The Costs & Benefits of Digital vs Printed Menus
Q #1: Are you spending $10,000 or more on menus annually?
Q #2: Do you even track what you’re spending on menus?
Paper Menus
- Printed menus are a per change expense! That is, you pay every time you change something. Operators are often stunned when we ask them to add up their cost of paper, ink/toner, shipping fees, menu covers, etc. to get a full picture of what they are spending. It is not uncommon to find operators who are printing menus daily or weekly at costs of $15,000 or more annually.
- Short minded operators will delay inevitable changes to minimize costs, doing so at the expense of menu accuracy, increased F&B costs, and guest satisfaction – ultimately jeopardizing the success of their business!
- Let’s face it – your primary sales tool is nothing more than text on paper. Is that really what you want to hinge your sales on?
- The collective menu offering often involves many pieces (i.e. separate menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, specials, desserts, beer, wine, cocktails, etc.). This doesn’t include table tents or in-house marketing for your promotions or limited time offers and upcoming events.
Digital Menus
- A 100 seat restaurant with 50 tablet menus costs ~ $17/day (every additional 10 tablets adds ~ $0.75/day)
- Because the costs of digital menus are fixed, you’re free to edit the menu in real time as often as needed. You can remove out-of-stock items, adjust prices due to fluctuating costs, and keep things interesting with new items and features every day without incurring additional expenses. Unlike printed menus, you SAVE money, IMPROVE your F&B costs, ADD efficiency, and ELEVATE your guest experience by changing your menu more frequently!
- The digital menu experience allows you to layer information and and utilize imagery, so all of your menus are consolidated, instantly accurate, the information is more descriptive and informative, and they become more visually engaging and suggestive which translates into increased guest spending. Simply put, everything gets better AND you make more money!
