce 13.50 HighestFETTUCCINE - Artichoke Hearts and Three Cheeses 12.95 Profit



Sizing of Price Listing on Menu Copy

French Fried Mozzarella

Sticks of creamy Mozzarella lightly breaded and served with marinara sauce for dipping

3.95

French Fried Mozzarella

Sticks of creamy Mozzarella lightly breaded and served with marinara sauce for dipping. 3.95

Lower Price Perception

Higher Price Perception



Highlight Signature Items with an Icon Designation

Bay Shrimp QuicheBay shrimp, bacon, Swiss cheese, onions and fresh eggs in a light pastry shell, served with vegetables. 5.95 Fish and Chips A fillet of fresh cod or snapper deep fried in our popular beer batter, served with french fries. 6.95

English Sole DayacomasA marinated fillet of English sole, grilled dore' style, and topped with bay shrimp, tomatoes and green onions. 7.95

Calamari Steak & FriesA lightly breaded calamari steak, pan fried with garlic lemon butter, served with french fries. 8.95

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine Delicious flakes of smoked salmon combined with "al dente" fettuccine noodles, cream and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 6.95

Pacific Snapper RagoutA fresh fillet sauteed in white wine and butter with olives, tomatoes and capers. 8.95

Lunch Top Sirloin Freshly cut USDA choice, regular or teriyaki style, served with french fries. 8.95



10 strategies for Menu Make-oversMenu development is the single common denominator that every operator-chain, small independent ornoncommercial-faces on a regular basis. The good news for DSRs is that assisting operators in menu developmentcan help to improve account penetration. It shows that you are dedicated to helping the operator improve thebottom line, and it gives you an inside edge: you'll know what new products the operator is going to need, and why.

In fact, according to ID Magazine's 1997 DSR Survey, 88 percent of respondents said they consultatively help theircustomers plan and cost their menus. Seventy-eight percent said they provide menu merchandising assistance.But what exactly should you, as a DSR, do when your customers come to you with questions about how theycan improve their menu? How do you tactfully offer a customer creative and strategic ideas? What kind ofadvice will be most helpful? These 10guidelines will provide you with a structured, systematized approach to this challenging and some timescomplicated process. The strategies will help you help customers make the most of their new menus.

1. CONDUCT A BASIC DIAGNOSIS

Begin by looking at the menu itself. Pick a dozen menus at random from locations throughout the operation,and look them over for a simple spot check. Are they clean? in color? printed crisp and clear?Remember that a guest's perception of an operation is greatly influenced by the overall feel and look of a menu.From this first impression, a customer makes assumptions about the cleanliness of the kitchen, the basic qualityof the food and the overall commitment to sanitation by the operator.

Think of the assumptions would you make from your customer's menu if you were a patron. Would you want tokeep the menu? Is there anything unusual or creative about it? Is there something about the menu that wouldcause you to remember it? Suggested strategy: Create a short menu audit or checklist to help the operator ensure that the menus arealways in top form. Print it on your distributor company's letterhead for the customer to have as a referenceguide for the future.

2. USE THE MENU AS A MARKETING TOOL"Take-away" items about the restaurant and the style of its food and service are important elements of successfor most foodservice establishments. Encourage your customers to provide take-away menus for guests; they can be displayed in aspecial holder in the front of the house.

Think about it: The last connection the operator has with guests as they leave the restaurant is an opportunity togive some form of printed "prompt" or reminder to return. It costs three times as many marketing dollars moreto attract new guests to a restaurant as it does to bring an existing customer back. Placing something in theguests' hands before they leave is an absolute must for earning repeat business.

Suggested strategy: Help your customer develop a mini-menu in an attractive format. Develop something sounusual and creative that if the operator didn't give it away, customers would steal it!



3. REVIEW THE MENU ABSTRACT

A menu abstract is a spreadsheet listing all the items contained on the menu, and the number sold of each item. Thenumber of each item sold is then divided by the total number of all menu items sold. The resulting percentages makeup the menu item sales mix.

Periodically evaluate the abstract to determine which menu items make up less than 3 percent of the sales for anygiven

The art and science of menu analysis is an ongoing challenge. Here's how youcan help customers build a better menu

menu category (appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc.). Suggest eliminating these items from the menu and replacingthem with newer and more profitable items. After all, nobody's ordering them anyway.

Suggested strategy: Periodically bring back these menu items as nightly specials, or allow the kitchen to preparethe item for a VIP guest as a special request.

4. CREATE A COST / SELLING PRICE MATRIX

Using a spreadsheet format, help your customers prepare a listing of the costs of all menu items and their sellingprice points. Then, calculate and compare the gross profit generated by each menu item. Remember the 80/20 rule:80 percent of the profit comes from 20 percent of the menu items.

Once you have helped to determine which items offer the highest gross profit, look to see how they are listed onthe menu. Make sure they are prominently accented or highlighted in the body of the menu. Encourage the serversto draw attention to them at the time of ordering.

Suggested strategy: Use menu engineering tactics to help your customers reorganize their menus to sell more oftheir higher profit items.

5. CONDUCT A SERVER FOCUS GROUP

Operators are constantly trying to identify new menu items that their guests will like and order. But many operatorsrarely talk to people who have the most contact with the customer - the wait staff. Nobody knows a restaurant'smenu and clientele better than the servers. Servers can instantly tell which items on a menu should be eliminated oradded based on patron feedback.Suggested strategy: Create a special feedback form for servers displaying your company's logo. Lead a wait stafffocus group, and ask the servers for their input and suggestions. Ask them how they perceive customer responseto the menu items.



6. TALK TO THE KITCHEN STAFF

An excellent way to build your consultative selling skills is to become good at asking questions. And a great placeto start is in the kitchen with the line cooks. They understand product quality issues, appreciate product idiosyncrasies and havea feel for plate, presentation options. Instead of being product-specific and suggesting new product lines, try askingquestions. Spending time this waywill not only build your credibility at the account, but it also will give you new insights into the products you sell.

Suggested strategy: Like the server focus group, help your customers develop regular kitchen staff meetings toask for their input about the menu.

7. FIND THE "UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION"

Every menu should be built around three to five items that are exciting, unique and brandable. To select theseitems, ask the owner, servers and kitchen staff: In each menu category, which item would you want to serve tothe President of the United States?

Another technique is to poll the operation's guests and employees. Questions can range from which menu item oritems do they like the best, or if they could order (or sell) only one menu item, which would it be? Then, find outwhy. The descriptions you get can be useful in writing menu descriptions or server selling scripts.

Suggested strategy: Use the comments from guests or servers as testimonials to the menu and the restaurant.

8. KNOW THE COMPETITION

A big part of a DSR's value is market knowledge. Consultative DSRs should be good observers and should beable to present non-proprietary findings and opinions to their customers about the status of their competitors.

To help gauge how your customers stand up to the competition, develop an informal comparison of key menu items.Use the three "Ps"-price, portion and presentation-and see if your customers are the leaders in their market.

Read industry publications and visit the hot foodservice spots in your territory. See if your customers areincorporating the trends and concepts that make these operations successful.

Suggested strategy: Regularly present your customers with an update, a competitor's promotional piece or a tradearticle about similar concepts.

9. REGULARLY UPDATE THE MENU

Guests are funny: They always seem to want new menu items, but then they don't want new menu items. Followingthe "10 percent" rule-change 10 percent of your core menu items every 120 days-will keep a menu fresh and theguests coming back for more. For example, a 60-item menu should feature around six new items every fourmonths. Suggest that your customer tie the menu changes into the seasons, reflecting seasonal foods.



Specials should make up no more than 25 percent of the menu mix, and no more than three should be presented onany given day in any given category.

Suggested strategy: Help your customers develop these new items to keep the menu fresh and take advantage ofseasonal foods, thereby lowering food costs.

10. LET THE WORDS CREATE A PICTURE

Foodservice patrons generally spend no more than three minutes looking at menu selections, which means that 80percent of the material is not read. Wherever possible, eliminate unnecessary words from the menu. Creating morewhite space makes the body of the menu more appealing and user-friendly.

Vivid descriptions should be written about signature items with high gross profit margins. Draw the diner's attentionto items by using vivid descriptions that create a picture in the guest's mind. For example, if the Alaskan halibut is"line caught," then put that in the description. Crab cakes with "giant" pieces of lump meat will increase perceivedvalue of what can be a high-profit item.

