The Overlooked Ingredient in Menu Engineering: Desirability

Menu engineering usually takes place once a business is established, growing, and trying to increase profitability. It often focuses on sales optimisation, increasing margins, and strategic menu placement to drive sales. 

But what can get lost in the mix is desirability. 

A menu isn’t just a business tool; it’s an extension of the guest experience. It’s the shopfront that diners explore long before they step through the door. It sets expectations, evokes emotions, and ultimately influences whether a guest chooses your restaurant over another. 

Engineering a menu solely for profitability, without keeping desirability front and centre of the process can only lead to a hollow dining experience – one that prioritizes numbers over the fundamental joy of eating out.

_____

Note: by menu we mean both the menu card and the entire food offering.

_____

What Is Menu Desirability?

Desirability in menu design means curating a selection of dishes that work harmoniously together, not just in terms of cost efficiency, but in taste, texture, and overall experience. 

A desirable menu excites diners, making them eager to try dishes that deliver on flavour, balance, and intrigue. It’s not just about what sells well; it’s about crafting a menu that makes guests want to return. And to talk about your restaurant and persuade others to try it. 

And of course: to post about it on social media. Becoming your online advocates. 

Why Desirability Matters

1. First Impressions Matter: Guests will usually browse menus online before making a reservation. A well-crafted, balanced menu can lure them in, and make them excited about their visit. While a menu that feels disjointed or overly commercial can really put people off. 
2. Cohesion and Flow: A desirable menu tells a story. Each dish should complement the others, ensuring a well-rounded dining experience. A menu optimized purely for profitability risks becoming a disjointed mix of high-margin items rather than a thoughtfully curated selection.
3. Memorability and Loyalty: If a menu is designed with heart and expresses your vision and identity, it encourages customer loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendations.

The Risk of Losing Vision to Commercial Pressures

Most restaurateurs start out with a clear vision for their food—one built on passion, creativity, and a desire to offer something unique and special. 

As commercial pressures mount, that vision can be eroded by an excessive focus on profitability. When menu engineering prioritises margins over culinary integrity, dishes that once defined a restaurant’s identity can be watered down or replaced by safer, higher-margin options. 

Over time, this shift can lead to a loss of authenticity. And a loss of identity. 

And our customers don’t want to feel like walking wallets. 

Balancing Profitability and Desirability

But of course – profitability is key. The best food offering in the world is no use if you have to close after a few months of trading. 

Thankfully, a profitable menu doesn’t have to come at the expense of a great dining experience. Not if we align menu engineering principles with culinary integrity:

• Curation Over Quantity: Usually a smaller, well-curated menu allows for better quality control and ensures every dish earns its place both financially and gastronomically. (But note that excessively restrictive menu is rarely the answer).
• Remember the original vision (write it on the office wall!): Build the menu around dishes that are not only cost-effective but also innovative, delicious, and in keeping with your restaurant’s identity.
• Strategic Pairings: Consider how dishes interact to create a well-rounded dining experience. Balance affordability with luxury throughout the meal.
• Guest-Driven Choices: Listen to guest feedback. If a dish is universally loved but lower-margin, find ways to enhance its profitability without compromising its essence.
• Honest pricing: Low headline prices that are actually in some way misleading (e.g. the dish is smaller or more simplistic than it sounds) are a real turn off for guests. Find a way to make the transaction transparent and fair. Guests value honesty and generosity. And importantly: you can only trick someone once! If the bill comes and it’s way higher than expected, that diner won’t return. And they’ll be pretty upset too. 

The Takeaway

A well-engineered menu isn’t just financially smart, it’s engaging. 

Guests should feel excitement when they read it and satisfaction when they dine. Ultimately, a restaurant’s success isn’t just measured by achieving margins in the short term. It’s measured in the desire it inspires in guests to return, time and time again. To attract reviewers and create advocates in your regulars. 

By prioritising menu desirability alongside financial strategy, you craft a menu that is not only profitable but also compelling, cohesive, and truly unforgettable.

_______________________________________

If you need help creating a compelling and profitable food offer, you can book a discovery call here.

Download our free guide to menu engineering here.