How long has your restaurant menu been in place? How in touch are you? Is your restaurant menu old and tired? Does it meet the real need of the guests?
Test this crazy restaurant marketing idea.
Visit a local restaurant and simply order something without a menu, your favorite item. Think about what type of flavors you would like to have floating around in your mouth.
"I would like a corn fed beef prime rib with a baked potato and corn on the cob. Since I don't eat wheat, I would like a gluten free muffin or bread."
This should be so very easy for any restaurant to create. If the server responds: "I am sorry, we don't serve corn on the cob, we don't have corn fed beef nor do we have gluten free bread..." you can leave.
A restaurant menu limits the imagination and can be limiting. A good menu will broaden the imagination and make a person curious. If the menu is simply a list of food products, why not toss them out?
Why not tell everyone who comes into your restaurant for one week: "There are no menus. Order what you like." Create a 'one-price-fits-all' lunch and dinner promotion for the week.
After one week, what do you suppose would be the most popular items ordered? Would your restaurant survive? Would your guests be dumbfounded and amazed? What is it that people are really thinking about your menu? Would they ask for no mayo? More potatoes? How about portions? Are portions important? What types of questions would they ask?
Maybe, the reason they look at the menu for so long is not because it is so difficult to make a decision, maybe they just can't find what matches their preferred flavors.
A menu should inspire the imagination beyond the ordinary. Remove the menu for a week. Be prepared to scramble for the unusual.
When I come to your restaurant, my first question is: "What is the most favorite item people exlaim with 'fantastic'?" Often times the server can't answer.
You might name the week with no menu: "Anything Goes Menu". One price for your most favorite dish. You name it, we make it.
This just might be newsworthy, don't you think?