Suggested strategy: Help your customers write detailed descriptions of items on their menu. Use active adjectivesthat describe the ingredients and promote their special attributes.



Menu AnalysisThe menu-undisputedly the most powerful tool an operator has for communicating the style, concept, and value ofa foodservice operation-is also the DSR's most valuable sales tool. While often overlooked or understudied in thesales process, menus offer reps an intimate look at a customer's business approach, pricing structure, preparationmethods, and basic inventory needs.

It seems obvious that preparing to call on new prospects should include detailed menu analysis. After all, how canyou call on new customers without first reviewing their menu to develop a sense of their needs? What may be lessobvious, however, is the importance of ongoing, regular menu analysis within existing accounts. Failing to do socheats you out of account penetration and cheats your customers out of the consultative services they want andexpect from their DSRs.

OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES Commercial foodservice operators typically design their menus with four primary goals in mind. The menushould:

1. Convey the spirit/personality of the operation and set a tone for the type of food and dining experience thecustomer can expect.2. Offer accurate, enticing descriptions of food and beverage items.3. List prices.4. Act as a sales tool that's graphically designed and worded to maximize orders for signature dishes and/or high-margin items that enhance the operation's profitability.

Whatever else operators do with their menus, no matter how much they vary in appearance and style, virtually allmenus should accomplish these basic goals. Woven between the lines of an operation's menu, however, is atremendous amount of useful data that's pure gold for DSRs. The trick is learning what to look for and developingsome systems for pulling it out.

Here are some basic steps to take for thorough, effective menu analysis. The process takes time and diligence, butit's more than worth the effort.

Skim for basics. Read through the sense of the preparation style, pricing, entire menu, item by item, to get a senseof the preparation style, pricing, level of quality, and basic food categories used.

Brainstorm Ingredients. Next, dissect the menu, making comprehensive lists of all products used. The ultimategoal is to match customer needs to the products you carry. That can't be done until you know exactly what thatcustomer buys. It may be more manage-able to divide the menu into sections. You might begin with appetizers, for example, and work your way thoughthe other major menu categories soups, salads, entrees, side dishes, condiments, desserts, beverages, etc.



Try to list the probable components of every menu item. If you're not sure how an item is prepared (e.g., fromscratch or not), ask the operator, cook, or chef If you still can't find out, visit the operation as a customer and try

to determine what products make up the dishes in question. Check cookbooks for similar/same items, and ask yourcompany's chef or specialists for help. If all else fails, discreetly check out the dumpster or recycling bin.

12 Ways To A Stuffed PotatoPrepared from scratch, a simple baked potato might use any or all of the following components. How many do you carry? How many are you selling? 1. Baking potatoes2. Grated cheese3. Sour cream4. Black olives5. Ground beef6. Taco seasoning7. Scallions8. Bacon9. Jalapeno peppers10. Chili11. Nacho cheese sauce12. Frozen baked potato shell

When you've finished compiling lists for each menu category, condense them into one master working list.(Note: When brainstorming, don't leave out what can be considered "hidden" ingredients such as spices, herbs,bases, oils and vinegars, and staples such as flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. Those can be high-volume repeatproducts once you get the order.)

Compare and contrast. Now dig out recent order guides for the customer and compare what you're already sellingthe account to your new master list of product needs. Do this sitting down, because you're likely to be shocked atthe number of items you're missing and the variety of opportunities you're faced with. Chances are you've never evendiscussed, much less made a pitch for, many of the products on your master list.

Go back for non-foods. The task is not finished until you've extended your analysis to non-food items. After you'vecreated a master food products list, go back and make a second list of all non-food items needed to prepare andserve each menu item. By carefullyreviewing, menus from an e&s perspective, you can get a sense of the customer's need for items such assandwich baskets and picks, takeout containers, coffee carafes, wine glasses and buckets, specialty glasswareindividual tea servers, melon ballers, saute pans, pizza pans and wheels, muffin tins, boning and carving knives,skewers, soup ladles, self-serve bar equipment, etc.

DON’T FORGET TO LOOK FOR E&S SALES, Too.



ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

0nce you've done initial menu analysis and taken a stab at increasing account penetration with the informationgathered, don't just file it away and forget about it. Menu analysis must be ongoing, and should be part of yourregular call planning activity to keep pace with menu changes, new products that might have come on the scene,or just to keep the account growing.

ES 12 Ways To Get E&S Into Your Customer's Lunch Special

Preparing and serving a soup 'n sandwich special is likely to require the following products. How many do you carry?How many are you selling?

1. Sandwich baskets 2. Sandwich picks3. Condiment cups4. Slicers5. Basket liners6. Bread knives7. Soup warmers8. Soup ladles9. Sandwich prep-line containers10. Soup cups and saucers11. Soup spoons12. Takeout packaging

If the last time you analyzed veteran accounts' menus was when you first got the business, you're probablydue for another round. Independent operators, in particular, change their menus frequently, adding seasonalitems or successful specials to the menu, or dropping slow movers. Unless you stay on top of such changesyou're sure to miss some new sales opportunities. What's more, staying current with customers' menus clearlydemonstrates that you take an interest in their operation beyond just dropping by for the same old order week inand week out. It tells them that you care about their business and take nothing for granted.

As your relationship with customers progresses from a strictly buyer-seller one into a consultant-businesspartnership, you'll have even more opportunity to put your menu-analysis skills to work. Once you've gainedconfidence and earned a customer's trust, you can then begin to offer appropriate menu and food-qualitysuggestions.For instance, if you feel that the customer is not buying the best product for a particular application, you mightsuggest an upgrade. You may have a customer buying a Midwestern cut green bean in a five-sieve extra standard,when the rest of the menu suggests that a Northwestern blue-lake four sieve, or even a fancy four-sieve blue lake,would be the more appropriate choice.

In the customer's best interest, you can suggest the change (even if he's buying the current product from you) andpoint out that the upgrade will cost only fractions of a cent per serving. If necessary, take your suggestion a stepfurther and offer to perform a can cutting so the operator can compare the two products side by side.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION



While careful menu analysis can reveal tremendous opportunities and ways to increase the number of productsyou're selling to any given account, be sure to use your new-found information judiciously.

Consider each customer's purchasing style and gear your approach accordingly. You may find that, when armed witha complete list of products used to prepare the menu, you can more effectively sell the prime-supplier system. Pointout that you carry virtually all of the products on the list(s) and follow up with a discussion of the benefits of usinga single-source supplier. It's likely that customers who you thought were aware of all you have to offer weren't.

Other customers may require a more low-pressure sell. At the end of an order session, when all of the customer'simmediate needs have been met, try asking about a single specific item you know he uses that you're not currentlyselling to him. Your approach might be something simple like, "How's your supply of deli meats? I know younormally buy from Joe's M eats, but we have a great new deli line, including some low-fat options that have beenreally popular with our other customers."

Or, you may have an item on special in which you can try to create interest. That can work for a particular product,as well as for an entire product category. Say, for instance, that your firm received a particularly beautiful shipmentof fresh strawberries, which you're featuring on special. The customer may normally buy from a specialized producedistributor, but might. be persuaded to try just the strawberries because of their exceptional quality and good prices.That one item can then lead to others, and, little by little, help to add strong produce sales to your regular order

Again , the idea is to match your products to your customer's needs. Armed with careful menu analysis, you'll havethe confidence to practice targeted, suggestive selling based on knowledge and understanding. The key is to createcustomer awareness of your capabilities and to build the order through gentle, insightful suggestive selling. You maystill get no for an answer, but by making such suggestions during every sales call, you're bound to connect sooneror later.



Mining The MenuYour customer already counts on the value and quality of the products you offer and looks to you for ideas andtechnical knowledge. You are already a consultant of sorts. Now is the time to aggressively shift your thinking upone more notch to become a full-time profitability consultant. This means offering customized solutions andtechnical product knowledge to your operator end-users to help them make more money.

Charles Revlon the founder of Revlon Cosmetics really said it best: "We don't sell cosmetics at Revlon. We sellhope." You as DSRs don't sell products, you sell solutions.

MENU FORMAT

When foodservice customers open a menu, they are looking at a direct form of retail advertising. As such, the menuhas the opportunity to influence them by the way it is designed.

How is the menu format best delivered? There are basically two concepts. One is the permanent version, which mostcommonly has a lamination effect.

