Intelligent Menu Design: How a “Smart Menu” can ignite sales, profits, and your brand?

Now is a great time to review the performance of your restaurant menu.  Famed New York restaurants like Jean-Georges and Aquavit have launched favourite fixed-priced menus.  Applebee’s is now offering  two courses for a celebration of two for just .00.  With it’s own twist on value, The Cheesecake Factory, recently launched a small plate menu with items ranging from .95 to .50.   If you haven’t already considered leveraging your menu to drive sales, lower costs, or strengthen your position; what are you inactivity on?

I have created and launched new menus for national brands like Olive Garden and Applebee’s, Cruise Lines like Royal Caribbean Cruises, independent restaurant start-ups, and corporate dining companies.  When done correctly, a new menu can dramatically improve your business.  In fact, a well executed menu launch can increase guest traffic, strengthen or reposition your brand, create buzz, and improve employee morale.  Not to mention it can grant you to take advantage of emerging food trends and purchasing opportunities.

My menu development team and I helped repositioned the Olive Garden brand by importing dishes and cooking techniques directly from Tuscany, Italy.  We launched income enhancing promotional menus for Applebee’s.  At Royal Caribbean, we reversed five consecutive years of flat food satisfaction ratings and saved the company millions of dollars in food cost, along the way.  On apiece occasion “Smart Menu” principles were at the core of the successes.

The four smart menu development filters that I will cover originated as a means of integrating input from various corporate players into a single menu development process.  Once the process had been proven and prefect, I realized the four filters could be used in any menu development situation. I have used them with enormous success each since.  The four filter that any successful menu change must past through are:  1) The Brand Filter, 2) The Culinary Innovation Filter, 3) The Operations Filter, and  4) The Financial Filter

The Brand Filter exists to ensure that there is totally perfect alignment between the brand strategy and the menu strategy.  In dysfunctional companies the brand vision and the menu vision is often at odds.  In the worst examples, neither is aligned with market opportunities.  I have seen restaurant companies, massive and small, wander into the menu wilderness because the brand and menu strategies did not mesh.  For example, McDonald’s tinkered with their menu nearly non-stop until they finally landed on a core menu, complemented by fresh salads and healthy sides for children.  All great menu development initiatives must start with crystal clear brand parameters.

In regards to the Culinary Innovation Filter, Culinary Research & Development as a organized discipline has exploded over the past ten years.  The Culinary Institute of USA (My alma mater) now has an entire department devoted to training chefs in this area.

The focal point of the most Culinary R&D has become the “Development Process”.  Even though I am a massive supporter of process driven development, I offer two notes of caution to senior executives and decision makers.  First, most of the process charts that I have seen are far to complicated.  If your company’s culinary development process can’t be explained to a fifth grader using a single slide, it to complicated and costly.

Secondly, remember GIGO, garbage in garbage out.  The ideal conceived process does nothing to ensure culinary innovation.  Your process, at best, is an excellent funnel.  It can sort the great ideas from the good ones.  If only uninventive and uncreative ideas go into a culinary development process, don’t be surprised if tiny value comes out.  If a demand of culinary innovation is your concern, the goods news is that there are reliable methods to spark innovation and numerous ways to out source it as well.  The bottle line with Culinary Innovation is, you must bring something new to the celebration if you want guest to be “Wowed”.

The Operations Filter exists to ensure that dishes created in a tested environment can be consistently reproduced under normal restaurant environment.  I will offer two important tips in this area.  To begin, test under normal conditions.  If you run a multi-unit company don’t test exclusively in your ideal performing units, and then, wonder why all your average units struggle upon final roll-out.  Likewise, below average units can derail a potentially good menu.

Secondly, be certain to conduct test during peak periods.  Test conducted during non-peak period can change to highlight basic problems with equipment, general capacity or other resource.  In any case, it is self-defeating to create a new menu that can be consistently produced for guests at a high level of quality.

