Buzz
Menu design is a lucrative profession, as every year large restaurant brands are willing to invest millions to design and upgrade menus, aiming to provide the best experience for customers.
In the culinary world, beyond chefs, servers, managers, and bartenders, there's a silent yet formidable figure that directly influences the success or failure of a restaurant—the menu design expert.
Indeed, it's a real profession in the culinary industry, and it's not just a silent role; it's a money-making one. The importance of the menu is much greater than we think. Major restaurant players may be willing to spend tens of millions of dollars each year on professional menu designers, even hiring language and psychology experts just to craft the perfect menu.
So what makes a menu so 'terrifying'? Join us as we uncover the secrets that major brands often employ when designing restaurant menus!
Don't overlook the '109 golden seconds' rule
Research from Gallup, a renowned market analysis and research group in the U.S., has revealed that, on average, a person spends only 109 seconds looking at a menu. Beyond this 'golden threshold,' customers may become frustrated or lost among dozens, even hundreds of dishes, making them uninterested in enjoying or returning to the restaurant. Therefore, the menu becomes the most powerful 'weapon' for sales in a restaurant.
A good menu needs to be designed to be as understandable as possible, ensuring that in those short 109 seconds, it can captivate the diner's interest, provide all the necessary information, and lead them to the ultimate goal—making them happily order (more) dishes.
Conversely, a confusing menu written in unfamiliar language, lacking food descriptions, and time-consuming to read is a 'life-threatening weakness.' Even if the dishes are irresistibly delicious, they may go unordered, negatively impacting the diner's experience with the restaurant.
How do culinary giants design their menus?
Despite exuding an air of sophistication, many culinary giants in the food industry are dedicated to pleasing their customers when it comes to menu design. They may adhere to strict principles in cooking, service, dress codes, and more, but are willing to revamp the menu annually (even quarterly) to provide the friendliest and most understandable experience for customers.
According to menu design expert Gregg Rapp, who has 30 years of experience in the culinary industry, menus from upscale to fast food establishments need to focus on the following factors:
1. Harness the Power of Images
Images are the first element that captures our attention. Therefore, a professional menu should know how to maximize the use of images.
In addition to presenting authentic and visually appealing food images that help customers understand the dishes and enhance the appetite, menu designers also need to understand the principles of color and shape, leveraging the visual power that makes customers want to order quickly and... more.
For example, consider the difference between the two menus below. A seafood restaurant opts for a green color scheme to evoke a cool, fresh feeling reminiscent of their ingredients. Meanwhile, a pizza place embraces warm brown-red tones, skillfully portraying the image of a hot, handmade, and delicious pizza emerging from a smoke-filled oven.
However, it's crucial not to overuse images. According to a study, rather than loading the menu with numerous food images, using just one picture on a menu page can increase the sales of items on that page by an additional 30%, especially for mid-range and upscale restaurants.
2. Break Down Language Barriers
Language serves as the gateway to information reception. To effectively advertise dishes through a menu, you first need to ensure that the customer can read it!
This sounds simple but is a significant issue for restaurants. In Canada, a bilingual country, most restaurants have to present menus in both English and French. As they expand into the international market, restaurant chains further diversify the languages on their menus. Fast-food giants entering Japan, Korea, and China—countries using entirely different script systems unfamiliar with the alphabet—have transitioned from English to local languages. Even terms like 'Hamburger' or 'Coke' have been... fully translated.
Western Cuisine Menu in Japan Without a Single Western Word.
3. Detailed Food Descriptions
Language barriers become even more challenging when a restaurant serves traditional dishes specific to cultural heritage. Stepping into a Western restaurant, many might feel perplexed by names like Caesar Salad, Chicken Alfredo, Coq au vin, Cassoulet, etc. Translations lose their essence and accuracy, but leaving them as is may leave diners wondering... what they're about to eat.
At this point, a 'smart' menu will include additional notes, providing detailed descriptions of the dishes. 'When the menu describes well, revenue increases by 30%,' explained menu design expert Repp.
Take a look at the menu of an Italian restaurant below. While the dish retains its traditional name 'Canellioni,' the description now clearly outlines the ingredients and cooking method, helping customers understand what they're about to order. Adding just a few words provides a friendlier experience for customers.
Detailed Food Descriptions
4. Embrace Local Identity
If you're a small, exclusive restaurant, preserving your unique identity is perfectly fine. Ono Jiro, owner of a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant with only 4 seats in Japan, refuses to add any seats or expand the 'floor space' because he has no intention of selling sushi to the world. No one complains about that.
However, if you're leaning towards chain business and expanding markets across continents, considering the local aspect in the menu is crucial.
McDonald's always takes the lead in the realm of restaurant and chain services simply because this hamburger giant is incredibly adaptable and wise. When venturing into India, the company swiftly removed beef dishes from the menu, sidelining beef burgers as a 'symbolic ambassador' for generations, given that Hindus in India do not consume beef. Instead, McDonald's focused on developing recipes using chicken and fish, securing a stable position in a market deeply rooted in traditional culinary culture like India.
McDonald's is a brand that consistently incorporates local elements into its menu.
The McDonald's story has coined a quite famous phrase in the culinary and restaurant business: 'Think globally, act locally.'
Cuisine, when venturing beyond its homeland, inevitably requires certain adjustments to thrive and succeed in foreign lands. While the flavors of traditional dishes can be retained, modifying and tailoring the menu to suit the locale is a necessary step for a successful culinary business.
5. Create Focal Points to Capture Customer Attention
Business restaurant researchers suggest that when customers glance at a menu, their eyes naturally gravitate towards the top right corner, known as the 'Focal Point.' Therefore, in menu design, restaurants always aim to utilize this position to showcase the dishes they want to sell the most (often the most profitable ones).
The top right corner is the focal point of a menu page.
6. The Art of Pricing on the Menu
- Concealing Currency Units: Many restaurant owners adopt this approach in menu design to make customers momentarily 'forget' or not overly focus on the prices, especially in Vietnam where the currency unit is relatively high (in thousands). In mid to high-end establishments, this method is quite common, where even appetizers can reach hundreds of thousands of dong.
- Tactfully Placing Prices Subtly under Descriptions: Researchers suggest, 'When designing a menu, adding prices in a separate column or excessively highlighting them can lead customers to focus more on prices than on the food, and they might choose the cheapest dish.' This is something restaurants never desire. Therefore, in menu design, professional restaurants always pay attention to presenting prices cleverly, embedding them in attractive descriptions or using slightly smaller font sizes.
Do you believe it? The menu is a silent salesperson in your restaurant. So, if you haven't dedicated resources and thought to menu design, it's time to reconsider.
Wishing you prosperity in your business endeavors,
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Reference: Loop, Young Intellectuals.
