SYSCO
OFFERS MENU
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES
TO HELP YOU
GROW YOUR
BUSINESS!
Sobremesa
A menu is the introduction to what a restaurant offers. And for many
guests, it’s also their first impression. Designing a menu is a science
with huge potential to bring in revenue—if you know how to make
the most of it. You can help guide guests decide what they will order
—and therefore how much they will spend!
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
OF YOUR MENU
The right design for your menu could
help your business grow and keep guests
coming back.1 Be proactive with changes
in your menu’s design, what you offer,
and adjust as necessary. Not sure where
to start? Take a look at the ideas in this
article to help create the best impression
for your restaurant.
TAKING AN OBJECTIVE LOOK
A good place to start is by identifing the
most and least popular dishes on your
menu. Create a plan to analyze profits
and determine which dishes should stay
and which should be retired. This plan
should be based on number of dishes
sold and should also take into account
the cost per serving, the price listed, and
profit earned. Some dishes will only
need a simple modification to sell better;
for example, adding one or two new
ingredients to enhance taste can impact
menu appeal. The dishes that aren’t
profitable, even after these modifications,
will need to be completely eliminated
from the menu.
Give your menu a modern twist by
offering upscale dishes as specials. These
dishes shouldn’t be included on your
regular menu but suggested by the servers.
Try providing a script to your employees
with all the information they should
convey to the guests. Hungry diners won’t
order food based on the price but on how
appetizing the dishes seem.2
LIMITED TIME OFFERS
To test out new dishes use limitedtime offers (LTOs) featuring seasonal
ingredients. Using seasonal ingredients
helps you keep costs low, and as a bonus,
it’s also appealing to customers, who are
looking for fresh, seasonal flavors.
Another idea is to offer your regular menu
and two additional ones; one for specials
and another one for desserts. This allows
you to change these offers as often as
needed, without needing to print a new
menu every time you update the specials
or desserts.
Identify your most frequent guests and
invite them to a private tasting of new
recipes. Add the most popular specials
to your regular menu and eliminate
the unpopular ones.
Autumn 2014
67%
OF CONSUMERS order specials that
feature seasonal ingredients.3
WARMING UP TO SOUP
Leverage the potential soups offer. Soups are a great way to increase yield and profits. They’re inexpensive
to make, too, usually requiring little more than staple pantry items and repurposing leftover ingredients.
Soup is a comfort food and most consumers want to try new and different kinds.4 Try offering different
variations throughout the year and make sure to offer specials, especially during the fall and winter
months. A recent trend to consider is the rise of healthy and gluten-free soups with seasonal ingredients
that emphasize freshness.
Here’s a unique, delicious recipe for avocado soup. To make this vegan dish, you will need the
following ingredients:
our menu
AVOCADO SOUP RECIPE
• 2 pounds Sysco avocado
pulp (can substitute with
fresh avocados)
•1 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons pepper
•2 quarts vegetable broth
•½ teaspoon powdered
guajillo
•¼ cup white wine
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•¼ cup lemon juice
•Cilantro for garnishing
•1 ½ cups diced onion
• ¼ cup minced garlic
Start by sautéing the onion and the garlic in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook at mediumlow for 20-30 minutes. This soup will yield sixteen 8 oz portions. Total cost to you? Per serving cost is
$0.56* – with a menu price of $3.99 providing you with a profit of $3.43 per dish.
Place your most
profitable items in
the top right corner,
and your most
profitable category
central on the menu,
to attract the
diner’s eye and
influence their
ordering decision.
* The cost may vary depending on your restaurant’s location and the price of the ingredients you purchase
A LITTLE BIT OF MENU GENIUS
Make sure your customers are informed about the
menu changes and always ask them for their opinion
regarding changes. Include them in your decisions.
Identify your most frequent guests and invite them
to a private tasting of new recipes. Add the most
popular specials to your regular menu and eliminate
the unpopular ones. With this feedback you’ll be able
craft a menu that’s perfect for your restaurant.
You can make the most of your menu by asking
your local Sysco representative about using Sysco’s
Menu Services*. By using Sysco’s Menu Services,
sales per customer increased an average of $336.31
per week, while the profit margin increased an
average of $44.11 per week. Don’t wait to make
the most of your menu – learn more about the
benefits of this valuable service!
* The Sysco Menu Services are available in certain US regions. Make sure to verify with your representative that these services are available in your area.
Food Tech Connect, Designing Intelligent Menus to Increase
Restaurant Profitability, 2013
2
Money.msn.com, Restaurants look for servers who can upsell, 2014
1
Technomic, Leveraging LTOs in Fast Casual, 2014
Flavor & The Menu, A Canvas for Flavor, 2013
3
An interest in global
cuisines has increased,
especially among
Millenials who love
to try new and
different flavors.
Source: The Hartman Group
4
Your opinion is very important to us. If you have suggestions for future editions of Sobremesa or would like to know
more about the topics included here, please email us at: [email protected]. Discover the thousand and one ways
Sysco can help you grow by visiting sysco.com. Until next time!