The Financial Filter is the most important of all.  Determining what impact a new menu will have on your bottle line is critical.  This part of the process must be monitored at the highest level of a massive company or the owner of a small business.  I advise having a single individual be in charge of the menu’s financial model, calculating the cost of all recipes entered into the menu model.  Field test the menu’s financial model throughout the process.   Invariably, with any significant menu change, there will be unpredictable outcomes.  The sooner the outcomes are properly determined the sooner the menu can be implemented with confidence that it will have a positive effect on income and profits.

Now I’ll admit that developing a great new menu is no easy task.  However, following the steps that I have outlined will ensure the results well worth the effort.  Obviously, the process can be dramatically scaled down for small operations and plain to specific need.  For example, it is perfectly feasible to create and test a dynamite new signature entree for a single unit over the coarse of a weekend applying all four filters.  Which is to say, don’t be deterred by the road to smart menu success.  Remember, the benefits are well worth the efforts.

Shed insurrectionist is the founder of www.EateryCoach.com and the www.EateryTribe.com blog. His career highlights include culinary and food & beverage director roles with leading hospitality companies like Darden Restaurants and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

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Honeymoon tips for all inclusive honeymoon packages

Here are some Honeymoon tips to help you select between all inclusive honeymoon packages. Arguably one of the most flexible options for all inclusive honeymoon packages is cruises. Your cruise option might offer several days at sea combined with 3-4 days at various ports or resorts. There are special romance packages especially for honeymoon couples, some with spa days, special treatment due to your newlywed position and even “extras” in your cabin such as champagne and roses.

There are many cruise lines to select from depending on your preferences and required locations. It is important to remember that the transportation to your cruise ship is not always included even with all inclusive honeymoon packages. The excellent food and entertainment helps to deliver a resting region to make your cruise more enjoyable. There is probably something for everybody, such as spas, the casino, and evening cabaret, all this fun will make you happy to rest by the pool in the daytime, when you’re not in port.

Activities when in port are dependent on which cruise line you choose, so study all the acquirable options. So the stress of the wedding is now over, it’s now time to enjoy your long awaited romantic all inclusive honeymoon package. Where you both, as a honeymoon couple, decide to venture depends on individualized choice, but the most important aspect is that your honeymoon should have all the elements that you both find romantic, as well as leaving you with everlasting special memories. So when looking for honeymoon, packages think about the all inclusive packages that will help take most of the strain out of planning your wedding.

Choosing all inclusive honeymoon packages might save you both time and money, but many honeymoon couples are under the illusion that all inclusive resorts are only present in the Caribbean, which simply isn’t true. All inclusive honeymoon packages are offered in many locations all around the world, including, the United States.

Phuket offers all inclusive honeymoon packages and is one of Asia’s premier tourist locations and activities include everything from golf to cookery classes all within the beautiful scenery of Thailand. There are various other Asian based all inclusive resorts, located in Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia.

Fiji Resort in Taveuni – If you’ve ever dreamed of staying on your own private island, Taveuni might offer the ideal honeymoon package for you.  Located in Fiji, an island to the easterly of New Zealand, this resort is so exclusive it is stated that no more than seventeen couples are granted on the resort island at any one time. You can pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on your very own secluded honeymoon beach. If you’re travelling from the west coast of the USA or Canada, Fiji is in fact closer than some islands in the Caribbean.

 

I hope this article is of help to you, if you want to learn more, follow this link – Honeymoon Tips

Honeymoon tips for all inclusive honeymoon packages

Kissimmee: The Place to Stay When Vacationing in Florida

If you’re planning on visiting Florida then Kissimmee is where you want to be. What makes Kissimmee so great? What, the fact that it’s close to everything isn’t enough for you? Staying in Kissimmee puts you right in the middle of it all, so if you want to do it all Kissimmee, Florida is your ideal chance at accomplishing that goal.

