The menu of your restaurant is the showcase of your establishment: it allows your customers to know what you offer and the prices you charge.
Here are the 3 points to master to elaborate the menu of your restaurant!
1 – The prices of your dishes and menus
It’s back to school and you want to mark the occasion by changing your restaurant’s menu? Good idea!
Your new dishes will have a prominent place on the menu… Now you have to set the prices.
To do this, you will have to calculate the profitability of each recipe.
For example, you can create a technical sheet for each recipe that will include
- The ingredients used, their quantity and their purchase price
- The price of the “extras” of this recipe (the bread or the condiments offered with it for example)
You will thus obtain the cost price of each recipe offered on the menu. Add your margin and set the price of your dish.
Proceed in the same way to create menus at attractive prices while controlling your production costs.
2- The legal obligations of your menu
The menu of a restaurant, beyond the prices of the dishes and menus, is subject to legal obligations in terms of information and display.
(source : economie.gouv.fr)
Mandatory information on your menu:
- The words “price and service included” in establishments where the service is charged must appear on your menus
- If you offer menus, you must specify whether drinks are included or not and indicate the nature and quantity served if they are included in the menu
- The appellations are also strictly regulated in terms of display on the menu. They concern wine (appellation, vintage, etc.) but also other foodstuffs (origin of meat or fish, fruit, etc.)
- If you offer wine by the glass, the capacity must be indicated in addition to the appellation, origin and/or vintage of the wine
The obligation to display your menu:
- Your wine list must be accessible to the outside during the entire service and at least from 11:30 am for lunch and 6 pm for dinner
- The prices of five wines, or of five drinks commonly served, if you do not serve wine (decree of March 27, 1987) must also be displayed
- The price and composition of the day’s dishes or menus must be indicated both inside and outside
- The maps and menus displayed inside must be the same as outside
3 – The layout of your card
– Whatever format you choose (portrait, square, landscape, etc.) remember to choose an appropriate medium:
- Paper is less expensive to purchase but has a limited lifespan (stains, tears, etc.)
- Plastic-coated paper is washable but it must be of good quality to avoid cracking
– Choose colors that match your logo and a font that is easy to read
– If you choose to put photos of your dishes, be uncompromising on their quality and do not forget the mention “non contractual photo” if necessary
– Remember to insert:
- the url of your website
- the names of your social accounts
- any additional services you offer (delivery, takeaway, etc.)
– Be creative! Give your dishes eye-catching names and take care of the description
