A New Restaurant

I love to read a well written menu.  I enjoy seeing the different ways that restaurant owners use wording to capture the essence of their meals.  Some do it with elegance, others with sarcasm and self-deprecation. Regardless of the way they go about it, they are trying to capture the customer’s attention and set a desired level of expectation.

Besides increasing anticipation for the coming dish, the description of each dish on the menu should help steer your customers toward making better decisions about what to order.  My wife does not care for overly spicy food, so if she sees something she likes with chipotle sauce, she has to put off making a decision on her order until after the server comes back to let her know how hot the sauce is.  Words like mild, spicy, sweet, savory, delicate, or anything else you can think of that will give the customer an idea about the level of flavor they can expect.

Don’t be afraid to be a little creative with the wording on your menu.  Think about what you order at your favorite restaurant.  How is it described on the menu?  Go all out.  Instead of “Roasted Vegetables,” offer your customers “oven seared winter vegetables lightly tossed in an olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.”

You need to prepare your customers for the food they are about to eat.   When they go to a restaurant they are not just buying the meal, they are buying an experience.  Successful restaurants understand that the meal begins with the menu.