No tool in planning for profit in your restaurant is more important that the menu. Your menu is the most powerful tool you have for increasing profit. The menu is also an effective tool for satisfying guest needs.

Next to a motivated server sales staff, a well-designed menu is your best internal marketing tool.

Review the actual menu content and update it every six months. Continually review the layout and design of your menu and plan to revise it every year. New menu covers create a sense of excitement and offer a fresh updated feeling. Daily Special/Features will allow you to continually test menu items and price-points.

When deciding on the design of your menu, consider the lighting level of the restaurant. If the lighting is low there will need to be greater contrast between the paper color and ink, than if the lighting is bright.

Carefully select fonts for your menu. Avoid using script which is often hard to read. Watch out for typos. Make sure you edit your menu. Obvious typos can really distract from the menu presentation. Have printed daily feature sheets which utilize local produce and seasonally available products.

Have a separate menu for children but also list the children's choices on the regular menu. That way if a parent comes in for lunch they get a clear signal that the restaurant is child-friendly. When the family does dine together, the parent can help steer the child by reading the choices off their menu.

Menus should include signature dishes but the items don't always have to be an entree. They can be an appetizer, dessert, or even a coffee or cocktail.

The most important aspect of a successful menu is to have consistent food coming out of the kitchen. Everything has to live up to the expectation created by the menu copy. Today's menus need careful thought and consideration to meet the needs of your guests so you can ensure repeat business, higher sales volume and increased profit. To survive in this competitive market, you must always be working toward increasing the average guest check and the profits of your restaurant. But, never pressure the guest just work on guest satisfaction. Measure guest satisfaction often.

This blog will give you some great ideas to accomplish these goals. "Structuring Your Menu For Profit" is a results-oriented program that covers all aspects of menu planning, food preparation and service, Guest satisfaction menu design, selling with suggestions, pricing, merchandising, and profit analysis.