A recent story on NBC’s Today Show reported that more enticing menu descriptions can actually increase a restaurant’s sales – up to a 30% increase.
As a copywriter, I find this idea exciting. After all, words are my work and while I understand the power of words, this sort of story communicates that power to more people and shows how every business can benefit from professional copywriting.
Now I’m not even sure how many people read the descriptions of menu items at a restaurant. I know I do, but then as I said, as a writer, words and how they are used interest me. But I do think that if the descriptions were more interesting, more people would read them, and that’s really the key.
When you write a menu, your descriptions should be more than just a tally of ingredients, they should really tell your customers what you’re offering – not just food, but tastes, emotions, style. The menu is one of your most powerful sales tool, it deserves the same and possibly more consideration than any of your advertising campaigns. The menu is your promise to your customers, the promise you’ll want to keep to keep them coming in again and again.
Here is an example of a menu item description from a well-known restaurant chain (who shall remain nameless). It is followed by a description I wrote for the item to, hopefully, show the difference between a regular menu description and more thoughtful one:
Item: Thai Phoon Shrimp
Original description:
It’s the perfect storm of texture and flavors. Golden-brown fried shrimp tossed in a firey-yet-sweet chile sauce.
Better (?) description:
Fresh, meaty shrimp delicately fried to a golden-brown to deliver a perfect crunch and tossed lightly in our homemade sweet-and-sassy chile sauce to add just the right balance of tang and bite. These juicy shrimp will dance deliciously on your taste buds.
So what do you think? Let me know if you think that the second description makes a difference.
Another point to consider is the other emotions that a thoughtfully written menu could conjure to restaurant customers. With so much competition, a restaurant’s greatest challenge is not only how to get customer in but also how to get them back. If a menu communicates quality, taste and thoughtfulness and the kitchen and management consistently follows through with menu promises, I think that is a recipe for success in the restaurant business.
If you care enough to create wonderful food, why not care enough to create an enticing menu to describe it?
