4.3 – Use descriptive writing to promote sale of menu items

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:

 Write descriptively about menu items

 Use descriptive words and metaphors to promote the sale of menu items.

Promoting sales

When writing about menu items, you should write descriptively to entice the customer in and encourage them to order from you. To do this effectively, you will need to focus on the concept of the business and draw out distinguishing aspects of the food, focusing on the appearance, texture and taste of it. Think of it as you’re telling the customer a story about the dishes and you want them to imagine everything you are saying. Menus should be designed to primarily promote the business and increase sales, so you should focus on being creative, using descriptive words and metaphors throughout to really sell the food to the customer.

Tips for promoting sale of menu items:

 Write specific descriptions of food items – focusing on tastes, smells, emotions and how the food makes you feel

 Explain dishes in a creative way to make them sound more interesting

 Use the right language and write in a way that the customer will understand

 Entice the reader in with the detailed description to make them want to order the dish straight away

 You should describe all items as if it is the best on the menu

 If it is an online menu, use keywords that the customer is likely to search for

 Don’t be too wordy; be descriptive but keep it short, up to two sentences is best

 Be clear and concise; don’t confuse or bore the customer with complex descriptions

 Be accurate in your descriptions; don’t mislead the customer or over exaggerate

 Effective words you could use include texture, flavour, bittersweet, tangy, juicy, fresh, delicately, palette, yummy, irresistible, taste sensations and paired

 Good words to use when describing how something is cooked are slow-roasted, panseared, crispy, crunchy, caramelised and wood burned.

Modified from sources: http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-andusage/descriptive-words-for-menu-copy.html and http://restaurantengine.com/menudescriptions/. Accessed on 07/11/2016.

Activity 4C

5. Evaluate menu success

5.1. Seek ongoing feedback from customers and others, and use to improve menu performance.

5.2. Assess success of menus against customer satisfaction and sales data.

5.3. Adjust menus based on feedback and profitability.

5.1 – Seek ongoing feedback from customers and others, and use to improve menu performance / 5.2 – Assess success of menus against customer satisfaction and sales data

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:

 Seek feedback from customers, employees and others about menu items

 Use feedback to implement changes and improve menu performance

 Use customer satisfaction and sales data to assess success of menus.

Seek ongoing feedback

It is important to obtain feedback from both customers and employees to find out their views and how satisfied they are with the menu. Gathering feedback allows you to spot where improvements need to be made and then make the necessary changes. There should be regular staff meetings to discuss the menu and listen to any staff suggestions for new menu items. This would provide an opportunity to ask them questions to inform future menu choices and gather their opinions on what changes should be made to improve menu performance. Surveys are a good way to gather feedback from customers, and the results would give you a good idea of whether the menu is a success or whether changes need to be made in order to achieve customer satisfaction.

Customer feedback

Gathering feedback from customers is important to show that you are serious about the business, care about their thoughts and opinions, and want to achieve customer satisfaction. It is also important for finding out what changes need to made and getting ahead of the competition.

Ways you can gather feedback from customers:

 Ask them questions – this is the easiest and most effective way to find out what customers really want, and you shouldn’t assume you already know this before asking. You could ask customers questions in person to find out, or use a customer survey to gather the information

 Imagine you are the customer – it is a good way to understand customers experience and viewpoint by imagining you are them, and even acting as customer to get a real feel of the customer experience

 Focus groups – in these groups, customers have the opportunity to tell you directly about their views, needs and preferences, so you can understand exactly who your customers types are and how you can cater for them

 Questionnaires and surveys – this is one of the most effective feedback techniques as customers are likely to be more honest about their opinions and suggestions through writing as opposed to being asked directly in person. It also gives them the chance to think about what they want to say as they aren’t usually put on the spot with these.

 Sales data and statistics – this is a good indication of whether customers are satisfied with the service or not as it shows whether they are buying from you. However, it isn’t the best form of feedback as it is only figures and doesn’t provide any further information about the customer’s opinions and needs.

 Front-line staff – this is an easy way to gather reliable feedback and staff are the ones who are talking to customers every day and building relationships with them, so they should be encouraged to find out whether customers are happy with the service and what they really want from the business.

Modified from source: http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/customerfeedback.htm. Accessed on 08/11/2016.

Assess success of menus

It is important to assess and evaluate the success of menus by looking at customer satisfaction and sales data. This will give you a good indication of whether certain menu items are successful and popular with customers, and whether some items need to be adjusted in order to improve customer satisfaction. Customers and employees are the main sources you should use when gathering information about the success of menus.

Use the following methods to assess the popularity of menu items:

 Customer surveys – asking customers about the menu as a whole and about individual dishes will allow you to find out what dishes are the most popular and determine which ones should be changed. You can also use customer surveys to gather suggestions on new menu choices that customers would like to see

 Popularity index – this ranks the menu items in order of popularity, showing the ones that are mostly bought by customers and the ones that are the least popular. A formula for popularity index is: the number sold of a particular menu item divided by the total number of menu items

 Sales data – if you look at sales data, you should be able to see which menu items have been sold more than others and this will give you a good indication of which ones are the most popular with customers and should be kept on the menu. The menu items with the least sales should be adjusted to improve them or it should be replaced by another type of dish.

Activity 5A

5.3 – Adjust menus based on feedback and profitability

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:

 Gather feedback and profitability information

 Use feedback to adjust menus and improve profitability.

Adjust menus

Once you have gathered feedback and information on profitability, you should make any adjustments required to the menus. If you identify that a menu item is not bringing the business much profit and is not gathering positive feedback from the majority of customers, then you should consider making adjustments to it or removing it from the menu and replacing it with a different dish. It is important to identify the unprofitable items and produce a menu that includes only high yield dishes. This will ensure that the business makes a profit and achieves customer satisfaction. Improvements may be suggested by various stakeholders in the business, and you will need to assess them carefully before making a decision to work out which ones would have a positive impact on the menu.

You should consider improvements suggested by:

 Customers

 Managers

 Peers

 Staff

 Supervisors

 Suppliers

Why it is important to adjust and improve menus on a regular basis:

 It shows that you listen to feedback and take it seriously

 It shows that you care about the business

 Improved menu could lead to customer satisfaction

 Increases profit for the business

 Puts the business ahead of competition

 Shows creativity and allows you to experiment with different dishes

 Allows the business to grow and develop, and stay on top of food trends.

Activity 5B

Summative Assessments

At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find the Summative Assessments. This includes:

 Skills assessment ➢ Knowledge assessment

 Performance assessment.