Is your menu online ready?
Apr 12, 2020, 4:32 PM
Getting your menu online is a smart idea as café & restaurants adapt to survive during these challenging times. But simply posting your dine-in menu won’t cut it. Here’s 3 things to keep in mind when creating an online menu.
1. Define your market – Are you serving breakfast, lunch or dinner options? Create a simple menu for each. Will it be pick-up, delivery or both? Clearly define you delivery area, cut-off times and delivery days. If you don’t have an online store, clearly define your order and pick-up/delivery process. From the outside, it must look effortless for the customer.
2. Keep it simple! This applies to everything, especially your menu options and layout. Adopt a rule-of-3 for each product category. Use the same ingredients across multiple products as much as possible. Choose options that customer can’t easily make at home (thanks to COVID-19 we have more time on our hands now, so $22 smashed avo on sourdough is right out!). Keep pricing as low as possible while still protecting your target margin. Customers are no longer paying for the social experience of dining in so they expect to pay less! To compensate, add a meal deal or combos to boost the average spend. Check your cost-of-goods and highlight the most profitable items on the menu. Use simple fonts and contrasting colours (preferably not a white background). Remember, simple doesn’t mean boring. Change the menu up regularly, this is much easier when it is online.
3. Presentation (still) matters – Be smart about packaging. Use the same packaging for multiple products and make sure the items will travel well! Use a more durable (& eco friendly) option, but price it into the product to ensure the item is still viable.
