Category: Uncategorized

What can be done to become the most sought out restaurant in your community? Popular enough to attract walk in customers wanting to wait to get a table, enjoying hanging out in your restaurant’s atmosphere? Here are a few quick tips or reminders how to create that buzz that draws, attracts and keeps customers not only coming but coming back.

First ‘the Menu’

Is every item perfect? So perfect you crave your own dishes? When you the restaurant owner or chef know it taste great you know it’s perfected for the customer, it’s a masterpiece. If you use a digital restaurant menu tablet you are able to catch the items appealing deliciousness with a picture or video. Seeing is believing, the sight of food and drink item’s stimulates the pallet and appetite, until the customer has your perfected dish right in front of them ready to eat. Having delicious food is the number one reason a restaurant becomes popular.

Second ‘have that employee called ‘the Detailer’‘

The detailer cleans the restaurant properly and thoroughly, not leaving chemical oder’s, cleaning wood floors so they are not left with a smell, even cleans base boards. Nothing should strike a customer except the soft aroma of food on entering a restaurant. Delicious smells attract people..

Third ‘Specials’

Specials keep existing customers coming back for one more great new delicious dish. It’s the repeat customer who’s out there talking up a restaurant to new customers, coming back with friends and family. Using a digital restaurant menu tablet allows trying new items and specials daily, being able to change, add or subtract to a menu at any time. Specials keep a menu exciting and new for a customer.

Fourth ‘treat every ‘Customer’ like a King or Queen’

Remembering names is a feel good for customers. What’s better than hearing ‘we go there because we love their customer service, they know who we are when we walk in the door’. Popularity can be created with attentive customer services, exceptional cleanliness, new daily items and food so delicious it creates cravings that stimulate customers to come back.

When it comes to wine we already know it’s about quality and preferred flavor for a customer. The ability for a wine lover to conveniently stop by a restaurant or bar especially on the way home for a glass of wine they favor stimulates coming back regularly. Wine drinker’s want to appease their pallet, they associate what they like and what’s available with restaurants and bars they already visited.

What is a wine type? You already know! It’s the labeling signs you see when walking through a wine store or section, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc …… Not to be confused with wine style red, white, rose, sparkling, dessert….. So what is the benefit in having two or more wine types?

You might think I have a Pinot Noir why should I look for another one that taste almost the same? Having another option to present to a customer lets them know you are paying attention, you know what they like, you know who they are and that makes a customer feel special and important. When we feel we remember, this puts your restaurant front and center when a customers is thinking “where should I go for a glass of wine?”.

One more reason to have another wine type choice it to keep customers interested. It’s great to have a wine that we love but eventually we will want a change. Wine drinkers stick with their preferred style but are willing to try a new flavor. The third time you see a customer introduce another type choice right from your iPad wine list, ready to pour a taste, this keeps a wine pallet excited and pleased. A digital wine menu keeps busy staff organized and customers occupied when time is of the essence.

Catering to customer’s offering multiple wine types keeps customer’s happy, satisfied and coming back regularly, making a successful business.

Cleanliness is an important factor when it comes to a restaurant. We all understand the value of wiping down tables and ensuring that dishes and silverware are spotless, but there are a few other things to consider. You may have hundreds of customers throughout the day, which could mean double the number of hands touching and grabbing your menus.

This isn’t to say that all your guests have dirty hands or anything, but the number of fingerprints, smudges, and bits of food that can get on your menus throughout a single day isn’t something to take lightly. Here are some pointers for keeping your digital restaurant menus clean and how you can help take better care of them.

Establish a Cleaning Regimen

One of the best ways to keep things clean and organized is to have a schedule. Having a set time of the day or week to collect the menus and clean them off helps make it a habit, and the people working those shifts will quickly understand that this task is part of their responsibility. We recommend picking a time of day when your restaurant is less busy so that fewer menus will be in use and your employees won’t be juggling too many tasks at once.

Always Have Cleaning Products Available

One helpful pointer for keeping your digital restaurant menus clean is to always have cleaning supplies on hand. Some of the most common cleaning supplies are glass cleaners, microfiber cloths, and disinfectant wipes. When you order supplies for your establishment, consider adding these valuable tools to your inventory.

