How do you innovate and experiment with menu engineering to stay ahead of the curve?

Menu engineering is the art and science of designing and optimizing your menu to maximize profit and customer satisfaction. It involves analyzing your sales data, costs, margins, and customer preferences, and applying various strategies and techniques to enhance your menu's appeal, performance, and profitability. But menu engineering is not a one-time project. It requires constant innovation and experimentation to keep up with changing customer tastes, market trends, and competitive pressures. In this article, you'll learn how to innovate and experiment with menu engineering to stay ahead of the curve and grow your business.

1 Use data-driven insights

One of the most important aspects of menu engineering is using data to inform your decisions. Data can help you identify which items are your stars, plowhorses, puzzles, and dogs, and how to adjust your pricing, positioning, and promotion accordingly. Data can also help you track your menu's performance over time, and spot any changes in customer behavior, demand, or feedback. You can use various tools and methods to collect and analyze your data, such as point-of-sale systems, online surveys, customer reviews, focus groups, or mystery shoppers. The key is to use data to test your assumptions, measure your results, and optimize your menu accordingly.

Add your perspective

Islam Mahdy

F&B Consultant @ IM Hospitality | BBA in Hotel Management & Events Management
Report contribution
"Data is King." By utilizing historical sales data to plot dishes on the Menu Engineering matrix, you can map out their performance. Once done, the real fun begins. Be patient initially, as Rome was not built in a day. Consistently review your menu every 3 months. Staff feedback is important; numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Incorporating the Front of House staff's daily customer interactions gives you an advantage. Don't fear reinventing the wheel with one or two items you might make a surprising discovery. Operating within established norms yields "Normal" results, but calculated risks can generate outcomes that are "out of the box."

Like

2 Experiment with menu design

Another way to innovate and experiment with menu engineering is to play with your menu's design and layout. Menu design can have a significant impact on how customers perceive and order your items, and how they feel about their dining experience. You can experiment with different menu design elements, such as colors, fonts, images, icons, borders, boxes, or symbols, and see how they affect your customers' attention, emotions, and choices. You can also test different menu formats, such as single-page, multi-page, fold-out, or digital, and see how they influence your customers' browsing, scanning, and ordering patterns. The goal is to use menu design to highlight your best items, create a positive impression, and guide your customers' decisions.

Add your perspective

3 Try new menu items

A third way to innovate and experiment with menu engineering is to try new menu items and see how they perform. New menu items can help you attract new customers, retain existing ones, and differentiate yourself from your competitors. You can use various sources of inspiration for new menu items, such as customer feedback, market research, industry trends, seasonal ingredients, or your own creativity. You can also use different methods to test new menu items, such as limited-time offers, specials, samples, or feedback cards. The aim is to use new menu items to add variety, excitement, and value to your menu, and to measure their popularity, profitability, and impact on your overall sales mix.

Add your perspective

Meredith Marin

CEO of Vegan Hospitality | Consultant, Speaker, Trainer | Menu Engineer
Report contribution
Adding creative, thoughtful and market-research backed vegan options can enhance your menu and attract new guests. Avoid using the word “vegan” in the dish title or description and instead explain the flavors and ingredients first and foremost. Provide easy to read allergen labels in your graphic design to make your menu accessible.

Like

4 Leverage menu psychology

A fourth way to innovate and experiment with menu engineering is to leverage menu psychology and understand how customers make decisions. Menu psychology is the study of how customers process information, evaluate options, and choose items from a menu. It involves applying various principles and techniques from behavioral economics, cognitive psychology, and marketing to influence your customers' perceptions and preferences. You can leverage menu psychology to experiment with different menu strategies, such as anchoring, decoy effect, scarcity effect, primacy and recency effect, or social proof, and see how they affect your customers' ordering behavior. The purpose is to use menu psychology to appeal to your customers' emotions, biases, and motivations, and to increase your average check size and customer satisfaction.

Add your perspective

5 Adapt to changing needs

A fifth way to innovate and experiment with menu engineering is to adapt to changing customer needs and expectations. Customers today are more diverse, informed, and demanding than ever before. They have different dietary preferences, health concerns, ethical values, and cultural backgrounds. They also have different expectations for convenience, quality, service, and value. You can adapt to changing customer needs by offering more options, customization, transparency, and convenience on your menu. You can also use different channels, such as online ordering, delivery, takeout, or catering, to reach more customers and increase your sales opportunities. The aim is to use menu adaptation to meet your customers' needs and wants, and to build loyalty and trust.

Add your perspective

6 Learn from others

A sixth way to innovate and experiment with menu engineering is to learn from others in your industry and beyond. You can learn from others by observing what they are doing well or poorly, what they are offering or missing, and what they are trying or avoiding. You can also learn from others by networking, attending events, reading publications, or joining online communities. You can use the insights and ideas you get from others to benchmark your own performance, identify gaps and opportunities, and improve your own menu engineering practices. The goal is to use learning from others to stay updated, inspired, and competitive in the market.

Add your perspective

Meredith Marin

CEO of Vegan Hospitality | Consultant, Speaker, Trainer | Menu Engineer
Report contribution
Online conferences such as the Global Vegan Hospitality & Tourism Conference can help your menu stay ahead of the trends. These conferences are free and well attended by hospitality professionals across the globe.

Like

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

How do you innovate and experiment with menu engineering to stay ahead of the curve?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Use data-driven insights

2 Experiment with menu design

3 Try new menu items

4 Leverage menu psychology

5 Adapt to changing needs

6 Learn from others

7 Here’s what else to consider

Menu Engineering

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Menu Engineering

More relevant reading