A better solution, however, is the nonpermanent approach, usually presented in a plastic jacket format. This allowsinserts to be preprinted in volume and then adjusted and adapted whenever prices or items need to be changed onthe menu.

Today, the operator community needs to have a menu format that is flexible, adaptable, and versatile. Changes intrends and tastes occur almost overnight. Operators must be able to react to their customers' needs and desires-asexpressed through the menu-instantaneously.

SELLING VALUE PERCEPTION

Traditionally, operators price a menu following a simplistic approach that I call percentage target myopia, or PTM.This is a historical reliance on food cost percentage to determine menu price points. This method is extremelylimiting (nearsighted) and assumes standardized margins are the goal, when, in reality, the margin that can beattained is dependent on customer value perception, and, relatively speaking, there are no limits.

PTM is a bad habit that has been perpetuated by generation after generation of operators. The answer is: Forgetfood cost percent; concentrate on gross profit dollars. This is the heart and soul of the menu-consulting philosophy.For example, let's consider two desserts. There's a chocolate Amaretto cream pie, with a gross profit contributionof $3.41. And a New York cheesecake with a gross profit of $2.64. Now, tell your clients that when they talk totheir waiters and waitresses during a pre-shift briefing, they shouldn't tell them to sell desserts; they should tell themto sell chocolate Amaretto cream pie. The bottom line is that when items have similar price points, the one that hasthe highest gross profit contribution is the one your operator customers should want to create incentives for theirservice staff to sell. just think about all of your customers out there in the field that have similar items with identicalprice points, where just shifting the emphasis in selling towards the one of the two



items that has the most favorable gross profit contribution can have a dramatic impact on profits.

I call this comparison margin selling. Here's the rundown: An operator's got two items, and in the differencebetween those two gross profits he or she has over a hundred dollars a month in generated profit from just one itemby shifting only 25 percent of the sales from New York cheesecake to chocolate Amaretto cream pie. With a subtledifference on one item, you can help an operator generate an improvement of profitability of a hundred dollars amonth. Imagine being able to do that for one of your customers in the field and hand them a gift of a hundreddollars a month in profit just on the basis of that single observation!

There are all kinds of opportunities within an operation's product mix to promote those items with more favorablegross profit contributions - once the operator has the hard cost data gathered from the recipe costing process(which you can be instrumental in delivering).

Awareness of the power of gross profit contribution opens the door (or sets the table) to introduce value perceptionpricing, which is based upon the food service customers' expectations of value-for each individual price point-and,by definition, is market driven and demand - sensitive.

So how do you initiate value perception pricing? Well, first of all, don't allow your operator customers to makepricing decisions in a vacuum. Know the competition within a five-mile radius or ten - minute drive time of yourcustomer's location. You can bet that all potential customers do-they intuitively know the relation ship betweenprices and portions, food quality and plate presentations of all competitive restaurants in their particular area.

MENU ENGINEERING

Let's look now at the idea and the impact of strategic item placement. I call this menu engineering. And itessentially is the creative use of highlighting and design layout techniques to subtly influence selection behaviors.In other words, to sell the menu and the menu items you want your customer's guests to buy those offering themost favorable gross profit contributions for your customers, incorporating products that you know, as a DSR,offer you the most comparative gross profit contribution advantages as well.

Let's start with page positioning. Page positioning essentially looks at the path of the eye as it goes across the menu.Simply stated, the placement of items within a single two-panel, or three-panel menu format can have a great impacton the selection behaviors of certain items. Now this isn't going to be appropriate in every single situation, but ifyou understand that when a restaurant patron opens a menu, his or her eye starts to roll across the page followinga specific pattern, you can recommend and suggest certain layout techniques that would increase selection rates of menu items that offer higher gross profit contributions.

A good example of this is what I call specials placement. Just placing the war d Special in the left-h and marginasymmetrically next to two items will probably increase the sales of those two items by at least 20 percent.Remember, as their eyes roll across the page, that asymmetrical placement of the word Special tends to draw inpatrons' eyes and sales of that item automatically increase.

If you talk to the average customers when they walk out of the restaurant and ask, "By the way, did you notice theword Special in the left hand margin at an angle?" they'll probably say no. Reading a menu is a very subliminal



process.

Not all your customers are going to be influenced by these particular techniques. But you have to remember theaverage restaurant has anywhere from 150,000 to 250,000 guests opening up menus every year. So every time theyopen up a menu, if you can just influence 10 percent of those selection behaviors, you can help make a real impactin increasing profitability.

As a DSR, you should understand these menu-consulting techniques and hopefully reach a point where you're goingto look at every menu differently and start asking yourself these questions. The result can be specific discussionswith your operator customers on how you can partner up on the menu.The shading effect is another example of menu engineering. Notice the bottom right horizontal and right verticalin the example shown. That little shaded band along the bottom. and the right vertical of the I specials box tendsto create a three-dimensional effect. And that three-dimensional effect tends to lift the item off the page. Increasesin sales to be expected from this technique: 15 percent.

Again, does the food service customer have any sense about what's happening? Not at all.

THE GIFT

Here is a very practical tip you can use to "open up the door," particularly in cold-call situations. What you're tryingto establish is a point of differentiation, and if you can come in and dazzle an operator customer with one conceptthat ill allow him or her to see you in a different light-as a consultant-then you've accomplished what you set outto do. In short, you've instantly established your credibility. It's the first step in building a relationship.

The concept I'm referring to is called menu item placement. This again is a back-to-basics, common-sense approachthat essentially says that the first item in every categorical listing should be the one that has the highest gross profitcontribution, and the last item in every categorical listing should be the second-highest gross profit contributor. So,whichever is listed first (and last) should be your two highest profit contributors.

Now imagine sitting down with your customer and saying, "Let's do a quick gross profit analysis on all theseappetizers and find out which one has the highest gross profit contribution, because the highest gross profitcontribution should be the one listed first." If it isn't listed first, then take the initiative and do the arithmetic for yourcustomer. Then hand him a gift, Say, "I'm here to give you an $800 gift. And here's why. And here's how."

NEW TRENDS

Once you I ve started to build the foundation as a menu consultant, start to leverage your credibility towardpromoting new menu trends. For example, recommend separate dessert and beverage menus (see dessert andbeverage menus, this page). I'm a great believer that desserts and beverages should be separate "stand alone"experiences for the patron. This also gives the operator the opportunity to develop innovative, unique signatureitems, which can (and should) feature big gross profit items which (hopefully) you sell.



Another current trend is to merchandise and showcase signature starters through various table-tent promotions. Forexample, at my restaurant, I put together three signature appetizers using products collectively sourced through mydistributor. just putting a signature table tent on the table-creating a "reminder" at the point of purchase moved 15to 20 of these a day!

Menu consulting is a process-starting with teaching the proper pricing approach, assisting in appropriate layouttechniques to maximize selection of high gross profit items, dazzling your customer with an innovative techniqueor two to establish your credibility, and then creating new, exciting, evolutionary changes on menus throughadaptation of current trends. It works. And it will work for you.



Mastering Menu PsychologyAs a consultant, it's important for operator wants you to appreciate the fact that, for the most part, patrons don'tread menus. They scan them. Their eyes follow a relatively predictable path, meandering here and there, searchingfor some point of visual interest - a splash of Color, a different shape or image, or some unique pattern or texture.In fact, the average guest spends less than three minutes actually reading a menu and studying all the choices.

As a result, if the waiter or waitress can suggest an interesting special, it will sell extremely well-at least three tofour times more than regular menu items.

Beyond value perception, the reason for this is because the patron doesn't have to think, decide, or obsess aboutwhether he or she is in the mood for scallops or prime rib. The special offers a way out of having to make a decision.

In this way, the menu is really a hybrid between a 30-second television commercial and a magazine ad: It's developedand designed to catch the eye, project a signal or image to the subconscious brain, and then cause the reader (orviewer) to subconsciously process the data and often, without realizing it, make a decision or exhibit a spontaneousbehavior.

When customers open the menu, subconsciously their brains are operating in an overload mode. They're anxious,maybe even desperate, to find a point of stimulus as their eyes roll across the pages. As a result, the average patronis vulnerable to a variety of polished, well designed merchandising techniques that can cause them to select certainmenu items-items which offer more favorable profit margins than others. That is the objective: to manipulate, lead,and seduce the customer through the menu-to buy what the to sell (and what you want the operator to buy).