Get Customers Involved

Naturally, you don’t want to ask your customers to clean the menus for you, but there’s a way that you can get them to play their part willingly. Providing guests with prepackaged wet wipes when you give them the menu encourages them to clean and disinfect their hands before using the menu without actively pressuring them.

To learn more about iPad food menus and how you can best incorporate new technology into your restaurant, head to eMenu International. We have everything you need. Contact us today to learn more about our services, or reach out to a member of our team with any questions, comments, or concerns.

When putting together or adjusting your menu, there are many things you can do to make it more appealing to your customers. Here are five ways to improve your restaurant’s menu and sell more food to help improve your business.

1. Use Adjectives Wisely

There’s a delicate balance to strike when adding adjectives to make your dishes sound more enticing. If you add too many, your menu becomes cluttered and less interesting, but if you add too few, your dishes won’t sound as appealing. Use adjectives when helpful. If your dish has a signature sauce, consider describing it as savory or spicy. Let guests know the kale in their salad is organic or fresh. These descriptors emphasize the food’s selling points, appealing to guests.

2. Highlight Your Specials

If your restaurant has a signature dish, you want to ensure that guests know it. Many restaurants may try highlighting it so that it’s the first thing customers see when they look at the menu. If your eatery uses tablet menus, try to make the signature show up first and often as guests are scrolling or swiping.

3. Utilize Photographs

One of the best ways to improve your restaurant’s menu and sell more food is to use photographs for certain dishes. These photos are another great way to highlight specialty dishes and help paint a clearer picture of more complicated dishes. When guests have a clear image of something, it may help spark the always-welcome “Oh, that looks good” response.

4. Offer Pairing Suggestions

Upselling is the practice of trying to add additional items to an order to get more profit. For example, if you sell burgers and they come with fries, your server may recommend trying them with sweet potato fries or onion rings, which may cost extra, but offer a better pairing. Small blurbs recommending a certain side dish, wine, or appetizer with an entrée help promote a better culinary experience.

5. Prioritize the Layout

Many guests scan a menu the same way we read a book—starting in the top left corner and moving right and then diagonally down to the left again. Place exciting or appetizing dishes in these prime areas so guests will have a positive browsing experience starting from any given section.

To learn more about ways you can improve your restaurant menu or incorporate technological changes into your business, eMenu International is here for you. Browse our helpful blog or reach out to a member of our team to learn more about the products and services we offer to help make the most out of your eatery.

It’s always a good idea to have an available wine list in your restaurant. Many people enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner, and your selection should complement your entrees.

One of the biggest mistakes a restaurant can make is letting their wine selection grow stagnant. Markets and audiences are always changing, and it’s just as important to upgrade your wine selection as it is your menu. Here are some of the big reasons restaurants need to improve their wine lists and how doing so can help keep their business afloat.

Different Markets

Different age groups seek very different experiences at restaurants. While older customers may know that they prefer a sweeter white wine or a dryer red, younger crowds look for more adventurous options. Upgrading your menu to include some bolder wine pairings for your dishes may help your restaurant stand out with millennial diners.

Unique Experiences

Many restaurants work with larger distributing companies and end up with a selection of wine on par with what you’d find at a major grocery store chain. Your restaurant should provide diners with a unique experience, and that’s why it’s vital for restaurants to improve their wine lists.

The farm-to-table strategy applies just as well with local wineries as it does with fresh produce. Instead of keeping your pantry stocked with large names shipped from across the country, consider working with local winemakers and distributors to offer something other places may not have.

Perfect Pairings

One of the most notable advantages of improving your wine list is that it allows you to discover ways to pair newer wine selections with items on your menu. If you know how the flavor of your food pairs with the unique wine options on your list, you can use that as a tool to upsell to your customers. Creating individual recommendations that customers won’t be able to find elsewhere is a great way to ensure that you sell food and beverages together.

If you’re interested in creating a unique wine list or want to explore new technological restaurant options like iPad wine menus, eMenu International is here for you. Browse our helpful articles for improving your restaurant, and contact us with any questions about upgrading your restaurant menus.

When you run a restaurant, you likely have a signature dish or a dish that’s popular with folks. When people find something special on your menu, it’s a good idea to home in on that and do what you can to promote the item to other customers. No one dish is going to be for everybody, but here are five ideas for ways to promote your most popular dishes to your customers.

