Despite all that has been done to simplify restaurant menus in the past few years, it appears there may be room to go further. Restaurant Business says that according to a newly published survey of 1000 consumers by U.S. Foods, the average restaurant guest spends nine minutes perusing the menu before ordering — and for the vast majority of guests, that is on top of the time they spend skimming the menu before arriving at the restaurant. Further, even though 82 percent of guests said they prioritize convenience when they choose where to eat, the average guest spends 23 minutes contemplating what to eat — not the most convenient way for guests to access restaurant food (or the most efficient way for restaurants to turn tables, either). So where is there room for change? Most consumers surveyed said they dislike QR codes and even more said that physical menus should be available at restaurants, so it sounds like the physical menus themselves still need greater simplification and clarity. The survey found that more than half of consumers said they still felt they had too many options to consider on restaurant menus, while 79 percent said they struggle to decide what to order. They key elements that consumers said they preferred on menus included clear descriptions that listed all ingredients, images of menu items, and prices, so you might consider these factors as a guide. In your on-site interactions with guests and in guest reviews, do you detect signs that your menu needs further simplification? Are guests confused by the variety of options, looking for ways to modify existing menu items, or struggling to find items in their price range? As you optimize your menu in the coming months, there may be opportunities to refine your options and make the process of ordering from you faster and more convenient. Experiential. High-value. Exclusive. These words come up repeatedly when consumers are surveyed about what they enjoy about restaurant dining nowadays – and what makes them crave a return visit. In the recently published LDEI Trends Report 2023, one theme that emerged was how bringing chefs front and center – in more ways than before – can help restaurants succeed in accommodating those consumer preferences. The visibility of your chef can send a message about everything from your restaurant’s values to the quality of the experience you offer. Because consumers are increasingly savvy about ingredients, food sourcing and how various foods affect their personal health, chefs can add interest and education to a menu offering by finding ways to share the story of sourcing a special, high-quality ingredient and how it makes a significant difference in a dish. They can also make on-trend meal preparation methods more accessible – like by showcasing how to bring vegetables to the center of the plate in appealing ways, for example. Seeing chefs cook – in a pop-up setting, table-side, at a chef’s station in your restaurant, or even in a food truck – can lend some spontaneity to a meal and make it feel like an exclusive experience – something worth more than the price of the food itself. Regardless of your restaurant category, you can benefit from making your chefs a highly visible part of the experience you offer. Are there opportunities you haven’t tested yet? Like never before, restaurants are gaining new tools to collect guest data and mine it for increasingly precise insights. This information is feeding limited-time offer ideas and menu development, as well as expanding operators’ capabilities in terms of the targeted communications they can send to subsets of guests. It’s also shifting the competitive landscape for restaurants as businesses adopt restaurant technology in varying degrees. Sweetgreen’s CEO, for example, recently announced that the salad brand would like to do for the menu what Spotify did for the playlist – in other words, identify exactly what ingredient and nutrient combinations people want and need to eat, then executing that to a specific degree. Expedite reports that Sweetgreen’s robotic technology, currently in use in two of the brand’s 225 locations, can dispense all of the restaurant’s 55 ingredients with the exception of avocado and salmon, which require human intervention. So far, the technology is proving to lift check totals and margins (it can measure ingredients down to the gram, eliminating waste). The planned expansion of this offering sets the stage for guests to not necessarily order off the menu, but to get customized recommendations based on the information they are willing to share about themselves. To be sure, most restaurants won’t be investing in the kind of robotic technology that is in place at Sweetgreen. But the changes at Sweetgreen – and similar changes at other brands – are apt to incrementally move the needle when it comes to consumer expectations. What mechanisms can you put into place that will allow you to address a range of dietary needs and preferences? |
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