Case facts
- Client type
- Established restaurant
- Assignment
- Menu optimisation, upselling and improved service flow
- Services
- Menu development, table planning, ticket configuration and operational optimisation
The challenge
The restaurant's large dishes limited customers' ability to create their own meal and order a wider selection. The menu structure therefore made upselling more difficult.
At the same time, the table numbering was difficult for staff to navigate. The kitchen tickets contained the necessary information, but their layout made them slow to interpret. Allergens and special requests could disappear among the other text when service was busy.
What we found
Three parts of the operation had to be addressed together:
- The menu needed to encourage customers to order more dishes.
- The table numbers needed to be faster and more intuitive to interpret.
- The kitchen tickets needed to display the most important information immediately.
Changing the menu alone would have left the service and kitchen problems unresolved. The entire flow from order to service therefore had to be considered as one process.
What we implemented
The large dishes were reworked into smaller, shareable plates. This gave customers more freedom to sample several dishes and made the menu better suited to upselling.
The table numbers were reorganised into a simpler, more logical system, enabling front-of-house staff to find their way around the restaurant more quickly.
The kitchen tickets were redesigned to present information in the order the kitchen needed it. Allergens and special modifications were highlighted in capital letters with clear visual markers.
The objective was simple: the kitchen should be able to understand a ticket in around two seconds without having to search for critical information.
Highlighted result
The result
The restaurant saw an increase in revenue after the changes. The new menu format made it easier for customers to order a variety of dishes and created a more flexible dining experience.
The operational changes also delivered:
- A clearer table plan.
- Faster communication between front of house and the kitchen.
- Kitchen tickets that could be interpreted in seconds.
- Clearer labelling of allergens and special requests.
- Less need for verbal clarification during service.
- A better flow from order to service.
The case shows that menu development is not only about the dishes. Sales, table planning, communication and the kitchen's working tools must operate as one integrated solution.