1. Staff Recommendations

One of the most straightforward ways to promote a dish is to train your staff to recommend it to guests who may be indecisive. Explain why it’s good or how it’s a special dish for your restaurant. Many people will consider a legitimate recommendation from an informed staff member.

2. Weekly Specials

Using special days to create sales is a great way to boost certain items. Offering items at a discounted price or having a Buy One Get One deal one day a week is a great way to sell more of that dish.

3. Menu Photos

Having photographs of every item on your menu often makes them look clunky, cluttered, and difficult to read. Even with digital menus, it’s a good idea to use photos sparingly. However, the creative use of images to highlight your premium dishes calls attention to them in a way you may not get with only text.

4. Social Media Promotions

If you’re in the restaurant industry, promoting your most popular dishes on social media is always a good idea. You can post photos of the dish on your own page or encourage guests to share images with a clever hashtag. No matter what strategy you use, social media is an ideal way to show people the quality of your food.

5. Restaurant Decor

Another straightforward approach for recommending and promoting your most popular dishes is through restaurant decor. When guests enter your restaurant, they may see signs or photos of dishes on your menu. One of the greatest things you can hope for is a guest to walk in, see your signature dish and say, “Oh, that looks good.”

If you want to learn more about increasing sales and using helpful tools, like restaurant iPad menus, eMenu International has the information and help you need. Contact us today for more details.

Having some form of a digital menu at your restaurant is always a good idea. Whether you utilize tablet menus or have a QR code for guests to scan with their own devices, customer access to a digital menu is important in the current restaurant industry. However, putting together a digital option is a little different from a physical menu, so here are some of the best practices for your restaurant’s digital menu you can follow.

Avoid a PDF

One common mistake restauranteurs make when creating a digital menu is uploading a PDF file. PDF menus are typically long, awkward to scroll through, and much harder to edit when changing or upgrading your menu.

Include Category Tabs

When implementing the best practices for your restaurant’s digital menu, consider what makes things convenient for your guests. Does your digital menu offer an option to go straight to the burgers and sandwiches section for any customer, or will they have to scroll through the entire menu to find it? Providing easy-to-navigate tabs to take diners to any category they want to browse is a distinct advantage of digital menus.

Use Images Sparingly

Providing photos of every item on your menu may seem like a good idea, but it often creates more problems in the long run. Images take up a large portion of the screen—especially on smartphones—and may take additional time to load, making it more cumbersome for customers looking through the menu. We recommend showing one or two specialty items from each category and allowing a brief yet helpful text description for the rest.

For more information on electronic menus for restaurants, eMenu International has a variety of helpful articles for building your digital dining experience. Learn more about the advantages of incorporating technology into your business, or contact us with any specific questions or comments.

Multilingual menus are an excellent opportunity to expand your clientele. Throughout America, many regions have populations that may not speak English as a first language. Using multilingual menus can bring in more customers, which is beneficial for your business. Read on to learn more about these benefits.

A More Authentic Experience

Depending on the type of restaurant you run, it’s usually a good idea to consider having menu options in the language of the cuisine you sell. If you run an Italian restaurant, consider having menu options written in Italian with English translations; the same goes for Chinese, Mexican, German, and other cuisines. Putting in the effort to have a menu that matches the culture of the cuisine sends a message of authenticity and creates a better experience for diners, whether they speak the language or not.

A More Welcoming Experience

Another way using multilingual menus can bring in more customers is by including languages that may not be relevant to your food. Do you serve Italian food but live in an area where many residents speak Polish as their first language? Including a Polish menu option is a great way to embrace local culture and allow patrons to enjoy all that your business offers.

Competitive Advantage

One significant advantage of using multilingual menus to bring in more customers is that the more language options you have available, the more you can expand your customer base. One popular option these days is to utilize digital menus, which allow for quick and easy menu translations into a large variety of languages. The more inclusive you are to those who speak other languages, the more likely these guests are to come to your establishment over other places that may serve similar food.

If you’re interested in restaurant iPad menus and the different ways they can improve the quality of your eatery, eMenu International has the knowledge you need to help you successfully run your business using new technology. Contact us today for more details or to have one of our experts address your questions and concerns.