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Lunch gets the short end of the (carrot) stick. Breakfast is touted as the most important meal of the day. Dinner is probably the most fun meal of the day, as it is the time when you can unplug your mind and pursue leisure. Lunch is that meal that can so often get eaten at a desk or while feverously replying to Smartphone messages.
Let’s bring the lunch back, shall we? In our hyperconnected world, lunch is not only an opportunity to refuel physically, but also mentally. By stepping away from the desk, we can allow ourselves to press the reset button, possibly coming back with a more creative mindset.
As a restaurant owner, your job is to create a delicious experience, while being cognizant of the fact that this may be the one time in your customers’ day where their eyes are not glued to a screen. Show them how gorgeous the world can be through an enticing menu. It will be like when Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz sees the world in color for the first time.
Some things to keep in mind before we show you a well executed lunch menu sample:
Cross training is not just for the gym.
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Use a lunch menu that crosses well into your dinner menu. As fun as it may be to imagine a completely different menu, you need to use as much as possible of the ingredients you buy to be profitable. Tweak the lunch menu with minor adjustments to seamlessly transfer from lunch to dinner. It could be the portion size. It could be the addition of sides. Fluid transitions will make you into the restaurant equivalent of the principal ballet dancer.
Some ingredients won’t remain fresh for long.
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Staying safe and profitable in the kitchen means that you must be meticulous and careful about the pricey ingredients. These are often the ingredients that get the customers in the door, yet don’t have a shelf life much longer than the trending topic on Twitter. Chris Chung of AKA Bistro in Boston’s Lincoln Park advises buying foods that spoil quickly daily. You’ll get better at buying the right amount every month that you are in business. Chung speculates that food costs are around 33% the first month, and 30% after that. We all know that the easiest way to learn quickly is when your own dollar bills are on the line. Any perishable items from lunch can be efficiently relocated to dinner.
Be short and to the point.
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Your verbosity may come in handy when making big sales pitches, but most people don’t have a lot of time when it comes to lunch. They want to read the menu quickly, see what speaks to their heart and get on with their day. Gordon Ramsay says, “the more dishes, the lower the standard.” And he doesn’t have much of an opinion about anything. Long menus are not only confusing for the customer, but it will also make your kitchen look like a coop of chickens with their heads cut off. You do need your head (especially around gleaming chef’s knives and hungry patrons). A small menu cooked and executed well will solve these problems (and keep your aforementioned head).
Put a twist on the typical.
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BLT with fresh cut fries. Spaghetti and meatballs. Are you already stifling a yawn? This is not to say that you can’t serve these items, but add a little pizzazz. This pizzazz can come in the form of an ingredient that you find yourself swimming in (a little avocado can go a long way) or even the way you describe that item (“sumptuously prepared”). Creativity is a prerequisite to innovation and your patrons certainly will notice. In fact, the word “seasoned” on restaurant menus has increased 13.9% since 2010. Looks like we could all use a little more spice in our lives.
Keep prices affordable.
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Although, according to Forbes, Americans spend over $1K annually eating out for lunch, this happens in small amounts. Ten dollars twice a week is the norm, so have your menu reflect this assumption. The high rollers may appreciate pricier items, but most people like the ease of a single bill and a meal that will keep them from hitting the vending machine at 3pm.
Focus on the positive.
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It is the glass half full or half empty paradigm. Let your customers see your positivity by the one-page lunch menu. Always highlight what is included, even if you think it is an expectation. Having a side-dish in bold font will look like a surprising bonus, rather than an expectation. Dan Jurafsky wrote The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu and found that four-star reviews tended to use a narrower range of vague positive words, while one-star reviews had a more varied vocabulary. You don’t need a lot of synonyms. You just need positive language.It is the whole happy people focus on what they do have, rather than what they don’t have. Happy restaurant, happy life?
Here is an example of a simple, to the point, lunch menu:
SAMPLE LUNCH MENU
STARTERS
Soup of the Day
$2.95/$4.95
Lobster Bisque (served with a warm cheddar scone)
$5.95/$7.95
SALADS
Garden Salad (bright medley of greens tossed with our house dressing)
$7.95
Apple Salad (romaine and celery mixed with tart apples, cranberries and blue cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette)
$9.50
Caesar Salad (Padano cheese, croutons and Pancetta bacon)
$8.50
$9.50 with chicken
$10.50 with salmon
Greek Salad (fresh spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes and Greek olives, slicked with feta-walnut dressing)
$7.95
SPECIALTY SANDWICHES
All sandwiches are served with your choice of hand-cut golden fries, a cup of our soup of the day or a side Garden salad
Portobello and Goat Cheese Flatbread
(Garlic marinated mushrooms topped with tomatoes, scallions and local goat cheese)
$12.95
Crab Cake Sandwich (A delicate crab cake served on a toasted roll with lettuce and tartar sauce)
$7.95
Tuscan Grilled Chicken Panini (Grilled chicken with provolone, artichoke hearts, and roasted red pesto on grilled rosemary focaccia)
$8.95
Southwest Turkey Club
(Sliced turkey on a toasted roll with bacon, lettuce and tomatoes and avocado-ranch dressing)
$7.95
Open faced Steak Sandwich
(Thinly sliced striploin on chewy ciabatta with garlic herb butter, smoked provolone, double smoked bacon and onions)
$11.95
Pulled Pork (Slow roasted pork simmered in homemade tangy BBQ sauce and served on a toasted roll with coleslaw)
$6.95
DESSERTS
Ask Your Server For Our Daily Dessert Specials
Of course, if you have a little room on your single page, add a dessert or two that is easy to prepare and keep in house. Consider desserts that are easily portable for patrons who wish to grab-and-go, from biscotti to mini cakes.
Make it easy for you. Make it easy for them. There are a lot of things in life that are profoundly more complex in life than lunch. The easier it looks for your customer, the more pre-planning has likely come from your end. Get organized and definite on what you are presenting to let more customers come in and out in a short window.
Move over, breakfast. You could easily be replaced as the most important meal.