"Everything
we do here is about focusing flavors"
Thomas
Keller, The French Laundry
Your
guests define 'value' by the quality of the restaurant
experience and the memory it creates. Memories
of great value last and are shared with others.
Quality experiences don't 'just happen'. They
get orchestrated like a play or piece of music,
scene by scene, note by note. It requires a process. |
Balance
your capabilities with your physical plant
The practical world now intrudes. What kind of
facility do you have? What kind of equipment? Who
do you have to prep the ingredients? To cook the food?
To serve it? Always follow the spirit of "Know
Thyself". Choose your passions, but limit them.
Balance in all things. I work with a great restaurateur
who balances his culinary brilliance with a iron clad
system of prep which allows him to use inexperienced
line cooks and unskilled prep people and still produce
world class food. His head of prep is his second in
command. The gentleman knows the recipes and runs
the back of the house. Behind the line, the cooks
plate masterpieces without the pressure of 'a la minute'
cooking. In effect, everything is ready. Simply add
and serve. Their kitchen is small. The smoker is creaky,
if effective. Great food can be produced without the
latest gadgets. His kitchen includes a simple convection
oven, a six burner stove, a cheese-melter, a two basket
fryer, a steamer, a wood burning grill and a twelve
foot line incorporating hot, cold and dessert. He
has a couple of freezers and decent refrigerated storage,
but it isn't fancy. What does this create? A noisy,
exposed kitchen serving fabulous food from a menu
of nearly sixty-five items. Sounds like theater to
me. What is the moral? If you have an existing operation
don't fret. If you're planning a new restaurant, don't
over-equip.
Plan your profit
You are in one of two boats. Either you are dealing
with an existing menu or you are planning a new one.
Existing menu: You have your menu costed out.
You know how many of each thing you have sold. Break
your menu out into entrees, appetizers, sides and
desserts. The rest can wait. For each of these groups
calculate the mean gross profit earned (selling price
less food cost), and rank them in order of gross profit
earned. Now, do the same with your menu popularity.
Whatever is above the mean goes into the "High"
Group. Whatever is below, goes in the "Low"
category.
| |
Profit
|
Popularity
|
|
Group
One:
|
High
|
High
|
|
Group
Two:
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Group
Three:
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Group
Four:
|
Low
|
Low
|
Rule
of thumb: promote Group One, develop Group Two,
hide Group Three and get rid of Group Four. No item
that purports to represent one of your passions/guest's
'hot buttons' should be in either group three or four.
Period! I can hear your groans and feel your pain.
Listen to me. If you fear a guest's reaction, take
it off the menu, but keep it available for a limited
period of time. Let the guest know that it is there
for them this time but that it is not popular enough
to keep. Now you have the makings of a great, profitable
menu.
Next, think about what might be done with items that
are in Groups Two and Three to better align them with
your passion and the guest's 'hot buttons'. Every
item you can improve in this way becomes an opportunity
to increase value perception, as you increase the
price and profit.
Now and only now do you consider a new item.
And as you consider it, ask yourself "Will its
addition do anything to detract from what I
currently do well?"
New Menu: Add one step to the above process.
Use the "1/3, 1/3, 1/3" formula advocated
by a smart and expert friend of mine, Arlene Spiegel.
The first third represents your passion, the second
third represents items one must serve to stay in business
and the last third represents creative use of items
from the first two groups. When she speaks, I listen.
You should too.
Coming next: managing menu real estate and design
- where the twain finally meet. -->
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Part
I -Creating Memorable Menus
Part II -Creating Memorable
Menus
Part III -Creating Memorable
Menus
