Pub Chef Opinion: Take time to create an effective menu

Askew: "From fine dining to fast food, meny planning follows the same basic principles"

When choosing somewhere to eat, most of us read the menu before even going inside. You should never underestimate the importance of your menu, it’s a great marketing tool and often the first contact with potential customers.

If it is badly planned and written, it can stop people coming through the door. From fine dining to fast food, menu planning follows the same basic principles.

Be clear about your target market and research the competition. Who are your customers and what do they want? Your menu should be competitively priced and written in a style that has broad appeal.

A lengthy explanation of ingredients may enhance your experience in a Michelin-starred restaurant, but could put off diners in a country pub. Keep the wording in keeping with the concept.

List the menus you need to offer. Will you want separate lunch and dinner menus, a tasting version or even one for children? Compile a basic outline of the menu style. Think about the layout and how many courses, choices or side dishes you want on it. This forward planning will keep you focused on achieving the right balance.

Start with your signature dishes and then build up the rest of the menu around them, making sure you have a good balance of fish, meat and vegetarian, taking into account local and seasonal produce; this is currently topical and can often prove more cost effective and consistent.

Build your dishes around the main component and create a good balance of flavours and ingredients. Don’t over-complicate things and be realistic about what you can achieve and maintain consistently.

When you have completed the menus and they are operational, aim to change one dish per week; this keeps your menu feeling fresh and maintains momentum. Changing too much on the menu at any one time can lead to issues with consistency.

All this is irrelevant if you get the pricing wrong. Being competitive is one thing, but you must also spend time calculating costs and factoring in your margins. Doing this before you start will prevent any nasty surprises when you go over the accounts.

Lastly, don’t forget to check your spelling. Get the finished article proof read by a second person before printing, to prevent any embarrassing or costly mistakes. A decimal point in the wrong place could be expensive.