How to Make a Restaurant Menu

Knowing how to make a restaurant menu that stands out while still appealing to a large amount of people can greatly increase your chances of success as a restaurateur. It is no secret that the restaurant industry is difficult. There is a high rate of failure, and even if you do everything right, you are not guaranteed success. A well-thought-out and crafted menu, however, will significantly increase your chances of running a prosperous and profitable restaurant.

Focus On Restaurant Marketing: You have to choose an identity for your restaurant. Try to pick a type of food that there is a demand for and that isn't already represented by other restaurants in your area. If there is a successful Indian restaurant next door, then it may not be a good idea to open "Rick's Curry House," for example. Understanding the market and finding your niche is the best way you can increase your chances of success in the restaurant industry.

Assemble The Menu: Once you've decided upon an identity, it is time to assemble the actual menu. If you are not a chef, now is the time to find one. Work with the chef to craft a menu that is true to your identity and not chock-full of expensive products. Making use of cheaper cuts of meat, such as offering braised short ribs instead of a filet mignon, will increase your profit margin by decreasing the cost of your ingredients.

Edit The Menu Appropriately: The blight of many restaurants is a menu that is much larger than it needs to be. You want to ensure that everybody who walks through your door will be able to find a dish that suits him, but that doesn't mean your menu should read like an encyclopedia. People get overwhelmed when they have too many options in front of them, and having that many choices on a menu can put a kitchen in the weeds in no time flat. Though there is no exact formula for how many items you should have on your menu, 5 to 7 appetizers, 4 salads, a few soups and 10 to 12 entrees, along with a few revolving specials and a few desserts are good numbers to start out with. You want to keep in mind that it takes time for a kitchen to learn to work as a cohesive unit, so starting out small and expanding as your kitchen begins to mature may be a good idea.

Design The Menu: Once you have your dishes selected, you need to figure out how to organize them visually on the menu. The typical appetizer followed by salads and soups and ending with entrees is a formula that has worked for ages. You can include desserts at the end or have a separate menu for them. Within each subsection, you don't want to place your dishes in a random order. Whether it's by price or by some other method, you want your dishes organized so your guests can peruse them easily.

Decide On Advertising, If Applicable: In recent years, advertisements have popped up in the restaurant. Ads in menus are not unheard of, and if you are successful, you may be approached to put advertisements in your menu. Be conscious of the way this comes off to your patrons, however. If you are running a classy dining establishment, the addition of advertisements may come off as tacky or even offensive to your guests.

Next to location, your menu is the most important aspect of your restaurant. Oftentimes more attention gets paid to décor and other areas than to the menu, which is a grave mistake. Take your time to craft a menu that is varied enough to suit the desires of a range of people, but is still cohesive and with a clear identity. Resist the desire to overcomplicate it and offer more options than is necessary. If you do all of this, your chances of success in the treacherous restaurant industry increase greatly.