Running a restaurant is a tricky business. You will need to strike the perfect balance between good quality food and ambiance in order to build up a loyal consumer base. If a customer is willing to pay over-the-top for your food, they will expect quality in return. As a result, restaurateurs have to ensure that they maintain the highest standards of quality, or they have to be ready to face intense criticism. Consumers generally pay a lot of attention to fine details, so it’s important for you to focus on minute details as well before you open the doors for consumers.
One of the most important aspects of your whole restaurant is your menu. What items are you going to serve? How are you going to serve them? The menu will be the first thing a visitor asks for after being seated. Therefore, it’s imperative for you to spend a considerable amount of time setting up the menu in detail. You will obviously need to buy good quality menu boards, as they go a long way in terms of presentation. Here are just some of the many things that you should include on the menu (apart from the names of the dishes, of course).
Prices
Unless you are running a buffet restaurant, it’s important to include the prices of all the dishes adjacent to the names of the dish. Nobody likes asking the waiter every few seconds just to learn the price of the dish. You might be surprised to know that many restaurants do not include the prices of the dishes on their menu. The menu should be divided into different categories, starting from the appetisers and then moving on to the main courses, the desserts, and finally beverages. Make sure you include the prices alongside each item. Also, it would be wise to include the prices inclusive of all taxes, so that customers know exactly how much money they will have to pay. Most people often set a budget before visiting any place, and including all-inclusive prices will make the whole experience considerably better for everyone involved.
Descriptions
If you are serving continental or international food in your restaurant, it might be a good idea to include a brief description at the bottom of every dish. Obviously, descriptions might lengthen the menu slightly, but at least they will make it easy for customers to decide what they want to eat. The key to creating a good menu is to make it as easy as possible for individuals to place orders. If you have a brief description of every dish, the customer won’t have to constantly ask the waiter to describe the dish before placing any orders. Many restaurants often have chef’s specials and in-house specialties that they name on their own. New customers won’t have a clue about what the dish is, or the ingredients, so it would be smart to include some small descriptions about each dish.
