Make More Money: The Art of the Simple Menu

You know, in the world of restaurant and bars, there's nothing quite as important as your menu. Yet money don't set their menu up to make the money that it should. In this video, I'm going to share a three step plan to create a more profitable menu that puts a lot more money in your bank account. Hey. Donald Burns, the restaurant coach and author of the youe Restaurant Sucks trilogy. Your menu is part marketing tool, part profitability indicator, and all brand identity. Your menu is the one thing everyone who comes in contact with your concept is guaranteed to see. But sadly, too many menus are written out of the ego. It's a statement of who you are in a world vying for your attention. Your menu can be a double edged sword to get that attention. But used properly, it can get you profits and a steady stream of patrons used foolishly becomes a game of cat and mouse. And sadly, you're the poor mouse. Now, before we jump into the three steps to make your menu more profitable, let's have a talk about the number one problem. Your ego. Your ego are the brakes that's holding you back from getting the results you truly want. Your ego tells you that you know enough so you stop learning. Your ego says that your menu is awesome, so you ignore the data and keep driving ahead. Just remember, even on those long roads in the desert, they, they have curves. When your ego drives a menu, you become blind to the facts. Motion is ego's second cousin and it's kind of riding shotgun on this trip. Maybe you've heard some of these sayings before. Maybe you've even said some of these things before. Well, you know, the guests just don't get it. Oh, you know, my staff can't sell it. It's my bestseller. Even though the POS data clearly shows it's not. You know, I won't sacrifice my craft for, for people who don't get what I'm trying to do. I'm telling you, the ego says some batshit crazy things. And allow me to share a story with you. Once upon a time, there was a young chef who thought that his artistic integrity was everything. You want demi glaze on the side? No. You want to substitute sauteed spinach for hair color? Get out. One day, the young chef was called into the owner's office to have, you know, a little talk. And it went something quite like this. The owner, you know, I think your food's amazing and so do many of our guests. The young chef. Oh, you know, thank you. I appreciate that. The owner, well, here's the problem? I have the young chef now getting a little bit nervous. What's the problem? The owner. You know how you won't make substitutions or allow guests to alter your dishes in any way? The young chef being very firm. Yes. The food was designed to be a perfect balance of texture and flavors. I even had the servers take the salt and pepper off the table because I saw way too many guests seasoning the food without even tasting it. It drove me crazy. The owner. Yeah, well, you see, if people can't make changes to fit their needs, they're not gonna come back. And if they don't come back, I'm not gonna be able to pay you. The young chef. So you're saying this restaurant doesn't exist for my self promotion, but for the needs of the guest? The owner. Yeah. And put the salt and pepper shakers back on the table. Now, while this revelation was shocking and hit the young chef hard, it was liberation in the sense that he learned the true meaning of hospitality that evening. You see, it's all about the other person, not about you. And that young chef never forgot that valuable lesson. And it's been said that he went on to become an international restaurant coach and even wrote a few books. Hint, hint. So let's get into the three steps. Step one, you have to embrace the art of simplicity. If you've never had the pleasure of eating at an In N Out burger, you're missing out on the perfect example of of simplicity in action. Now, the brand was founded in 1948 in Baldwin, California. And the menu was created to get you in and out with your food in record time. Hence the name In N out. Now, in 75 years, while the prices have definitely changed, the menu, surprisingly has not changed very much. It's still just eight items. Now, before you scoff or turn up your nose at a very small menu, let's take into account that on average, each in and out location takes in over easily over $2 million. Now multiply that by 335 locations and you have an empire. Step number two, stop adding to your menu. Now, you might be bored with your menu since you see it day after day. And the temptation to change things that become repetitive is human nature. But here's a tip. Don't fix what's not broken. Now, you might be bored making the same roasted poblano meatloaf or that silver coin margarita. The real question you need to ask yourself is, are your guests bored with it? If the sales aren't declining, it isn't broken. Stop adding things to your menu that compete with your high profit items. When we give the guests too many options, they experience anxiety. It's called paradox of choice about making the right choice. When they get confused about making the right choice, they fall back to the safe choice, which is usually the Caesar salad with chicken. And step number three, start taking items away. It takes courage to go against your ego and strip away the fat from the menu. It's a challenge to suppress your ego and create a menu that serves your guest and makes money. Here are some wise words to place in your office when working on your next menu and it's from Antoine Date Saint xb. Perfection is achieved not when there's nothing more to add, but when there's nothing left to take away. You see when you can dial in your menu to where all the items really sell pretty evenly. Then and only then have you mastered the art of a simple menu. Until then, keep your eyes on the data, make adjustments, and then frequently take your ego. Kind of lock it in the back room. Now you can let your ego out after work to get some fresh air, but don't feed it after midnight or bad things happen. If you remember what happened in Gremlins, trust me on that. Now you might want to hit that like and subscribe button before your competition does. In my next video, I will show you how to build a service team that will allow you to completely dominate your market.