Here's how to increase customer spending and profits as quickly as you can reprint the menu.

It makes sense: New Year = a new look to the menu and a better bottom line!

1. Add profitable price-endings. Do you have flat menu prices? Flat prices end in .00 eg $6.00 or £10.00. Adding .50 or .80 or .90 at the end is easy money just waiting for you - eg $4.00 becomes $4.50 or £12.00 becomes £12.80.

Prices written as 12 or 12.00 seem to be more about cool design rather than profit margins. Not very logical.

Will customers notice? A few will, most won't, and if you sell 100 of the item that's gone up by 80c, it's $80 extra. Sell 1000 and that's $800 toward the wage bill.

2. Move the most profitable items to be first and last in a menu section. The first price in a section will sell more, just because it's first. The last item is also strong position. See the example below.

Once you know the gross profit of each item, make the changes. Sales of both will increase, and the overall profit. The same logic applies to wine and cocktail lists. Everyone has an opinion about menu design - make sure decisions are best for the bottom line.

3. Add an expensive item as a 'decoy price'. Everyone loves value, and you've thought carefully about the top price to charge. Let's say main courses are in the $10-$20 range, with nothing over $22.50. If you added one more item for $28.50, notice how all the other prices look more reasonable? Even if this expensive item doesn't sell, it's still done the work of repositioning value on the menu...and imagine if it did sell well!

Menu Profit Resources: Find what you need in the Menu Marketing & Design Dept, plus excellent menu profit calculators in the Download Center. Use them with the Profitable Recipe Manager to start your new year profit upgrade.

Smart Staff Management with Profitable Hospitality Resources:

220+ Staff Management Forms & Documents - standard industry formats ready to use.

Staffing & Human Resources Dept is a goldmine of indepth information and advice.

Employment Law Changes in Australia: we've added href="http://www.profitablehospitality.com/members/department58.cfm" target="_new">new content to keep you informed on the latest changes.

1st Class Membership for 2010 - a Gift for 2010 with wide-ranging information and resources in every area, it's an investment with a fast return - Join Online Now or by Fax or Invoice.

2010 Training & Events Calendar

NEW: 25 Great Ways to Promote your Hospitality Business Online - Melbourne 15 March, Sydney 7 April, Brisbane 14 April - full day workshops.

NEW: 25 Great Ways to Promote your Club Online - Sydney: 17 February 2010 - full day workshop.

NEW: Food & Beverage Alive: Queensland 2010 23-24 March 2010 in Brisbane. Two intensive days for club professionals.

Starting a Cafe or Restaurant Workshop 27 February in Sydney; 13 March 2010 in Melbourne

DVD Set: Club Food & Beverage Management Summit - ORDER NOW: huge value in this 4-DVD set, with 13 presentations from the Oct 2009 event. Great for building staff and manager skills - check the preview video online.

With warm regards -

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