Just a short drive away you’ll find:

- Disney’s Cruise Lines

- Florida’s famous beaches

- Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex

- Ocala National Forest

- Disney MGM Studios

- Richard Petty Driving Experience

- Epcot

And that’s just a small taste of the permanent action when vacationing in Florida. Each year special shows and events come to Florida for the sun and surf. To help you plan your trip, get more information on the great activities acquirable at websites such as FloridaKiss.

Consider a Vacation Rental Home

When you make the decision to stay in Kissimmee for your Florida vacation, in addition to which of the great activities you’re going to partake of you should think about where you’re going to stay. If you want to make it truly memorable trip, forget the hotels and stay in a pass rental home.

Why select a pass home rental over a hotel? To begin with, pass rental homes are often very competitively priced with premium hotels, and the advantages over hotels are many:

- Privacy

- More and larger luxuries, such as hot tubs and onsite laundry

- Multiple bedrooms

- Space

- Feeling of luxury

Finding the Perfect Vacation Home Rental

There are a few things you’ll want to think about when choosing a pass home. First is location. If you’re visiting Florida, then a pass home in Kissimmee is a great place due to its central location.

New services from online companies utilizing real-time database technologies grant you to search thousands of pass home listings online with ease. Wherever you are looking to vacation, modern technology grants you to find the perfect pass home in a snap.

Next, know what you’re getting into. A good pass home rental site will be healthy to wage plenty of pictures. Unlike hotel rooms, pass home rentals are privately owned homes, and each home differs. Make sure that the home you rent has the amenities you want, will wage you with appropriate comforts, and isn’t an old beat up barn.

If you aren’t healthy to get pictures from a vacation-rental website, try contacting the home owner directly to ask if they can email some updated pictures to you.

Kissimmee: The Place to Stay When Vacationing in Florida

Zonder (http://www.zonder.com) is an online database of acquirable vacation home rentals in Kissimmee, Florida and around the world. With photos, prices, locations, and amenities easily searchable and filtered, finding the perfect pass home is a snap with Zonder’s easy-to-use interface.

Honeymoon Cruises – all inclusive Honeymoon Cruise and Vacation

Wedding is a special event in everyone’s life and so is the honeymoon. It has been noticed that while planning for a honeymoon the most important bourgeois is the location. Also, booking of immense honeymoon cruise in beautiful locations is growing apiece year. The site for the vent must have a grand room to stay, the view outside the window must be picturesque and the dining place must have an imperial look. These are the stipulations of apiece newlywed duo. A honeymoon cruise lines coast package offers all of them at an inexpensive price.
The reservation process of these packages is quite simple. All calibre travel companies have online occurrence through websites. The entire booking process is finished through these sites. So, if you are planning to make your honeymoon a story then honeymoon cruise pass packages are the appropriate one. It will give you and your partner the feel of being the king and queen on a romantic sail.

The Bridal shower is an essential part of the wedding celebrations. It is also quite an old tradition. The Bridal Shower was a way for a girl in the old days that didn’t have a dowry due to poverty or a disapproving parent to get all the things she needed to begin her married life. The tradition evolved and has become a part of the normal celebrations. Another tradition is that games are played at the freshen up. Here are some immense games that can be played at your shower.
Have a Honeymoon relay game. The Honeymoon is the pass the newlywed couple goes on as husband and wife. all inclusive honeymoon cruises relies on apiece player performing an action of preparing for the Honeymoon. The final player has to pack a suitcase and wear what is packed. This will not only build up the group but also be a great pic opportunity. Another game that can be played is Celebrity Couples. The intent is simple. You come up with a list of famous couples. You then give everyone a list with the obloquy of one half of apiece couple. It is then the job of the guest to complete apiece couple. The mortal or group with the most correctly guessed couples wins. You can play the game individually or in teams.
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Honeymoon Cruises – all inclusive Honeymoon Cruise and Vacation

Honeymoon Cruises – all inclusive Honeymoon Cruise and Vacation” is a nice article for honeymoon cruise vacation. Get more infomation about honeymoon cruises, honeymoon cruise lines, all inclusive honeymoon cruise and honeymoon cruise lines

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Discount Honeymoon Cruises

Spending your honeymoon on a cruise is one of the ideal experiences you can ever have. Just envision all the romance you’ll be getting while at the same time being healthy to enjoy the different and astonishing destinations found in places like Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean. A honeymoon cruise doesn’t have to be too expensive, you can find discount honeymoon cruises to combine romance and money saving at the same time.

