The Menu Engineering Masterclass: How to make your menu deliver for your customers, your teams and your bottom line.
The Menu Engineering Masterclass
How to make your menu deliver for your customers, your teams and your bottom line.
WHY MENU’S MATTERS MORE THAN EVER
In the current market, the menu’s role has fundamentally changed. In an industry facing volatile costs and tight margins, few assets wield as much commercial power or attract as much scrutiny as the menu.
Over a third (37%) of business leaders have recently reported reduced profit performance, making it critical that every component of the business works more effectively. The menu is no longer just a list of dishes; it’s the frontline of your brand and the heartbeat of your business.
With 77% of guests looking at a menu online before booking, it is now one of your most powerful marketing assets and the critical intersection where a chef’s creativity, a finance director’s spreadsheet, and a marketer’s storytelling collide.
“77% of guests look at a menu online before booking. That makes it one of your most powerful marketing assets”
Peter Martin | co-founder Peach 20/20
Three Takeaways
-
Treat the Menu as a Strategic Commercial Asset
The menu is far more than a list of dishes; it is your most underused profit engine. In a sector defined by thin margins and volatile costs, the menu is the critical intersection where the chef’s imagination, the finance director’s spreadsheet, and the marketer’s storytelling collide. Successful operators treat it as a strategic commercial tool that directly drives both footfall and profit.
-
Establish a Data-Driven Process and Collaborative Team
Creating a high-performing menu demands a consistent, repeatable process and multi-functional collaboration. This is not a creative task for one team; it requires the involvement of food, finance, and marketing. Your process must have clear ownership and realistic timelines, ideally allowing at least 16 weeks for a major overhaul.
-
Use Research to Identify Strategic Opportunities
Effective research is the foundation of a profitable menu, requiring you to dig deep into data from your customers, your team, and your sales figures. This goes beyond instinct, providing concrete insight into how your menu performs for the business’s bottom line. Crucial tools include customer surveys, team interviews, and the all-important “Menu matrix” sales analysis.
Featuring Expert Voices
-
Claire Chalmers, Chief Revenue Officer, Nutritics
Leading the platform’s sales and revenue strategy. With 10+ years in the hospitality industry, this background provides a unique foundation for delivering results and creating solutions that enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Highly skilled in marketing and hospitality management, and dedicated to sustainable business growth and making a positive impact.
-
Annica Wainwright, ‘Menu Geek’ co-founder 2Forks
A specialist in elevating the menu and customer experience for the UK’s leading restaurant brands. Annica is highly valued for her multifaceted expertise as an educator, consultant, board advisor, and Non-Executive Director (NED).
-
Laura Mimoun, CMO, Fulham Shore
An expert commercial strategist with over 14 years of experience and a truly unique career journey. After mastering the art of brand building with major international and local FMCG blue chips, she traded in the corporate structure to create and run her own food start-up
-
James Mobbs, Fractional CMO
Specialising in revenue optimisation for hospitality businesses. Driving sustainable growth by strategically aligning sales, marketing, operations, and guest experience. This is achieved by leveraging data-driven insights, technology solutions, strategic partnerships, and internal process improvements to unlock and sustain top-line performance for clients.