Designing Menus That Sell: The 5 Menu Mistakes Eating Your Profits

The Bar Business Podcast

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Ever wondered why your restaurant's masterpiece dishes aren't flying out of the kitchen as expected? It might all boil down to those sneaky menu design flaws that are inadvertently guiding your patrons' choices. In our latest episode, we're peeling back the layers on the five cardinal sins of menu design, laying bare the critical errors that could be siphoning off your profits. We promise you'll come away equipped with the know-how to craft a menu that not only dazzles the taste buds but also captivates customer interest and drives sales.
As the lights dim and the evening crowd trickles in, your menu's readability becomes the unsung hero of your establishment's success. We dissect the nuances of font choice, color schemes, and size, ensuring your menu's legibility doesn't falter in those intimate, low-light bar settings. Join us as we transform your menu from a mere list of offerings to a strategic masterpiece that sings your dishes' praises, all while making sure every customer, regardless of their eyesight, leaves feeling catered to and content.
And when it comes to the organization and length of your menu, we cut through the clutter to reveal the golden ratio of offerings that maximizes profitability and minimizes waste. We're sharing insider tips on how to position your star items for maximum impact without overwhelming your patrons or your kitchen staff. Get ready to reshape your bar or restaurant menu into a lean, mean, profit-generating machine that ensures each item is not just a dish, but a deliberate step towards a more successful business. Join us for this culinary crusade where we're not just changing menus – we're changing the game.

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Welcome to the Bar Business Podcast, the ultimate resource for bar owners looking to elevate their businesses to the next level. Our podcast is packed with valuable insights, expert advice, and inspiring stories from successful bar owners and industry professionals. Tune in to learn everything from how to craft the perfect cocktail menu to how to manage your staff effectively. Our mission is to help you thrive in the competitive bar industry and achieve your business goals.
Special thank you to our benchmarking data partner Starfish. Starfish works with your bookkeeping software by using AI to help you make smart data-driven decisions and maximize your profits while giving you benchmarking data to understand how you compare to the industry at large.
For more information on how to spend less time working in your bar and more time working on your bar:
The Bar Business Podcast Website
Schedule a Strategy Session
Chris' Book 'How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business'
Bar Business Nation Facebook Group

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. #1 Prices in the Wrong Places (00:03:54)

3. #2 Design That Makes the Menu Unreadable (00:09:35)

4. #3 A Confusing Layout (00:18:30)

5. #4 Improper Placement of Profitable Items (00:22:15)

6. #5 Menu too Long (00:27:19)

7. Final Thoughts (00:32:21)