Restaurant Menus are a reflection of the ambiance and style of restaurants. It is important to let customers know all about the restaurant just by inspecting the menu. Family restaurants need to include food that will be enjoyed by adults and children and the menu should entice them with visual aids. More classic and expensive restaurants should exude a sense of fashion and the menu should be elegant and stylish.
Menus, of course, detail food items and their prices but there is much more to it than that. When developing a menu one must take a look at the area in which the restaurant is located. Prices cannot exceed what a customer makes or no one will come. Chain restaurants all have the same items on the menu but the prices change with the location. A restaurant may be able to charge eight dollars for a hamburger in New York City, but they will not get away with that price in a small farm town in Ohio.
Demographics make a huge difference in what is to on the menu at a restaurant as well. If an area has many elderly people the restaurant may want to cater to them by giving them discounts or the menu may allow for smaller senior meals. The print on this menu may need to be a little larger to make sure the elderly can read it. If the area has families then they want to have a children's menu with family friendly food. If the restaurant is in a business district they may want to cater to business people bringing clients out for lunch or dinner and the menu would be a little more formal.
There are some restaurants that have four page menus with everything you can think of and others may only have three or four entrees. Menus introduce customers to food items in categories. There are the appetizers, the dinner selections with side dishes, the desserts, and then the beverages. There are other categories as well that reflect what the food is made from like pasta and seafood.
Some menu categories start with an appetizer section then it will go to salads and soups. Next comes the entrees and sides and finally the desserts and beverages. Menus have been seen with categories listed as breakfast, lunch and dinner as well. In days gone by items were placed in each category from the cheapest to the more expensive. This is not the way it is done today. Now the item that the restaurant wants to sell the most is placed in a prominent place on the menu and that might be the first item no matter what it costs. This might be a signature dish or the item will make the most money for the restaurant. It is placed in prime position so all will see it first.
Menus should have some sort of ornamentation like illustrations or photos. Family menus should always include pictures for kids that cannot read yet. Pictures of food can be found Online or just take pictures with a camera and use them on the menu. Descriptions of items on a menu are a must while others are not unless they are prepared differently. Everyone knows what a French Fry is so there is no reason to expound but if the French fry is made in sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds, it is a good idea to describe it. Classic menus for elegant dining many not have graphics at all but the description should be more detailed.
If the restaurant has special colors associated with it those colors should be reflected in the menu. Italian restaurants may use a red and white tablecloth on their menu. Family restaurants may make use of primary colors to catch the eyes of kids. An expensive restaurant may want to stick to black and ivory for a classy touch. Font should be easy to read for a family restaurant and the formal restaurant can use scrolling script-like fonts. Menus are frequently arranged in columns and they should never exceed two or they start to look like the evening newspaper.
Menus come in different shapes today instead of the plain rectangular type that open to a square. A pizza restaurant can have a menu in a circle just like the pizza if they choose to. If the menu looks clean and tidy people will automatically think the restaurant is the same way. If the menu looks like fun and contains some fun filled quips about the food people will automatically think that in coming to that restaurant they will have fun. Design of a menu has a great deal to do with how the public thinks about the restaurant.
A prominent position in a menu is the left panel at the top. This is were most customers are drawn to when opening it. Specials should be placed in this area. Any dishes specific to the restaurant should be placed there so that everyone will see them first. Never put prices in a column at the left. Customers should have to look for the price so they will be forced to see the whole menu and not just pick the cheapest entree. They should have to read the description and then find the price.
Menus should give customers an idea about the style of the restaurant and it should make the customer automatically go to the best dishes on the menu. Menus should have description of food but they should not be overly wordy that will make the customer get tired of reading. Menus will contain great descriptions that will make the mouth water and have pictures that will show what entrees look like. A great menu has great prices for the location and allows the customer to leave happy and full. - 30543
Menus, of course, detail food items and their prices but there is much more to it than that. When developing a menu one must take a look at the area in which the restaurant is located. Prices cannot exceed what a customer makes or no one will come. Chain restaurants all have the same items on the menu but the prices change with the location. A restaurant may be able to charge eight dollars for a hamburger in New York City, but they will not get away with that price in a small farm town in Ohio.
Demographics make a huge difference in what is to on the menu at a restaurant as well. If an area has many elderly people the restaurant may want to cater to them by giving them discounts or the menu may allow for smaller senior meals. The print on this menu may need to be a little larger to make sure the elderly can read it. If the area has families then they want to have a children's menu with family friendly food. If the restaurant is in a business district they may want to cater to business people bringing clients out for lunch or dinner and the menu would be a little more formal.
There are some restaurants that have four page menus with everything you can think of and others may only have three or four entrees. Menus introduce customers to food items in categories. There are the appetizers, the dinner selections with side dishes, the desserts, and then the beverages. There are other categories as well that reflect what the food is made from like pasta and seafood.
Some menu categories start with an appetizer section then it will go to salads and soups. Next comes the entrees and sides and finally the desserts and beverages. Menus have been seen with categories listed as breakfast, lunch and dinner as well. In days gone by items were placed in each category from the cheapest to the more expensive. This is not the way it is done today. Now the item that the restaurant wants to sell the most is placed in a prominent place on the menu and that might be the first item no matter what it costs. This might be a signature dish or the item will make the most money for the restaurant. It is placed in prime position so all will see it first.
Menus should have some sort of ornamentation like illustrations or photos. Family menus should always include pictures for kids that cannot read yet. Pictures of food can be found Online or just take pictures with a camera and use them on the menu. Descriptions of items on a menu are a must while others are not unless they are prepared differently. Everyone knows what a French Fry is so there is no reason to expound but if the French fry is made in sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds, it is a good idea to describe it. Classic menus for elegant dining many not have graphics at all but the description should be more detailed.
If the restaurant has special colors associated with it those colors should be reflected in the menu. Italian restaurants may use a red and white tablecloth on their menu. Family restaurants may make use of primary colors to catch the eyes of kids. An expensive restaurant may want to stick to black and ivory for a classy touch. Font should be easy to read for a family restaurant and the formal restaurant can use scrolling script-like fonts. Menus are frequently arranged in columns and they should never exceed two or they start to look like the evening newspaper.
Menus come in different shapes today instead of the plain rectangular type that open to a square. A pizza restaurant can have a menu in a circle just like the pizza if they choose to. If the menu looks clean and tidy people will automatically think the restaurant is the same way. If the menu looks like fun and contains some fun filled quips about the food people will automatically think that in coming to that restaurant they will have fun. Design of a menu has a great deal to do with how the public thinks about the restaurant.
A prominent position in a menu is the left panel at the top. This is were most customers are drawn to when opening it. Specials should be placed in this area. Any dishes specific to the restaurant should be placed there so that everyone will see them first. Never put prices in a column at the left. Customers should have to look for the price so they will be forced to see the whole menu and not just pick the cheapest entree. They should have to read the description and then find the price.
Menus should give customers an idea about the style of the restaurant and it should make the customer automatically go to the best dishes on the menu. Menus should have description of food but they should not be overly wordy that will make the customer get tired of reading. Menus will contain great descriptions that will make the mouth water and have pictures that will show what entrees look like. A great menu has great prices for the location and allows the customer to leave happy and full. - 30543
About the Author:
The food is great at restaurants Montreal in the province of Quebec. Back in Ontario, popular destinations include restaurant Mississauga.