This may mean rethinking the way you sell center of the plate, because now it's not only the item that you are tryingto get the operator to buy (and sell to his or her customer), it's also the menu design, style, and format that you'vegot to take into account to manipulate those selection behaviors which cause customers to buy the items you wantthem to buy,

Consider that the average restaurant or foodservice facility will serve 150,000 customers per year at an averagecheck of $8.00 per person, resulting in annual sales of $1.2 million. Of course, many of your customers will behigher, and many will be lower, but for illustrative purposes, consider this simple model: Assume that, over thecourse of a full year, the menu will be opened approximately 150,000 times by a patron. Each time a customer willbe affected by the various design and merchandising features such as color, pattern, and graphic style, and make achoice.

Imagine if you could affect just 10 percent of the selection behaviors as expressed through the menu, resulting inthe choice of an item that has a $0.10 greater profit contribution than another item that may have been selected atrandom. By doing this, you would be able to hand your customer a gift of $1,500, which will instantly differentiateyou from your competition.



The average patron is looking for a way out of making, a decision.

Once you properly present this achievement in terms your operator customer can understand and assimilate, you'llfeel like you've won the lottery. Once you really understand how easy it is to use the menu as a strategic weaponto increase your customers' sales and profits, selling will become secondary, and consulting will become yourprimary focus.

Now that you have a better grasp of the underlying behaviors associated with menu psychology, let's convert thisthinking into a specific action plan that can guide your new consulting focus with your operator customer.

Let's start at the beginning, with the actual physical menu format itself and the way that operators present theirmenus.

LAMINATION VS. PLASTIC JACKET

For decades, operators have used the standard lamination technique as the format of choice for their menus. Thisapproach has been viewed as the most effective and economical way of keeping menus clean, as well as resistantto folds, tears, and other visible signs of wear. In other words, the conventional wisdom has been, keep your menussharp, crisp, and bright. A clean menu means a clean restaurant and reflects positively on the facility.

However, laminated menus are expensive. A typical two - page, 11 ½ by 14 inch version can easily cost $5.00 ormore. The benefit, obviously, is that the laminated menu lasts for three months or more before it needs to bereplaced. The high front end cost is usually offset to some degree by volume purchasing in lots of 500 or more,significantly reducing the cost of each menu.

But, the days of the laminated menu are gone, because the laminated menu fails to accommodate the most importantfeature of a successful menu: flexibility.

In the '90s, competition is fierce. Every chain or independent restaurant needs to respond quickly to changes inconsumer tastes and to accommodate market trends. Constant variations in the supply and price of raw foodproducts further complicate the equation, placing additional pressure on menu managers trying to offer new anddifferent core menu items as well as daily or weekly specials. Last, but not least, is the continuing dependence onapplying creativity, imagination, and innovation in the development of new menu items. This focus is at the forefrontof fast-growing chains and emerging independents. Everyone is madly searching for the newest food, spice, orgarnish that can attract new guests or help keep old one. In the mid '80s the plastic jacket was introduced as asolution. Here was a menu format perfectly suited to the adaptability sought by progressive operators: a clear plasticsleeve, stitched fabric borders, multiple sizes and, best of all, low cost (roughly half that of the conventionallaminated version). The best part was that the insert "shells" could be preprinted in volume to make colored bordersand headings affordable, while allowing instantaneous additions of new menu items, price changes, or deletions ofslow movers. Quick print shops sprung up on every street corner, with laser printing capability and manageableturnaround times. As a result, the operator was able to deliver a high - quality visual menu, with all the aestheticadvantages he or she became accustomed to with the laminated style, in matter of hours.



Plastic jackets are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and styles to satisfy a full range of full-serviceapplications, from the casual midscale café to the elegant white-tablecloth restaurant. This approach redefinesversatility in menu design and delivery, allowing frequent updating and refinement. But, most importantly, it projectsa sensitivity that will be the operators' call to action in theyears to come.

So, why don't all of your operator customers embrace this superior menu technology? There are a number ofreasons. First is laziness. Lay in a huge supply of laminated menus, and presto-no more thinking required. Secondis durability. The laminated finish requires minimum maintenance - except periodic cleaning and simplifies the menuhandling regimen. Last is the perception that there are cost savings from the standpoint of life expectancy.

In the final analysis, successful operators should have a menu jacket which is fresh - looks new and inviting - andprojects an image of a menu repertoire which is exciting, fun, adventurous, and, most of all, delivered with care andlove.

Like so many parts of the restaurant business, there is more to the menu than simply the cover. And you, as a newlycertified consultant, are uniquely qualified and positioned to impact the process, from the outset. Help yourcustomers shape and mold their restaurants' images and food styles through the menu format used.

If you don't sell menu covers, at least investigate menu cover manufacturers and be prepared to make the call foryour operator/customer to initiate the sending of a sample menu kit.



Merchandise menu signaturesPatrons oftentimes go to a restaurant specifically for a signature menu item. Help your customersmerchandise their specialty.

Creating and selling a signature menu item must be approached as a systematized, structured discipline. It's really a new-product introduction, as this item is new to the patrons who have not yet tried it. Your success as a consultative salespersonand "partner in profitability" with an operator / customer will ultimately depend on providing the support and expertisenecessary to guide this process.

The best way to do so is to help the customer define and promote the operation's Unique Selling Proposition (USP). A USPis a catchy phrase that describes a signature menu item or house specialty. It is the building block of the operation's reputationfor topnotch food. When a USP is properly marketed, patrons go to the restaurant because of it; the item may be bigger inreputation than the restaurant itself.

Here are 10 points of opportunity when an operator is in the perfect position to promote its signature menu item.

1. PHONE TIME: USE IT CREATIVELY

For many patrons, initial contact with a restaurant is through the telephone. Imagine how many calls this is for a foodserviceoperation that has 100,000 customer visits per year.If only 20 percent of those visits were preceded by a telephone call-for restaurant hours, reservations, etc.there will be 20,000opportunities to create an impression that will help shape the patrons' overall opinion of the operation.

Here's an example: "Good evening, Red Rock Grill, home of the Texas Ribeye. How can I serve you?" There's no need tofollow an extended telephone greeting script; rather a simple greeting that puts the signature menu item in their mind will do.

2. MAIN ENTRANCE: FEATURE POSITIVE SIGNAGE

The 18-inch-by-24-inch rectangle of space, directly above the door handle, is the most frequently seen surface in any restaurant.Take a look at the operation from the patrons' point of view. Their first impression should not be a negative one-such as a signreading "No shirt, no shoes, no service."

Instead, suggest placing in that space a beautiful color photograph of the signature item with all the trimmings. You canobtain this type of food photography from a manufacturer or commodity board. Sourcing such an advertising boost is theDSR's job. After all, you're helping to promote the item.

3. LOBBY / RECEPTION AREA: BE DECORATIVE

Here is the opportunity for merchandising collateral and material - standup displays, food arrangements and signage of allkinds. The trick is to keep it appropriate to the style of the operation and to avoid clutter.

Food manufacturers can help here, too. In the case of the signature Texas Ribeye steak, for example, suggest a display on ornear the host/hostess stand, showing a branding iron, barbed wire, Indian cloth and photo of the plated dish ensconced in themiddle.



4. HOSTS/ HOSTESSES: INTRODUCE & ENCOURAGE

As guests are greeted with a professional, prescripted welcome to the operation, and the host or hostess leads the party to itstable, there is a 12-18 second opportunity for small talk. Instead of asking a mindless question, encourage the wait staff topromote the signature item, such as: "We're really proud of our seafood gumbo. You know, it's famous throughout the entiresoutheast!"

This direct line of communication can have a dramatic impact on guests. In this window of time the guest is hungry, has awonderful sense of anticipation about the meal to follow and is open to recommendations.

5. TABLETOP P.O.P.: POINT OF - PERCEPTION POWER

To set the stage for impulse buying suggest table of contents and other point-of-sale materials that feature beautiful, colorimages of the signature item. The quality and irresistibility of the photograph, presented simply with a minimum of clutter, isimportant. Overly commercial table tent-type prompts are frequently a turn-off, although they are margin ally effective. Thekey to effective point-of-perception tabletop merchandising is ingenuity and clarity in the visual message.