Honeymoon packages include accommodation, entertainment, dining and more romantic things. But this package of included things can be tweaked thanks to a travel bureau to superior suit your needs in terms of fun and money. This way you can “build your own discount”, however be sure the travel bureau offer this service to refrain wasting precious time.

Another way to get a discount honeymoon cruise is to book well in advance. Prices you find this way are way cheaper than common prices because you are assuring the cruise you are going to travel. Booking a honeymoon cruise at the “last minute” is also cheaper, but I don’t think that is the superior way to proceed with a honeymoon. Specially given all the benefits you get in a honeymoon cruise package.

Honeymooners can also take advantage of this “honeymooner state”. To be specific, the honeymoon registry. In the honeymoon registry, you can let people you want to g o on a cruise and friends and family place a tiny something to your travel. There are companies that offer this specialty honeymoon registry.

There are more ways to find a discount honeymoon cruise. It is a matter of researching and finding out what works ideal for you.

Learn all about the ideal honeymoon cruises and find great travel tips on ideal cruise vacations for you. Find all about the different destinations, honeymoon cruise packages and cruise lines. Don’t forget to read our articles sections for more astonishing tips.

Discount Honeymoon Cruises

Learn all about the best honeymoon cruises and find great travel tips on ideal cruise vacations for you. Find all about the different destinations, honeymoon cruise packages and cruise lines. Don’t forget to read our articles sections for more astonishing tips.

Hawaii Honeymoons Hawaiian Honeymoons were never more inexpensive with our special 10-Day Hawaii Cruise & Hotel Package that includes transfers and a Honolulu City Tour. Contact CruiseCheap.com at 1-800-543-1915 to book this package.
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Tying the Knots on a Cruise

Marriage celebration is a dream to each one. Most people want to celebrate their weeding in a one-of-a-kind way since the wedding day is the most important and happy day in their life . Couples want to hold for an unforgettable wedding party.

Many couples feel getting married is all together a stressful event of their life and it is a very difficult process to hold a wedding , these days, couples are looking for options that present less strain. One option to plan the wedding celebration with out any strain is to go in for a wedding package which takes care of each part of the marriage celebration. In this article, let us speak about tying the knot on a cruise.Cruise wedding celebration is real fun.

The Most important thing you’ll have to fix on is whether you want to get married on board the ship or at a port. Most of the cruise lines offer weddings on board. Some times the cruise lines advocate that your wedding takes place at a port in your home country.

Many ships do permit you to get married on Board. Even though they have wedding chapels on board, but you must get married while the ship is docked at its port of origin. It is just one of those legal things. Celebrity cruises also offer many different wedding packages, but you might not get married at sea. Again, you must select one of the designated ports of call for your wedding ceremony location.

The single cruise line that permit you to actually get married while on the ship at sea is the Princess cruise line Sydney Harbour cruising. The captains aboard these ships are legally legalized to carry out weddings under the legal dominance of Bermuda, the port of origin for the cruise line. Any of the major cruise lines, however, would be happy to help you hold a wedding that revolves around your cruise, and most of the cruise ship companies offer wedding planners at the various ports they land at.

The most admired option is just to get married on land and spend the rest of the time at sea. One way to be sure you’ll be healthy to afford this sort of option is to set up a cruise registry. This is comparable to a gift registry, except wedding guests place money into a special statement just for your cruise, instead of buying gifts. This way, the price of your voyage can be significantly reduced for the couple that would like having a voyage than household appliances or a showcase gift.

