A good restaurant menu is known as one of the most essential internal advertising tools for informing a guest about the experience they're about to have. An attractive, clear menu is vital for conveying your brand to restaurant guests since it is an instant glimpse of a restaurant and the one piece of advertising that every guest will go through.
A menu is defined as "a bill of fare or a list of meal items prepared and served by a restaurant." According to the literal definition, all that is required is a list of the goods available on a sheet of paper. Successful chefs and restaurant owners, on the other hand, will recognize the menu's broad and comprehensive purpose. The brand, the vision, the ambiance, the food and beverage selections, and the entire experience a guest can anticipate to enjoy should all be communicated via menu design.
It is clear that the ability to influence your restaurant guest through the subconscious clues when they make purchase decisions is simply created by the power of selling through design.
So, in this post, we'll look at the psychology of menu design, why it's essential, and how you can use Digital Menus to market your restaurant cuisine items.
The Golden Triangle
Generally, most people's eyes first move to the center, then to the top right corner, and lastly to the top left corner when they look at a menu. This is referred to as the Golden Triangle by restaurant menu developers.
Here you'll find the meals items with the highest profit margins.This does not have to be your most costly menu item; rather, it should be the most profitable. If these goods don't achieve your profit targets after being placed in these places, consider experimenting with alternative meals. It's important to keep track of your progress so you can figure out what belongs in the Golden Triangle and what doesn't.
Finally, you can include more than one dish in each Golden Triangle section. Just remember that the first and second things on the list are generally the most popular, and the remainder should be presented in descending order.
Using colors is a must
Color has an emotional and psychological effect on people, so select your color scheme carefully.
Bright colors such as red, yellow, and orange attract attention and stimulate hunger. This may be used to draw emphasis to key portions of your menu and establish a layout hierarchy.
To enhance connections, you might match your color scheme to the topic of your restaurant. For a seafood restaurant, for example, use bright blue to emphasize the ocean-caught fish or green and tan for a farm-to-table restaurant.
Food decoys are Smart
Some restaurants try to deceive customers by putting a little more costly item at the top of the menu. In order to make it seem that all of the other meals appear to offer more value for your money. As a result of this, restaurant guest feels like they are getting a good deal, which encourages them to spend more.
According to a study conducted by ScienceDaily, individuals base their expectations on the price of the menu item. They served an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet to two sets of individuals. Some received a $4 fee, while others received an $8 charge. The diners were then asked to rate the dish. Even though the cuisine was the same, those who paid $8 gave it a better rating. Before you undervalue your menu items, think twice. People may be prepared to pay more if they believe the value is higher.
Use a few photos to entice your customers
Photos and graphics can help make your menu more appealing to customers and makes it simpler for them to make decisions. A professionally snapped photo of a certain dish can help increase sales by 30%. To highlight the menu item on sale, use mouthwatering attractive high-quality photos.
Restaurants can also promote their food menu on their social media platforms along with enticing images. You can never underestimate the power of using photographs on social media to generate attention for your restaurant.
Invoke a sense of nostalgia or humanize a meal in a different way.
Customers are drawn to these menu items because they make them feel like they're getting something unique, and they evoke joyful childhood memories or sentiments of warmth and intimacy. "Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookie," "Campfire Hot Chocolate," and allusions to the chef or restaurant owner, such as "Chef Mike's Charbroiled Steak," are just a few examples.
You can also use the descriptions of your menu items to play into the psychology of the purchase. To excite your diners, use imaginative words like freshly-picked, recently harvested, line-caught, home-brewed, and chef-made. You want people to visualize how food is brought to the table. Avoid superlatives; you can be sure that diners will dismiss them as being too spectacular to believe.
It's Important to Manage Your Lists
If you have 5 items to list under a category, for example, pizza dishes, pay attention to the order of the list. Organize your list such that the most important items are at the top. The majority of customers unconsciously order from the top two or bottom two options on a menu.
Place your most cost-effective meals in these strategic places on your menu.
Limit the food choices
A large menu may appear to be a wonderful idea, but having to pick from hundreds of alternatives can be stressful. Restaurant owners that are clever list only seven meals in each area, giving us the impression of having many choices without overloading us.
Final say
Maintaining a consistent brand concept throughout all guest-facing elements, including the menu design, will be critical to the restaurant's success and considerably improve the likelihood of repeat customers.
A fantastic menu design will quickly interest your consumer because it is often a guest's first glance at your food and beverage choices.
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