Original creations, like a photograph of a wagon load of fresh blueberries being harvested to promote freshly baked blueberrypie, or a bottle of a restaurant's own recipe of mustard sauce with a recipe dangler attached, work well and drive sales of thesignature menu item or cooking style by reinforcing the USP.

6. WAITERS / WAITRESSES: AN IN-HOUSE FOCUS GROUP

The initial approach by the server or counter person provides another opportunity for introducing the signature item or cookingstyle. Of course, but tons and apron decorations are easy if the operation is a family-style casual dining menu. But a personaltouch is always best.

A simple, "non-sell" recommendation is always appropriate in a table service setting. Guests love to hear personal testimonials,as well. For example, encourage the wait staff to offer their positive opinion of the signature menu item as the patrons lookover the menu. Saying something simple, such as ". . . by the way, if you want to try something wonderful, our Texas Ribeyeis a classic. It's my favorite item on the menu," can do wonders for sales.

You are helping to introduce a new item to the patron base. Approach this task in a systematizedmanner.

7. COMPLEMENTARY ITEMS:

Think about the “pairing” of the targeted signature item with other complementary items - such as a slice ofblueberry pie with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. The possibilities are limitless; the operator will enhance theflavor and enjoyment of the signature item while simultaneously building check averages and flow-through profit.

8. FREE STANDING INSERTS: SPREAD THE WORD

A freestanding insert is a stand alone flyer or "cut sheet" which offers the entire story of the signature item and itsUSP. It usually features a color photo of the finished item, ready to serve. Background information about therestaurant is also important, with a history of the chef, owner or the building-particularly if there is a unique story.



The key to successful flyers is creativity and multiple applications. They can be distributed via direct mail or insertedinto newspapers for a minimal cost. Newspaper insert applications are particularly effective when the cut sheet "freefalls" when the newspaper is opened by the recipient; the piece will not get lost on a page and will have its ownidentity. You can also target delivery zones for the publication, so the operator can bit the neighborhood market.

9. PRESS RELEASES: GENERATE FREE PUBLICITY

Developing and selling a signature item as part of an overall USP is a direct marketing activity. In this regard,operators are often ill-suited to orchestrate the exposure to the item and the restaurant to the local neighborhoodmarketplace.

Once the cut sheet is developed and refined into an eye-catching piece of marketing collateral, develop it into aformal press release. Create a simple one-page press release, with a catchy headline, delivered with style and fun.

Once written, distribute it to the dozens of small papers, magazines and newsletters ever on the lookout forsomething different and interesting. Invite them to dinner to preview the signature item being promoted and allowthem the latitude to put a creative twist on your release.

They become part of the team in rolling out the public awareness campaign about this wonderful menu item throughyour customer's USP.

10. GUESTS: COMMENT CARDS WORK WONDERS

Once the signature item is fully exposed and aggressively promoted, quality control disciplines must be applied.Fortunately, these are really marketing opportunities within the four walls of the establishment.

At the time the check is presented, give a 3 -inch-by- 6 -inch comment card to every person who ordered thesignature item. The server should make a direct request to the patron to fill out the card and give the operator directfeedback. Include questions as to how the item tasted, would they recommend it and did it meet their expectations.

A question like, "Is there anything that you didn't like about the dish", can deliver the operator precious informationand allow you and the chef to reinvent the signature item to better fit the tastes of the market.



Casual Dining Still Growing Strong

MenuCategory

# ofItemsAdded

Sandwiches 74

Appetizers 34

Salads 33

Meat Entrees 32

Desserts 30

PoultryEntrees

25

SeafoodEntrees

24

Other Entrees 16

Side Dishes 10

Kid's Meals 9

Healthy 6

Other 5

Breakfast 1

Total 299

It takes both style and substance to succeed in today's casual dining market, where the only thing growing fasterthan patron demand is the number of seats operators have to fill.

For style, the sky's the limit. New entrants know they must differentiate their operations by going above and beyondthe basic meal experience. Collectively, mega-buck eatertainment places, beer pubs featuring made-on site-beer, andspin-off ventures from a constellation of celebrity chefs have created spiraling expectations among patrons aboutwhat their casual dining experience should be.

Even where the ambiance is meant to serve as a casual operation's true signature-take the Harley-Davidson Café,for example-the food is much more than an afterthought. Operators now buy better ingredients, buy more of themfresh and pay the kind of salaries that attract well-trained culinary talent.

During the first six months of 1997,the 29 casual chain restaurants tracked byWheaton, Ill.- based Chain Account MenuSurvey, Inc., placed an average of 10 newmenu



Success also requires a keen sense of pricing dynamics. In fact, the price column of the menu is the first place aconsultative DSR's eyes should go when calling on a casual restaurant account. Patrons expect a lot for a little in this segment, and operators face a never-ending challenge in trying to deliver it.

Lately, this has seen the development of a two-tiered pricing strategy in casual dining. Entree prices are bargains.Yet appetizers, desserts, sandwiches, sides and beverages are given more aggressive markups. One lesson that canbe learned from the successful operators in this segment today: it is better to concentrate on increasing the grossprofit percentage of the average check than to focus solely on increasing the gross amount of the average check..

DEVELOPING A BULLETPROOF CONCEPT

This is the strategy in place at Bahama Breeze, the Caribbean-themed venture of casual restaurant kingpin, DardenRestaurants. The company, which operates two of casual dining's longest-running concepts-Red Lobster (713 units)and the Olive Garden (487 units)struck out in its attempt to create a Chinese casual dining chain with its ChinaCoast experiment. Given Darden's casual restaurant segment expertise, it's worth looking at what it came up withwhen given a clean slate to design Bahama Breeze.

An eclectic mix of foods and flavors propels growth in this dynamic segment.

For one thing, entree prices are moderate. Only eight of 18 Bahama Breeze main courses-an eclectic collection thatfeatures barbecued ribs, jerk-seasoned meats, plus pastas and a few other dishes not exactly native to the WestIndies--cost more than $10. The tab for the most expensive of the five varieties of wood-fired pizzas is $6.95, andonly one of the 11 sandwich combos costs more than $7. Yet most of the 15 appetizers fall into the $5-$7 range.Soups, salads, beverages and desserts also have price points that deliver juicy profit margins.

Whether a customer decides to spend a lot or a little, he or she will get high-quality food. Everything at BahamaBreeze comes in fresh (except shrimp, which is purchased frozen) and is prepared from scratch and to order. Acommitment to the "big flavors" school of cooking is evident throughout the menu.

Darden knows from long experience that generating return traffic is the name of the game in casual dining, andthey're betting this approach will work. If the two-hour wait to get a seat in the flagship Orlando unit on a recentweekday evening was any indication, it's got a shot.

CASHING IN ON STAR POWER

Chicago-based Technomic, Inc. pegs overall 1996 casual dining growth at 14.1 percent, and some of the biggestnames in cooking have reached the conclusion that the white tablecloth market is where you make your reputationand the more affordable casual segment is where you cash in on it.

As an example, consider the de facto "restaurant row" inside the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. Here, just stepsaway from the quarter slots and the $5 craps tables, are casual restaurants bearing the names of three of the nation's



most heralded chefs: Wolfgang Puck, of Los Angeles' Spago, Chinois on Main and more; Mark Miller of Santa Fe'sCoyote Café and Washington D.C.'s Red Sage fame; and Emeril Lagasse, chef-proprietor of Emeril's

and Nola in New Orleans and cult star of cable TV's Food Network. Although light-years removed, culinarilyspeaking, from the $9.99 all-you-can-eat bargain buffet that dot the Las Vegas strip, a meal at any one of these threeoperations costs only a couple of dollars more. Given the relative quality of the food and decor, the customer's valueperception is almost off the scale.

Market Forces

Taking a clue from the airlines, some -casual dining operators offer frequent diner programs that reward patrons withredeemable points for each purchase made. More than three million customers have signed up for the T.G.I. Friday'sprogram in its first 30 months. Ethnic concepts such as Italian (1996 sales up 7.6 percent) and Mexican (up 4.9 percent) rank as only so-soperformers, according to Technomic. Casual steak (up 12.7 percent) and varied-menu operations (up 11.6) now leadthe way.

"Gourmet" hamburgers remain a bedrock menu staple (and money-maker) for, casual dining, with four or five choicesavailable on a typical menu. The prize for the biggest burger goes to the Mobile, Ala.-based Ruby Tuesday's chain,whose $7.99 "Colossal" burger offer's a full pound of ground beef served on giant bun.

