A well-designed menu is more than a list of dishes—it’s a tool that can drive profitability, enhance the guest experience, and reflect a restaurant’s brand identity. In the MENA region, where competition is fierce and consumer expectations are high, optimizing your menu is critical to long-term success. Let’s explore strategies for turning your menu into a powerful business asset.
- Menu Engineering: Balancing Profit and Popularity
Menu engineering involves a strategic evaluation of each dish based on profitability and popularity. By analyzing menu items, you can classify them into four categories: stars (high profit, high popularity), plow horses (low profit, high popularity), puzzles (high profit, low popularity), and dogs (low profit, low popularity).
Promote your stars—these items should be placed in prominent positions on the menu, such as the Golden Triangle (the middle, top-right, and top-left sections of the menu). For plow horses, consider adjusting portion sizes or pricing to increase margins without alienating loyal customers. Puzzles may benefit from better descriptions or repositioning to attract more attention, while dogs should be reconsidered or phased out.
For example, a restaurant in Dubai might place high-margin seafood dishes in prime locations, while casual eateries in Riyadh might optimize their grill-focused items to drive profitability.
Research shows that strategically placing your most profitable items in high-visibility areas on the menu can increase sales of those items by 15-30%.
- Simplification: The Value of a Focused Menu
A streamlined menu can improve operational efficiency, reduce customer decision fatigue, and boost overall sales. Offering fewer, carefully curated options allows your kitchen to focus on quality and consistency, speeding up service and reducing waste.
Brands like In-N-Out Burger and Shake Shack have built success on minimalist menus. A similar approach can work for restaurants across the MENA region, especially in cities like Dubai, where fast-paced dining experiences are common. By focusing on core dishes that are easy to prepare and have wide appeal, restaurants can enhance both customer satisfaction and operational performance.
Industry data suggests that reducing menu size by 20% can lead to a 5-10% increase in sales due to faster service and clearer customer choices.
- Menu Psychology: Subtle Changes That Drive Sales
The psychology of menu design plays a significant role in influencing customer decisions. Positioning, descriptions, and pricing tactics all subtly guide customers toward ordering more profitable items.
- Golden Triangle: Customers’ eyes naturally gravitate to the center, top-right, and top-left sections of a menu. Placing high-margin dishes in these spots increases their chances of being ordered.
- Descriptive language: Words like “locally sourced,” “artisan,” or “handcrafted” can add perceived value to a dish. In luxury-driven markets like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, well-crafted descriptions can justify premium pricing and enhance the dining experience.
- Price formatting: Removing currency symbols and using round numbers (e.g., “50” instead of “AED 50”) reduces the emphasis on cost, making customers more likely to order without fixating on price.
These psychological tactics can lead to a 15-20% increase in average check size, particularly when applied to high-margin items.
- Customizing for the Local Market: Catering to MENA Tastes
To resonate with diners in the MENA region, menus must be tailored to reflect both global trends and local preferences. For example, incorporating traditional Middle Eastern dishes alongside international favorites can appeal to a wide range of diners, while adding health-conscious options such as vegan or gluten-free dishes can attract health-focused consumers in cities like Dubai or Riyadh.
In addition, the growth of delivery in the region means that menus should be adapted to ensure that dishes maintain their quality during transit. Offering delivery-only items that are easy to prepare and travel well can help optimize this revenue stream.
Delivery now accounts for as much as 30% of total restaurant revenue in major MENA cities, making it a critical factor in menu planning.
- Continuous Evolution: Using Data to Stay Ahead
Your menu should evolve based on customer preferences, sales data, and market trends. Regular menu analysis—examining which items are driving sales and which are underperforming—allows you to make data-driven decisions that keep your menu profitable and aligned with customer tastes.
Testing new items through Limited-Time Offers (LTOs) is an excellent way to gauge interest before committing to permanent changes. Globally, LTOs drive a 2-3% increase in repeat visits, particularly when tied to seasonal events or popular trends.
Regular analysis of your menu’s performance ensures that it remains relevant, profitable, and responsive to changes in the market.
A well-optimized menu is one of the most effective tools for driving profitability, improving the customer experience, and enhancing brand identity. By using insights from menu engineering, psychology, and local market trends, your restaurant can not only meet but exceed customer expectations—whether you’re operating in a fast-paced urban center or a luxury dining destination.
Success is not the key to happiness.Christina Grant
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