Could your online menu be turning away customers?
It’s a scenario any virtual food brand wants to avoid – diners scanning through your menu and rapidly discounting your food without so much as a second thought.
Of course in an ideal world, your fabulous food and speedy service should be enough to get customers through your virtual door. We all know that online food delivery platforms come with their own vagaries however, and things such as customer reviews, photography, pricing and descriptions all impact your rankings and orders.
So what’s to be done? Here’s our expert tips for creating an enticing and inspirational menu that’s guaranteed to increase your sales.
Remember digital menus are an entirely different beast than their physical counterparts. With this in mind, don’t just copy and paste.
For instance, whilst it’s not a great idea to fill paper menus with photographs, this is an important method of enticing online customers. They can’t smell or see your amazing food coming out the kitchen – so create a picture in their minds!
Just be careful not to over-exaggerate or create false impressions of portion sizes, ingredients and presentation. This could lead to negative reviews – a major problem for virtual food brands.
If you think the ocazional speling mistak doesn’t make a difference… well think again!
Your menu must provide a professional first impression that inspires confidence. Sloppy grammar and multiple typos suggest your food may also be prepared with a lack of care.
When it comes to ghost kitchens, diners can’t assess the ambience of your restaurant or the friendliness of your staff – your menu is customers’ most important insight into your business.
On a related note, categorise your menu effectively. Customers will expect to navigate via Starters, Main Courses, Desserts and Sides – so help them do this. You can highlight deals and suggested extras, but don’t make things too complicated.
When it comes to the perfect menu, size matters.
You want to provide enough information on ingredients, calories and side-dishes to help diners make fully-informed choices. On the other hand, if they’re overly-swamped with information, they’ll quickly click-off.
With this in mind, keep your menu short and concise. Take inspiration from your closest (and most successful) competitors – what are they doing well or badly, and how can you stay one step ahead?
The final step for creating a fantastic menu is feedback.
Once you’re happy with your descriptions, photography and offering – seek as much feedback as possible. Is your menu easy to navigate, appealing, and is the pricing visible and easy to understand?
Track and constantly implement small improvements over time. Record any menu changes (no matter how small) and assess them against order totals. You might be surprised at the results…
For more inspiration for your online menu, check out the Peckwater Brands blog. From the do’s and don’ts of delivery platform menu photos, to learning what aspects negatively impact online menus and making your menu work for your brand – we’ve got all the advice you need.