RESTAURANT MARKETING RESOURCES

Better Decisions Start With Better Information.

Practical advice about restaurant menus, profitability, food photography, social media, websites and marketing—built from years of working directly with restaurants.

Restaurant Advice You Can Actually Use.

Running a restaurant means making hundreds of decisions about food, pricing, labor, marketing and the customer experience. Some of those decisions can have a much bigger effect on profitability than they first appear to.

These resources are designed to explain the strategy behind the work we do at Menu Surgeon—and give restaurant owners practical ideas they can put to work in their own businesses.

▶ YOUR MENU ISN’T JUST A PRICE LIST.
▶ YOUR PHOTOS AREN’T JUST DECORATION.
▶ YOUR MARKETING ISN’T JUST POSTING.

Everything should have a job.

What Do You Want to Improve?

Explore practical restaurant advice by topic.

01

Restaurant Menus

MENU DESIGN & PSYCHOLOGY

Topics Include:

Menu Readability · Pricing Presentation · Menu Descriptions · Food Photography on Menus · Menu Organization · Common Menu Mistakes

Explore Restaurant Resources ▶
02

Profitability

MENU ENGINEERING & PROFITABILITY

Topics Include:

Contribution Margin · Popularity · Stars / Challenges / Workhorses / Dogs · Food Cost · Menu Pricing · Menu Profitability

Explore Restaurant Resources ▶
03

Photography

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY & PRESENTATION

Topics Include:

Preparing Dishes · Plating for Photography · Scheduling Shoots · Selecting Dishes · Using Photography Across Your Marketing

Explore Restaurant Resources ▶
04

Online Marketing

BEYOND THE MENU

Topics Include:

Websites · Local SEO · Google Business · Online Listings · Branding · Online Ordering · Marketing Strategy · Graphic Design

Explore Website Resources ▶
05

Social Media

RESTAURANT SOCIAL MEDIA

Topics Include:

What to Post · Consistency · Photography / Videos · Content Planning · DIY vs Fully Managed Social · Platform Strategy

Explore Social Media Resources ▶
06

Reputation

REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS

Topics Include:

Responding to Positive Reviews · Responding to Negative Reviews · Review Strategy · Requesting Feedback · Networking

Explore Social Media Resources ▶
FEATURED RESOURCE

Preparing for a Food Photo Shoot

Great food photography starts before the camera comes out.

This practical guide walks restaurant owners and kitchen teams through preparing for a professional food photo shoot—from building the shot list and scheduling around service to plating dishes so they look their best on camera.

▶ Plan the Shot List
▶ Prepare Dishes for the Camera
▶ Avoid Common Plating Mistakes
▶ Keep the Shoot Moving Efficiently
▶ Get More Usable Photos from the Session
View the Guide ▶
Learn About Food Photos & Videos ▶

FEATURED ARTICLES

Restaurant Resources

MENUS · PROFITABILITY · PHOTOGRAPHY / VIDEOS

How Food Photography Changes the Way Customers See Your Menu

Your menu is one of the most important sales tools in your restaurant. Think about it: almost every customer who walks through your door looks at your menu before deciding what to buy. Yet many restaurant menus are treated as little more than a price list—a place to put the names of the food, a short description, and what everything costs. A properly designed menu should do much more.
Read more

5 Symptoms of an Unhealthy Restaurant Menu

Your menu is one of the most important sales tools in your restaurant. Think about it: almost every customer who walks through your door looks at your menu before deciding what to buy. Yet many restaurant menus are treated as little more than a price list—a place to put the names of the food, a short description, and what everything costs. A properly designed menu should do much more.
Read more

FEATURED ARTICLES

Website Resources

WEBSITES · LOCAL SEO · ONLINE LISTINGS · BRANDING

FEATURED ARTICLES

Social Media Resources

SOCIAL MEDIA · CONTENT PLANNING · ONLINE REVIEWS · NETWORKING

Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference.

A few extra dollars on the average check may not sound dramatic. Multiply that across hundreds of transactions every day, however, and small improvements can become significant revenue.

This doesn’t mean every additional dollar becomes profit—or that every restaurant will see the same result. It illustrates why menu pricing, item placement, descriptions, photography and menu mix deserve more attention than they often receive.

Learn How Menu Engineering Works ▶

Strategy Backed by More Than Opinion.

Restaurant marketing has accumulated decades of research into menu design, consumer behavior, merchandising and purchasing decisions. We combine that research with practical experience working with real restaurant menus.

Dave Pavesic, Ph.D., FMP – in his article, “The Psychology of Menu Design,” specifically discusses menu psychology, strategic item placement, price presentation, readability and the menu’s role as a restaurant’s internal marketing and sales tool.

Read the Article as a PDF ▶

Video Resources

[VIDEO]  Some Things To Consider When Designing A Menu…
[VIDEO]  Why Customer Service Matters (Jon Taffer of “Bar Rescue”)

Slideshow Resources

Here are five things to look for on a menu that make it unhealthy. Not for your customers, but for your business.

You may have heard of Menu Engineering, but don’t know what that is. Here, we simplify & break it down for you.

Taking great food photos isn’t difficult. It just takes a little preparation. Here are some basic tips to make it easier.

Have a Restaurant Problem You Don’t See Here?

Sometimes the fastest way to find the problem is to put another set of experienced eyes on it.

Schedule a Consultation ▶