What are the target markups for DSR's casual dining customers? Restaurant stock analyst Roger Lipton says anoperation's cost of food and beverage cannot exceed 30 percent (figuring another half percent for the unit's papersupplies) if it is to record this segment's average (4.2 percent) after tax net profit.

They're still delivering value in the eatertainment end of the casual dining segment, where such spectacularoperations as Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Café continue to open new units. Soon to outstrip them all isDavid Copperfield's Magic Underground, a $20 million themed casual restaurant complex being built in New YorkCity's Times Square.

BIGGER CAN BE BETTER

It's clear what a rep's more typical casual dining customers are up against-big names and big bucks. Yet they cango big, too, using big menus and big flavors in their operations.

One successful casual operator from the "big menu" school is the Cheesecake Factory, an 18-unit chainheadquartered in Calabasas Hills, Calif. Its 17-page menu lists more than 200 items, all of which are prepared fromscratch. This company has demonstrated that a truly eclectic menu can be a drawing card in and of itself.

Recent additions here have included Thai Spicy Vegetable Noodle Salad ($8.95), Chili-rubbed Corn on the Cob($1.95) and BBQ-Ranch Chicken Salad ($9.50). To get a sense of the number and the quality of ingredients usedin a typical dish, consider the description of the Cheesecake Factory's Fresh Tuna Salad St. Tropez : "Fresh chunksof tuna tossed with red and yellow peppers, tomato, capers, red onion, white beans and kalamata olives in our



balsamic vinaigrette, served on top of mixed baby lettuce." The price: $10.95.

By the same token, menus can become so big that they compromise execution. That's where big flavors come in.The idea is to take a center-of-the-plate protein from the lower end of the cost scale (pasta, chicken breast, groundbeef), prepare it simply and quickly, then dress it up with small amounts of flavorful, sometimes costly, additions.

Consider what 130-unit Houlihan's, based in Kansas City, Mo., puts in its new $6.99 Chicken Quesadillas: blackenedchicken, red onions, sweet bell pepper and melted cheddar and havarti cheeses, all combined and folded into crispflour tortillas, then sprinkled with blackened seasoning and served with red salsa, green tomatillo salsa and sour cream. This is one dish which delivers big flavors in spades.

So does T. G. 1. Friday's' Szechuan Steak Wrapper. Its menu description: "Char-grilled, marinated steak tossed withsauteed mushrooms, red and green peppers, onions and carrots, pan-fried in sesame oil and spiced with crushed redpepper, wrapped in a wheat flat bread with rice and Hoisin sauce, served with Friday's fries." It's also menued at$6.99.

Big menus and big flavors abound in casual dining, but big portions usually don't. Given the price points that prevail,they can't. But what operators can do is follow the lead of the celebrity chefs who have opened up shop in thissegment. They've come up with high impact plate presentations, arranging garnishes, side dishes and otheraccompaniments that carefully frame a modest entree portion.

The impact of these trends on the purchasing habits of casual operators seem clear. The constant pursuit of bigflavors means that DSRs have plenty of opportunities to sell the many specialty items that deliver them. Likewise,the emphasis on fresh foods and hands-on cooking makes this a segment where ingredients, not prepared foods, willprevail. The lone exception: desserts, where high-quality frozen items can easily be upgraded to signature status.



SUGGESTIVE SELLINGAn Important Profit Builder

Think a little thing like a waiter suggesting an appetizer for the table to share or an after-dinner drink can't havea huge impact on your customers' success?

Think again.

Suggestive selling is one of the most important profit building tools in the foodservice operator's kit. DSRs whocan help their clients merchandise their menu offerings more effectively are practicing the essence of theconsultative concept. "The wait staff is not just there to take orders, but to sell more items," says Ed LeBlanc,corporate chef, Doerle Food Services Inc., New Iberia, La. "Always remember that a good wait staff is a highlyeffective marketing arm."

A waitperson can subtly influence patrons not only to order more items, but also to select the items that makethe greatest profit contribution. Sometimes called check-building, this technique of boosting the average ticketis good for wait staff tips, and great for operator sales and profits.

"It all comes down to training managers to train the wait staff to suggestively sell," says Ron Garrett, C.E.C.,and a former independent restaurant operator who's now corporate chef of Rock Island, Ill.-based ThornsProestler Co. "Suggestive selling can have a real effect on the bottom line. If we can up-sell everyone in theplace from a 'well' brand drink to a 'call' brand that costs 6 or 7 cents more an ounce to pour but sells for 75cents more, that goes directly to the bottom line. The labor is already paid for."Suggestive selling breaks down to two very important areas: the menu and the staff. "If we can help ouroperators design their menus strategically and train their employees to suggest items that contribute the mostdollar profit," Garrett continues, "then suggestive selling is really working."

The most important thing to remember about suggestive selling is these three little words: gross profit contribution"Too many operators look at the food-cost percentage when they are deciding what menu items they are going toemphasize. They say: 'This pasta dish only has a 25 screen food cost; this must be the one that we want to push.'But what they're not looking at is the gross profit dollars generated by a line item like a $16 steak. It may have afood cost of 50 percent, but it contributes a greater number ofdollars to the bottom line than that $8 pasta dish," notes Garrett.

The point of all this is that operators should have a clear idea ofwhich items are making the most money for them, and then theymust train the service staff to "push" those items. In theirpresentations to patrons, and in the way they answer questions,servers should always be suggesting those items that build thecheck and contribute best to profits. Consultative DSRs can andmust assist operators with this analysis and point out wherecustomers can get the biggest bang for their buck.

"Too many operatorslook at the food-costpercentage when theyare deciding what menuitems they are going toemphasize."



" Suggestive selling is two things," Garrett continues. "It is taking an average check and raising it a couple ofdollars by getting the patron to order a dessert or a glass of wine, and it is also selling those items that make abetter profit for the operator."

There are a variety of ways service staff can "upsell" patrons, thus building the average check:

< If appropriate, always offer a cocktail, glass of wine or a look at the wine list on the initial approach tothe table.

< When patrons order cocktails, attempt to "upgrade" by inquiring if they'd like specific call brands. < Always suggest an appetizer or a la carte salad before the main course. < If there are a la carte side orders or extras, such as sauteed mushrooms with steaks or cheese and

onions on hash browns, mention them and invite selection. < Introduce the idea of dessert early; even a simple statement such as, "The bread pudding looks

wonderful tonight," or, "Be sure to leave room for one of our homemade desserts," gets patronsthinking. 0 Physically bring the dessert menu-or better yet, a tray or cart-to the table, rather than askingfirst. The rule is: When they see, they buy.

< Suggest a specialty coffee or after-dinner drink.

PASS IT ON10 TIPS FOR BOOSTING PROFITS< Place wine recommendations right on the menu, where the patron will see them immediately.< A wine by-the-glass program can be particularly effective. 'Patrons may not want a full bottle, but appreciate the

option of a glass of wine with dinner.< Menu shareable samplers and other noshes that will get even light eaters to order something before the entree.< Create a selection of a la carte side orders, such as garlic mashed potatoes,* asparagus with hollandaise and creamed

spinach.< Allow guests to upgrade from side salad thing like a Caesar salad for a nominal additional cost. < Always display desserts. Few patrons can resist that chocolate cake when it's on a troy or cart right in front of their

eyes and under their noses.< Pay attention to presentation. An attractively presented Specialty drink, a towering pile of freshly fried onion rings or

a salad tossed table side with flair will prompt "me too" orders as patrons see them en route to other tables.< Stock a variety of check-building beverages such as bottled waters and juices.< Where appropriate, display food. An antipasto table, a bakery case near the front entrance, even a window in the

kitchen will pique patrons' appetites.< 10. Table tents, men - menu cards, blackboards--anything that attracts attention - can help spur additional sales of key

items.

The waitstaff should he careful not to cross over the line from helpful to pushy

Encourage additional sales of specials by printing them on a separate sheet or blackboard, perhaps accompaniedby a server's comments, rather than expecting patrons to remember a long monologue by the wait person.



SUBTLE, KNOWLEDGEABLE APPROACH IS BEST

While suggestive selling is critical to improving an operation's bottom line, it must be done with knowledge andgrace. The wait staff should be careful not to cross over the line from helpful to pushy, because nothing turns apatron off faster than feeling manipulated. "Servers have to be able to read their customers," notes Garrett. "If theguests don't seem to want dessert, for instance, suggest that they get one to share-or even take one home for later."