In Sydney people celebrate their Wedding celebration on cruises . wedding celebration Cruise is very common among couples these days .

Tying the Knots on a Cruise

Author Bio

The author Owns a fleet vessels in Sydney . It is one of the ideal Sydney Harbour Cruise acquirable for Sydney Harbour Cruise Party, Xmas Celebration Sydney Harbour, Wedding Cruise Sydney Harbour, New years Eve Sydney Harbour.

Why Not a Honeymoon Cruise?

Honeymoon cruises are among the most favourite occasions for taking a luxury cruise. For many new couples, it is a memorable opportunity to celebrate their new life together surrounded by exotic locations, exciting activities, and exceptional service from the cruise ship’s crew.

6 Reasons to Honeymoon on a Cruiseship

Affordable Honeymoon Vacation Travel

Faced with the expences of a wedding and establishing a new home, many couples find they are on a short budget when it comes to their honeymoon. However, honeymoon cruises are more inexpensive than many people think, offering great value for the dollar when compared to traditional land-based honeymoon vacations. When you add up the cost of travel, accommodation, food and activities, for a traditional honeymoon, it is simple to see that a luxury cruise is a great deal.

Wide Variety Of Destinations

Deciding on a honeymoon destination is difficult for some couples because there are so many exciting places to go. Honeymoon cruises make it easy, though, with several ports of call you can visit multiple places and enjoy many different experiences and only have to unpack your things once. This one-of-a-kind attribute of cruising is what attracts many honeymoon couples in the first place.

Many Special Packages

Cruise lines, typically, spoil their passengers with luxury and special amenities, and on honeymoon cruises, this is especially so. Most offer honeymoon packages of varying price, all the way from the basic complimentary champagne in your cabin to special spa treatments, shore excursions, upgraded accommodations and more.

But it doesn’t have to be your first honeymoon to take advantage of special packages and amenities. Take a second honeymoon, renew your vows, or just renew your passion for apiece other on a cruise designed to cater to your each desire. Regardless of how long you have been married, think about a honeymoon package as a way to place the fire back into your relationship.

Freedom To Select Your Own Activities

Cruising is the type of pass where you can select as many or as few activies as you like.The ship abounds with opportunies for fun as well as relaxation, and the ports of call offer their own bouintiful choices for shopping, exploring, or just having a bite to eat.

One of the ideal things about a cruise is that you can be completely spontaneous when it comes to how you fill your time. It’s okay to change your mind if you really don’t feel like playing in the racquetball competion you signed up for, instead opting for a good book and good company at the pool. Go ahead, do whatever you want – after all, it’s your honeymoon!

Many Choices Of Ships and Itineraries

Honeymoon cruises can literally take you all over the world. Perhaps,you want to visit warm weather ports of call like Aruba, Mexico, state and the Virgin Islands or maybe you are more interested in cruising the European coastline. The Mediterranean is an excellent option as well, along with the South Pacific and northern destinations like Alaska, Norway and such.

Relaxation, Adventure and Nightlife

All in one Cruising offers you opportunities for relaxation, adventure, and nightlife all with one ticket. It is unlike any other pass you have ever had, and honeymoon cruises are especially notable for their variety and excellence. As a newlywed couple, you will get your first taste of exploring an exotic port of call, or diversion the night away – it’s entirerly up to you. The variety and breadth of choices are part of what makes cruising such a great value for your dollar.

Romantic and Memorable

There are very few things more romantic than a moonlight stroll on the deck, taking in the moon and the stars while at sea, or diversion cheek to cheek for the whole evening. A honeymoon cruise is a romantic adventure from begin to finish, limited only by your energy and imagination. If you want your honeymoon to be both romantic and memorable, plan to spend it on a luxury cruise.

Story by romantic cruise specialist Bruce Pickett, TPI Wordwide.

Why Not A Honeymoon Cruise?

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