What Is Your Restaurant's Most Important Internal Marketing Tool?

By Author: Ethan Luke
Total Articles: 19
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In the restaurant business, every great owner knows that marketing your cuisine doesn't stop at the door. Once a customer is inside your restaurant, menus and menu boards are the most important internal marketing tool you have at your disposal. They are used to further sell the customer, and is the only piece of marketing content that you are absolutely sure will be read by the clientele.

Subtle Design

Gallup reports that a customer will spend, on average, 109 seconds reading menu items. So you have that amount of time to get your messaging across to them. Menu design and presentation needs to address this time stipulation. Gallup also conducted a survey that proved menu design had a ‘subtle effect' on what customers ordered. This knowledge can help restaurant owners boost sales on certain menu and menu board items. In the past, some popular restaurant chains sported menus up to 12 pages long., but have since reduced them significantly.

Customer Engagement

Once a customer is engaged with a menu or menu board, it will directly influence not only what they eat, but ultimately how much they spend. ...
... It has been found that the menu design influences overall sales revenues of a restaurant by using forecasted cover counts and average check targets. More and more restaurants are realizing the importance of proper menu and menu board design and presentation on check averages.

Check Optimization

Restaurants are starting to revamp their menu and menu boards with the specific goal of increasing check averages. Menus and menu boards are now designed to lead customers from the specialty drinks (on the cover of menus) to appetizers (on the first page of menus) and complete courses (on the inside of menus). A well-designed menu and menu board will guide the attention of a customer to specific or featured items and increase the likelihood that those menu items will be ordered. Of course, these items should have the highest gross profit and lowest food cost, which will only achieve a higher average check.

As a restaurant owner or manager, the menu and menu board is the best internal marketing tool you have at your disposal. It has been proven that strategic design will help increase the average check amount and sell more profitable menu items. If your restaurant is in need of a menu and menu board redesign or a complete system replacement, contact a professional menu consultant for a comprehensive signage solution.

When it comes to average check optimizing-restaurant menus, menu boards, and back-lit signage systems, Order-Matic can provide your restaurant with the most comprehensive signage solution available. For indoor or outdoor signage options, they have the answer when it comes to a streamlined look to showcase your products. For small shops who need a hand-held solution, their graphics division, Order-Graphic, is a one-stop shop for all of your printing needs. From design, photography, to production, Order-Graphic has the experience and dedication to bring your projects to life with eye-catching results.

Order-Matic is your customized \"One-Stop Shop\" for all of your restaurant and business needs. From Point of Sale equipment, communication needs, backlit signage to graphics, they\'ve had it all for over 50 years!
Ethan Luke. Menu Board - Order-Matic has manufactured POS and communication equipment for over 50 years. We offer a product line that not only includes POS solutions and wired and wireless communication concepts, but menu boards for inside and outside signage. We also provide digital surveillance systems that provide 24-hour security and managerial peace of mind. Our plant consists of a graphic design and printing department that can meet a wide variety of printing needs.