Too many menu items?

We live in a country where everything is quick. I’m on a mission and want to get it done fast. This may not be the ideal way to live, but let’s face it: most of us are in a hurry.

When I open up a menu and am bombarded with twelve pages of menu items to choose from, I feel overwhelmed. You might think, “Hey, variety is the spice of life!” and want to have a little bit of everything for your customers, but there are some potential risks with offering so much.

First, your customers may feel a little bit stressed out having to narrow down a decision when they’re faced with 20 sandwiches, 12 hamburgers, 34 entrées and 7 pizzas to choose from. They may end up just picking the first thing that they see and miss out on that great Buffalo Chicken Pizza that they would have loved but didn’t see.

Second potential hazard is your meal quality. With so many items you may not really excel at any of them, just make them “good enough.” What is your chef excellent at making? What items keep your customers coming back? If you’re really good at a few things, focus on those plus some other good sellers. But if having so many items causes your food to be mediocre instead of the best, narrow down the options.

How do you cut some things from your menu? If you’re not known for your burgers, you can easily narrow those down into one “Build Your Own Burger” item. Or if there are just some things that don’t sell well but you keep on the menu for Grandma Anne who comes in every Tuesday morning at 7:47am and orders that same item every time, take it off the menu but let her know that you’ll make it special, just for her.

All in all, it’s a good idea to keep your menu simple. It makes it easier for your customers to decide what they want by offering a reasonable number of items. And it’s easier for your chef – there are fewer recipes to have to be an expert with!

Submitted by Alison Major, Project Design Manager