Desserts, in fact, are particularly well-suited to suggestive selling, especially when they're brought to the table."Don't give patrons the option of skipping dessert," says LeBlanc. "And presentation is extremely important. Don'tjust plop a piece of cheesecake on a plate and expect it to sell. Show it with the sauce, garnish, the whole nine yards,just the way it will be presented." Techniques like these can boost dessert sales by as much as 50 percent.

But add-ons of all types should not be overlooked. In fact, the urge to build checks is part of what's behind a numberof significant menu trends right now, including the burgeoning popularity of a la carte side dishes and wine-by-the-glass programs. Signature side dishes-such as roasted garlic mashed potatoes or sweet potato fries-carry anextremely high profit margin, yet the number of patrons who will order them is almost unbelievable.

Many operators, in fact, claim that they can sell anything if it's served with mashed potatoes. If they put the itemon the menu as an a la carte side dish as well, people may order it because the entree they want is served withsomething else. In other words, having seen the roast chicken served with mashed potatoes elsewhere on the menu,they have mashed potatoes on the brain-and will ante up an extra $2 to $3 to get the spuds with their shrimp. A lacarte side order sections in the menu, coupled with wait staff prompting (as in, "Would you like some mashedpotatoes with that, or an order of asparagus for the table?"), have proven to be surprisingly effective in many typesof operations.

Likewise, wine-by-the-glass programs. allow additional patrons to enter the wine market, so to speak. They maynot want to spring for the whole bottle, but they'd like a glass of wine with dinner. Or maybe one member of a partymay be ordering beef and the rest of the table is having chicken and fish; wine by the glass allows a party to chooseboth red and white wines without having to buy two bottles.

If the waiter suggests a glass of wine-or better yet, if a section of the menu or clip-on is used to highlight wines bythe glass-many people will go ahead and make that impulse purchase. If the wines in question are merchandised asspecial values for the day, or are suggested as accompaniments to specific dishes, the program will be just that muchmore effective.

A related trend is the increasingly prevalent use of the specialty drink list (such as a selection of single-malt scotchesor boutique beers) and the after-dinner drink list. Seeing a list of 10 different scotches or some interesting craftbeers, a patron may be easily encouraged to "trade up" from a well-brand scotch and soda or a generic draft beer.The customer sees the availability of distinctive liquors and beers as a value, and as a point of difference that setsa favorite restaurant apart from the competition. The operator sees higher average checks and better profit margins.

After dinner, cordials, specialty-coffee drinks and ice cream drinks are ordered not only as an adjunct to dessert,but in lieu of skipping dessert altogether. A patron may be unwilling to "spend" the calories for cheesecake, forexample, but wants to have something to wind down the evening with, so he or she may be tempted to order "justa Keoke coffee" at $3 to $5 highly profitable dollars a pop. Even nonalcoholic beverages such as cappuccino,



espresso and a selection of teas will prompt add-on orders, when patrons might have otherwise opted for nothingat all.

Language is another powerful tool. Words such as "fresh," "homemade," "local" and "special"--in both menu copyand in servers' descriptions of menu items are powerful concepts that people readily respond to. Operators shouldtake a little extra time to make sure that their food sounds as good as it tastes.

When it comes to selling those items that are most profitable, there are a number of important points to remember."When asked for their recommendations," Garrett notes, "the wait staff should never say, 'Everything's good.' Theyshould suggest one or two items." And, of course, those one or two items are the items that the operator hasidentified as the most popular. However, the way to get servers to focus on those items is not to tell them what theyhave to sell, but what the operation wants to emphasize or be known for. Many employees, especially older ones,may feel resentful if they are pushed to sell certain items; instead, they should be made to believe in the itemsmanagement wants to sell more of.

As far as training employees to sell smarter, there are a few time-proven techniques that really work. DSRs shouldencourage customers to consider the following strategies:

< Conduct regular tastings. Serving staff should know what every dish on the menu tastes like, not just howit's made. This allows them to buy into management's mission to sell more of certain items. Then too, a well-informed wait person who can answer patron questions comfortably and speak enthusiastically about anoperation's food will always be a better salesperson. Take a few minutes before each shift to allow serversto taste new items.

< Bring in a wine purveyor to conduct a seminar on wine and-food pairing, so' waiters feel confident sellingwine.

< Create a series of employee contests and promotions designed to help them sell more of a specific item--oneweek or month it could be desserts, the next it could be side orders. Prizes don't have to cost the operatora lot (i.e., dinner for two or a free bottle of wine) in order to reap rich rewards in terms of both target salesand employee motivation.

If the kitchen is the heart of a foodservice establishment, then the menu is its soul. A good menu is a powerfulmerchandising tool that makes an important statement about the quality, style and price point of an operation.

As one of the first things a patron sees, the menu helps to establish a tone, support the concept and set the stagefor the dining experience to follow. A menu, in fact, is so revealing that business travelers and other people whoeat out frequently say they can find out all they need to know about a place by simply looking at the menu.

The menu is also an important operational tool. Properly designed, it helps the operator sell what he or she wantsto sell. It helps organize and pace the kitchen's workload. It's a valuable means for cross-utilizing ingredients,thereby helping to control food costs. Placed in the window or printed as a flier, the menu is an advertising vehicle.It's a training piece for servers and kitchen staff and a preliminary ordering guide for purchasing. Above all, a goodmenu is a profit tool. A bad menu is little more than a list of items, with little to no value as a sales or positioningtool.

Much has been written on the subject of menu design and development. Bill Main, president of Bill Main &



Associates, foodservice consultants in Chico, Calif., and author of ID's monthly Sales Tips column, aptly calls

the menu The purest form of the marketing plan.

The menu is the cornerstone of any foodservice or hospitality operation," Main says, "and is integrally tied tosuccess. It is the one area of a foodservice business that will bring the biggest return on an operator's investmentof time, energy and resources." According to Main and other practitioners of the sophisticated art and scienceknown as menu "engineering," a menu's design and layout can actually predispose patrons to order items that carryhigher profit margins.

Small wonder, then that successful operators, from business and industry foodservice directors to small independentsto multimillion dollar chains, put a great deal of thought into their menus. For DSRs to consult effectively withoperators about business building strategies and increasing profitability, an understanding of how menus work iscritical.

MENU MASTER SHARES TIPS

The menu is the driving force behind attracting new customers, increasing frequency of repeat customers, increasingaverage check size and selling items that offer the most favorable gross profit contribution. Time spent developingand designing the menu, therefore, is time spent helping to ensure the success of an operation.

According to Main, the best menus influence the receiver's emotions and behavior. Even simple strategies, likeplacing an icon next to a particular item or high lighting it with color, can increase the odds that guests will selectit, a technique that can be used to subtly "push" items that inherently carry a better profit margin.

Too many operators focus on food costs, rather than profit margins, he says. They don't realize that a grilled cheesesandwich that has a food cost of 25 percent and sells for $2 contributes only $1.50 to the bottom line, whereas a$4 hamburger with a 35 percent food cost contributes $2.60. It's better, therefore, for the operator to get patronsto order the hamburger, even though the item carries a higher food cost.

Here are some specific techniques adapted from Bill Main's Sales Tips column that DSRs can pass along to helptheir customers engineer more profitable menus:

Keep it flexible. Competition, market trends and variations in supply and price of featured items

A menu's design and layout can actually predispose patrons to order items that carry higher profitmargins.

place constant pressure on the menu. To stay ahead, operators should use a plastic jacket, menu board, daily sheetor another, more flexible format than the traditional laminated menu. This allows for immediate changes in itemsand prices. Page blanks with preprinted graphics can be run off is 50 percent less costly than a permanent menu,saving the average operator as much as $2,000 a year.



* Don't use formula pricing. The old standard of tripling cost-of goods to arrive at a menu price (assuming thetarget food cost of 33 percent) is not only lazy, but it ignores consumer expectations of price levels that areconsistent with their experience. A formula price will turn customers off in some cases and cheat the operator out

of additional profits. The better way to price is to employ value-perception pricing, focusing instead on what themarket will bear. For instance, in a midscale restaurant, $1.50 may be too much to charge for a cup of coffee, butthe operator may be able to charge $3 for a cappuccino because the customer perceives it as a treat and is thereforewilling to pay more for it.

