A restaurant is not any ordinary business. It is all about satisfaction, both for the owner and the diner. It starts with the decor of the restaurant and the menu. Yes, the menu is a vital part of the business and an integral part of the marketing strategy of any restaurant.

– Your restaurant’s menu is not only a list of the food you serve, but a display of the style of your eatery, its personality and of course a promotional tool. That “tool” will keep the brand of your restaurant fresh in the diner’s mind. This becomes especially important during the holiday season when each of your rivals will gear up for attracting diners who are in a special spending mood. Keep in mind that during the festive season people want something different from the regular fare. So you may have to include some special items in your menu. Some of these may become part of your regular menu in the future.

– It has been found that most of the diners at your restaurant are from your neighborhood and live within a 10-minute drive. Find out what they want and what they do not want through a brief survey, and then cater to their taste. You will have to put both the popular and exotic on your menu. During the holiday season think about some new dishes that will have similar appeal as those of the most popular dishes. You can also experiment with a few items which you think might catch on.

– A very important thing is pricing. Price according to your clientele. Remember that pricing your items too high or too low are both deterrents. So match it up to the paying capacity and taste of your customers. Sometimes adding fancy tags to the food may help, but make sure that the customers don’t feel cheated. That can happen if you serve a dish available at other restaurants but with a few fancy add-ons. This is unnecessary and does not do any wonders to the flavors.

– Now that you know what to keep and at what price, you will have to arrange the menu. Since it will show the character of your restaurant, make sure that the color scheme and appearance match the overall theme. If the restaurant is all about class and elegance, a plain all text menu will do the job. But if you are the more informal type you can use graphics, pictures and brighter colors to match your restaurant’s character.

Remember, you will have to constantly change the looks of your menu, especially at the time of festivities. You can make a special section in your menu where you will have your holiday festival items. You will also need to constantly check for the best selling items. If necessary, re-arrange them on the menu card to keep them in the areas where they will easily catch the eye.

restaurant is not any ordinary business. It is all about satisfaction, both for the owner and the diner. It starts with the decor of the restaurant and the menu. Yes, the menu is a vital part of the business and an integral part of the marketing strategy of any restaurant.

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