Owning a restaurant in 2020 has meant pivoting, being creative, and constantly reevaluating business practices.
Covid-19 has upended the restaurant industry and presented a myriad of challenges. Yet, people want food, and they want the convenience of ordering out.
This is a perfect chance for your restaurant to really refine your menu to provide your customers just what they want.
Let’s look at simple menu ideas for restaurants to add today.
Utilize Family Style Meals
One of our favorite new ideas is the family style meal.
This essentially packages a full meal together, usually at a slightly discounted price, for people to order.
You might offer meals for two, two-four, four-six, and six-eight people. For example, this could be something like lasagna, salad, breadsticks, and a dessert.
Demand for family meals is huge. It not only saves the customer money, but it feels more like a meal they cooked for their family right at home. (tweet this)
This menu idea can really drive customers to your restaurant. With stay at home orders, people are way beyond ordering pizza. They want something they can order several days a week.
Consider adding several family style meal options to your menu so your customers are encouraged to order more than once per week.
Leverage Meal Kits
Another simple menu idea is offering your diners meal kits. These are similar to what people can order online.
You are uniquely poised to offer these because your customers already like their food.
Consider packaging a family style meal into a kit that your customers can cook when it’s convenient for them.
Add Local Menu Items
As communities come together during COVID-19, this is your opportunity to partner with local farms and food producers when crafting your menu items.
Your customers will be glad to know that not only are they frequenting and supporting your restaurant, but they’re helping to support a local farmer as well.
When it comes to menu item ingredients, concentrate on a farm to table menu that uses ingredients purchased locally.
You can take it a step further and showcase these local items on your menu. You can even rename the menu item or add the information in the description.
Add Plant Based Meat to Your Menu
This trend is here to stay. People want to eat healthier, and many have decided to go meatless for good, or at least a few times a week.
With a plethora of plant based meat companies to choose from, you can show your customers you are about their health and the environment by adding these options to your menu.
This is so much more than simply offering a plant based hamburger. You can use meat substitutions in any of your dishes.
Get creative with your menu and add a few meatless options. Your customers will feel more responsible about your world, and you may convert a few naysayers to the vegetarian diet.
Embrace this trend in your menu, and you’ll find your customers appreciate that you jumped on the trend.
Create Some Mocktails
As more and more customers want to eat and drink healthier, alcohol-free drinks are trendy in 2020.
You can embrace the sober curious movement and offer mocktails for your diners.
Demand for alcohol free drinks is rising, and it’s sure to continue to rise as we round the corner on the new year.
Add Comfort Food
According to Newswire, this is the year of the comfort food comeback.
While some are looking for healthier options during the pandemic, others are looking for comfort food. Nostalgia for certain menu items is big as people look to comfort food to make them feel better.
So, consider adding some comfort food to your menu. This might even be in the form of one of those family meals.
Your customers are seeking comfort in their food, so you can provide it to them with this simple menu idea.
Consider Salad Bowls
Another simple menu idea is the salad bowl. You can offer these to your customers and let them choose what they’d like to add to it.
While romaine and iceberg lettuce are always good, try giving your salads a makeover with some different types of lettuce such as arugula and spinach.
Give your customers options of choosing a protein (or several), vegetable add-ins, cheese choices, different dressings and even a bit of crunch.
You can also include the trendy grain bowl as an optional add-in here as well. Options might include quinoa, couscous, and bulgur.
You’ll find that by offering these in restaurant, for takeout, or delivery adds a new simple option your customers will love.
Enhance Your Online Menu
With more and more people choosing to order food, you want to make sure that your website menu is mobile-friendly and user friendly.
This is one of the most important menu ideas to take advantage of today. And, if you don’t currently offer online ordering, the time to do so is now.
Take some professional photos, write creative descriptions, and craft enticing headlines.
Test your online ordering to make sure it provides a good user experience.
You might also want to have a menu that offers additional suggestions to customers. For example, if they order a pizza, after they add it to their cart, your software might suggest a salad or vegetable option.
Finally, don’t forget to update your online menu regularly as your offerings change. A large number of restaurateurs update their menu on a monthly basis, and others revise it seasonally.
So, as you add new menu items in your brick and mortar restaurant, don’t forget to add them and highlight them online. (tweet this)
Final Thoughts
Utilizing some of these simple menu ideas for your restaurant can help you whether the COVID-19 storm.
By offering items your customers are looking for, you’ll be able to not only stay open, but increase your customer base with new menu options.
Try adding one or several of these ideas today. Test them out on your employees, friends, and family first. Do a little research and see which ones will help strengthen your menu and get more people ordering from your restaurant.
At Restaurant Engine, not only do we create great, responsive websites, but you can count on us to create a website that drives business to your restaurant and edges you above the competition by using mobile-friendly design with a terrific user experience. Ready to take the plunge and create a website with an online menu, blog, and beautiful photos? Get your free website consultation today!
Images: Suad Kamardeen and Marcus Urbenz on Unsplash