Know the rules on "rounding." Menu research show that, on items priced at less than $5, patrons only recognizeprice increments of 25 cents. For menu items priced more than $5, they only recognize increments of 50 cents and95 cents. An item that costs the operator $2.54 to serve with a 33 percent food-cost target should therefore berounded from $7.62 to $7.95, not $7.75, in order for the customer to perceive that "value." Over the course of ayear, most restaurants will serve in excess of 10,000 customers. An extra 20 cents in pure profit an just half thosepatrons would put an extra $10,000 in the coffers.

Pay attention to layout. The fact is that customers don' really read menus; they spend a moment or two scanningthem, passing quickly over the categories and selections. It is therefore strategically important to place high-profititem where they're most likely to be ordered-in other words where the eye is most likely to see them, rather thanarranging them according to the chronology of the meal or by certain categories, such as seafood, appetizers, etc.

Constructing a menu must be approached with the utmost seriousness

Use a menu spotlight. Highlighting is a classic menu engineering practice. Since patrons only scan menus, theirgaze is drawn to variations in text, layout and formula, particularly if these variations also look good. Goodexamples include boxing an item, placing a descriptive word like "special" or "new" in the margin next to the item,creating shading along the item, highlighting it with a picture, emphasizing it with a type or color change, or placingan eye-catching icon next to a menu selection. Of course, these highlighted items are the ones that carry the highestgross profit, the ones of which the operator wants to sell more. Using one or more of these techniques can increaseselection of these target items by as much as 20 percent.

Use the "first and last" rule. Menu items should never be listed randomly; patrons are most likely to order themenu items listed first and last in any given category. The highest gross-profit item should be listed first and thesecond-highest gross-profit item Should be listed last. Conversely, the least profitable items should be placed in theof each category, where they have the least Chance of being selected.

Learn to turn a phrase. Menu descriptions are important. Learning how to describe Alaskan salmon or MississippiDelta catfish properly can effectively double sales of those items. Operators should present a "word picture" of amenu item that instantly appeals to the all the guest's senses: sight, smell and taste. Encourage the use of descriptivelanguage that evokes a positive initial reaction, such as "oven roasted" or "pan seared." Effective menu copy candrive sales of high-profit items, as well as encourage the selection of check-building starters, side orders anddesserts.

STRATEGIC ENGINEERING NETS GROWTH



Whether it's the cafeteria cycle menu that serves to hold patron interest in a noncommercial operation; a monthlychanging menu that allows a chef-owner to take advantage of the marketplace's best values and quality; or the largechain manipulating its sales mix through constant rotation and promotion, of individual food items, constructing amenu must be approached with the utmost seriousness.

Here's what happened when five operators deployed a little strategic menu engineering:

1 . At Foremost Insurance Corp. of America, Grand Rapids, Mich., a menu hotline helps build sales in the selfcafeteria. The nationwide insurer operates out of three facilities located about three miles apart, with on-site foodservice at only one of the locations. In addition, many employees operate on flex time and work irregular hours.The challenge for Jeff Jones, corporate chef/manager, was to make foodservice available to all employees withoutcompromising the foodservice department's unsubsidized budget. "Grab-and-go" meals that can be picked up duringcafeteria hours and consumed later are one answer, and a menu hotline is the marketing vehicle used.

Using a special dedicated phone line, employees can find out what take-out meals the cafeteria is serving that dayand reserve their orders for pick-up at a convenient time. Signage, including a menu board set up on an easel locatedat the entrance to the cafeteria, is also used. Through this system, Jones is getting information about his offeringsout to employees in the company's other locations, and takeout now constitutes almost a third of the cafeteria'ssales.

2. When he moved Greenhouse Grill from Captiva Island, Fla., to the more value-conscious Sanibel Island severalyears ago, chef-owner Dan Mellman knew he'd have to downscale a bit to bring in customers and compete with suchlocal favorites as Denny's. On the other hand, Mellman, who had spent his career perfecting a creativetropical/Continental approach to cooking, was not about to abandon his quality or culinary standards. He neededto introduce him self to his new market in a way that Initially, would be low-risk to patrons without compromisinghis own profitability. Mellman developed new, lower priced breakfast and lunch menus as a "come on," hoping thatonce people tried his food in the daytime, they'd willing to come back at night and pay full price.

The strategy worked. His breakfast risk $5 or and lunch service includes such signature items as wild mushroomomelette, poached egos with seafood etoufee, duck confit salad and a fresh Florida grouper sandwich, with mostlunch than items priced from $6 to $7. Most of the dishes cross-utilize ingredients he $25 for already has in housefor dinner, so the daytime sales are no loss-leader. Having built weekend breakfast and lunch business to the 100-cover mark, his dinner business is improving rapidly, "Initially, my customers are more Customers are much morewilling to risk $5 or $10 for lunch than $25 or $30 for dinner, but, if they like what they see, they'll be back,"explains Mellman.

3. Lyon's Restaurants, the 84-unit family-restaurant chain, has its menu engineering down to a science. In an attemptto stay one step ahead of its considerable competition, the Foster City, Calif.-based company is always testing,adding layout that employs a combination of appetizing graphics, and promoting new items. Using a subtle menucopy that touts freshness and uniqueness and crown-shaped logos that reinforce the Lyon's moniker and draw theeye to new and featured menu items, the company can continually tweak its selection and positively impact its salesmix..

According to director of marketing Stacy Schulist, these menu engineering techniques are particularly effective forintroducing new products. A case in point is the house-specialty cinnamon roll French toast combo, introduced a



year ago. The item, created to better utilize Lyon’s freshly baked giant cinnamon rolls, added value to justify aslightly higher breakfast price point by pairing the made-to-order French toast with one egg any style and choiceof bacon or sausage. The item was so successful that Lyon's was encouraged to add several other combo items.

4. At Augusta Medical Center, Fishersville, Va., a series of antiquated menus was hampering the foodservicedepartment's efforts to increase its catering business. "We needed standardized menus and pricing, to keep

everybody from doing their own different thing," says Kathy Tate, assistant foodservice director for the 255-bedhospital, located in the Shendandoah Valley. Moreover, in order to grow the service without making a significantinvestment in staff, catering procedures had to be very user-friendly.

Tate solved the problem by putting the entire service online, so that anyone who can log on to the facility's Meditechcomputer system has access to catering information. In addition to posting information about catering procedures,policies and rates, Tate created a series of modular menus that can be downloaded to a catering user, edited andreturned in the form of a requisition for services-Tate doesn't even have to get on the phone to take an order. Themenus were developed with the frequent user in mind; because they are mix-and-match, says Tate, a customer couldorder a year's worth of catering without ever ordering the same thing twice. For stance, the deli menu containschoices not only for sandwich fillings, breads, condiments, side orders and so on, but also features options for boxlunches, platters and fully served meals.

5. San Diego-based Paragon steakhouses, which operates more than 80 upscale steakhouses including the HungryHunter, Mountain Jack's and Carvers, sell a whole lot of beef-50 percent of its sales, in fact, are generated by steaksand prime rib, according to executive chef Mike Hannah. Because the company's specs on beef are so high, itneeded to find a use for hundreds of pounds of sirloin and other "trim" that was too small for steaks, but still of highquality. Newer dishes such as sliced Roast Sirloin with Wild Mushrooms, Grilled Tenderloin Salad, Caesar GrilledNew York Steak Sandwich and Sauteed Tenderloin Tips allow the company to offer more diversity and value tocustomers, while creating a vehicle for items that are inappropriate for the char-broiler.

The roast sirloin is a perfect example. The beef is seasoned, roasted, then sliced against the gain and fanned on topof grilled flatbread with an assortment of wild mush rooms, including portobellos and creminis, and whiskeypeppercorn sauce. Though priced at a few dollars less than the steaks and larger cuts of prime rib, the wildmushroom garniture and the sophisticated sauce and presentation - described in glowing detail on the menu-makethis a very upscale sounding dish. “These items.” notes Hannah, “work so well and are so successful that we riskhaving to buy extra tenderloin tips.”

Bill Main, FCSI, FNT, is a restaurant owner, food service consultant, and speaker. He is currently treasurer anda director of the California Restaurant Association. His Chico, Calif. - based seminar and publishing company, BillMain and Associates [ (916) 345-3200], offers a variety of seminars and training products.

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