Pizza Menu Engineering - Free Expert Advice, A "Must Read" Article!

With many advances and new technologies in full color printing, the right printer can provide independent pizza operators with "big chain" quality menus at extremely low prices. Here are some observations and tips from regarding the benefits of pizza menu engineering.

Engineering a pizza menu falls somewhere between an art and a science. A pizza menu should be designed in such a way as to easily sell your most profitable dishes, yet engineered to keep food and operating costs in line with profitability. An ongoing analysis of costs in relation to profits will help you structure prices to greatly improve your bottom line.

While it may seem an insurmountable task, keep an eye on what is selling and which items have gone 'dead.' Fashions aren't the only things that trend, and a wise pizza restaurateur will mold his/her menu to trends in dining. Other than the classic pepperoni and cheese pie, 'designer' pizzas do go in and out of style (and many trends are started by national chains with heavy advertising - remember the explosion of bbq pizza?)

A successful and profitable pizza menu will always include signature pizzas and dishes with higher profit margins. This is how you brand your restaurant and encourage customer loyalty. Pizza menu engineering enables you to put your signature dishes in the 'spotlight' so that they become synonymous with your restaurant.

Because you are conducting an ongoing analysis, there may be times when you notice that certain high profit items are not selling as they should. A well engineered menu will enable you to track this data (through coupons, online codes, etc), and many restaurateurs create contests for servers to boost sales of these dishes.

For example: "Thank you for calling Tony's Pizza, would you like to try our best-selling "Loaded Pizza" and receive a Free 2 Liter of Soda today?"

When certain items are not selling, consider their location on your printed pizza menus. Perhaps those items are not strategically located to call attention to them. One of the greatest benefits of modern technology is the relative ease at which menus can be totally customized.

Often it's a matter of 'drag 'n drop' and graphics programs that enable photos and menu items to be moved around so that you can envision alternate layouts (ask your designer for help with this). While some templates may not allow for this degree of customization, your printer may have other templates that allow for greater control. Or, if you have the time, it's highly recommended to create your menu from scratch and do it right the first time.

It's important to know when it's time for a totally new menu, or if a few minor changes can do the trick. Perhaps the menu itself just isn't 'working.' Your printer will have various options to choose from when it's finally time to throw in the towel and use a whole new design. You can also ask to speak with a marketing professional who has experience in restaurant marketing campaigns. There is no substitute to speaking with and learning from professionals that have years of experience.

Keep in mind that while it is easy to change prices to maintain a decent profit margin, too many changes all at once are not good either. It is recommended that you only change prices on items that yield unacceptably low profits. Pizza menu engineering enables you to keep an ongoing analysis of what is working and what is not, and printing costs are low enough so that you can update your menu as needed.

Your pizza menu should sell for you when you aren't there. Design, layout, and a solid marketing strategy are keys to unlocking huge profits.

Chris Barr is a marketing professional and graduate of Christopher Newport University. His areas of expertise include direct mail, internet marketing, copy writing, SEO, and new business development. Chris currently serves as Marketing Director for Taradel LLC in Richmond, VA.

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