· 4 min read
First and last: the position effects inside a menu section
How first and last positions inside a menu section change what guests order: primacy, recency, the middle that disappears, and when to break the pattern. · 5 min read
Set menu vs à la carte: how to structure both on one page
How to lay out a set menu and an à la carte selection on the same menu without confusing guests: hierarchy, pricing logic, supplements, and the layouts that work. · 5 min read
Raising menu prices without losing guests: design, timing and wording
How to raise menu prices when costs climb: which dishes to move first, how much, when to reprint, and the design choices that keep the increase from being the story. · 5 min read
Menu analysis: the five numbers to track every month
A monthly menu analysis routine: sales mix, contribution margin, popularity index, attachment rate and item count, with the thresholds that trigger a change. · 5 min read
Kids' menu design: what parents trust and children actually order
How to design a kids' menu that works for both readers: portion logic, pricing, allergen clarity for parents, and type, colour and format choices for children. · 5 min read
Upselling with menu design: sides, pairings and the second glass
How a printed menu sells the extras on its own: where to place sides, how to write pairing lines, pricing wine by the glass to invite a second, and what to leave off. · 5 min read
Menu engineering for cafés: pastries, add-ons and the coffee ladder
How café menus make money: building a coffee price ladder, placing pastries where they sell, pricing add-ons like oat milk and syrups, and laying it out on a board or card. · 5 min read
Seasonal menu rotation: how often to change it and how to announce it
A working rhythm for seasonal menu changes: which dishes rotate, which stay, how many times a year to reprint, and how to signal the new season on the page. · 4 min read
From food cost to menu price: a pricing method that holds up
A step-by-step method to turn recipe food cost into a menu price: target ratios, contribution margin, price anchoring and how to present the result on the page. · 4 min read
Decoy dishes and anchoring: pricing tactics that actually work
How decoy dishes and price anchors work on a printed menu, when they insult the guest, and how to set one real expensive neighbour without inventing a fake plate. · 4 min read
Boxes and chef's picks: emphasis that does not cheapen the menu
How to highlight a dish on a restaurant menu without turning the card into a flyer: one box, one mark, better type, and the emphasis habits that kill trust. · 4 min read