From menu innovation to organizational tweaks, savvy restaurateurs seize this season to make strategic changes. Fresh ingredients find their way onto revamped menus, and outdoor seating areas come alive with the chatter of diners. Whether you’re a seasoned restaurateur or a fresh-faced foodpreneur, there’s something here for everyone.

Throughout this article, you’ll find hyperlinks to resources, product recommendations, and expert advice. Click away to explore in-depth guides and practical tips.

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For starters, AI technology like ChatGPT can dramatically reduce the time restaurant management spends on common marketing tasks. You can leverage AI to generate social media posts, Google Ads, review responses—even your marketing plan—in a matter of seconds.

In this post, we’ll show you how to prompt ChatGPT to take care of another time-consuming chore: writing effective menu descriptions. We encourage you to check out ChatGPT as you follow along so you can experience the power of AI in restaurants firsthand.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a computer program developed by OpenAI that uses machine learning to generate human-like text. It generates responses by predicting what should come next based on the input it receives.

Its primary applications include drafting emails, writing code, creating written content, tutoring in a variety of subjects, translating languages, simulating characters for video games, and even creating poetry. It’s also used to power virtual assistants and answer queries.

Best of all, it’s extremely easy to use. You don’t need to be a programmer to start benefiting right away. You just need to know how to “prompt it”—a.k.a., ask it for what you want. Below, we show you how to do just that.

Please remember to avoid sharing confidential information or trade secrets in conversations with ChatGPT to ensure data security and protect sensitive intellectual property.

Using AI in restaurants to write menu descriptions

We all know how critical menu descriptions are for selling menu items. As an AI language model, ChatGPT has been trained on a broad range of data, including a vast array of food-related language. It can assist in writing creative, engaging, and mouth-watering menu descriptions that can make dishes more appealing to customers while saving you valuable time. Here’s how:

1. Ingredient highlighting: ChatGPT can elaborate on the ingredients used in each dish, emphasizing the quality and freshness of these components to elevate the perceived value of the dish. It can also highlight exotic or unique ingredients that might intrigue customers.

2. Culinary techniques: Whether your dish is slow-roasted, pan-seared, or sous-vide, ChatGPT can articulate these culinary techniques in a way that illustrates the care and expertise that goes into each dish.

3. Sensory descriptions: ChatGPT can craft descriptions that appeal to customers’ senses, painting a vivid picture of the dish’s taste, texture, aroma, and presentation.

4. Storytelling: If your dishes have a story – perhaps they’re based on a grandma’s recipe or inspired by a chef’s travels – ChatGPT can weave these narratives into the descriptions to create a more engaging dining experience.

5. Personalization: Based on the style and tone of your restaurant – be it upscale and sophisticated, casual and homey, or modern and innovative – ChatGPT can tailor the descriptions to match, helping to reinforce your brand identity.

However, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for drafting menu descriptions, it’s important to review and fine-tune the AI-generated content. This ensures that the descriptions accurately represent your dishes and resonate with your specific audience. A chef or someone with deep knowledge about each dish should also review the descriptions to ensure accuracy and authenticity.

Writing a successful prompt for menu descriptions involves including key elements that allow an AI language model like ChatGPT to generate creative, engaging, and descriptive text. Here are the main elements to include:

• Type of restaurant: Detailing the type of restaurant (Italian, farm-to-table, vegan, upscale, etc.) allows the AI to understand the context and tailor the descriptions accordingly.
• Dish details: Provide a brief explanation of each dish, including main ingredients, cooking methods, and any unique features. This gives the AI the necessary information to generate a detailed description.
• Tone and style: Describe the desired tone of the descriptions (formal, casual, playful, etc.). The tone should align with the restaurant’s brand identity and the expectations of its target customers.
• Emphasis points: Highlight what you want emphasized in the description. This could be the quality of ingredients, the chef’s expertise, the dish’s origin, health benefits, etc.
• Sensory appeal: Ask for descriptions that appeal to the senses. Good menu descriptions often create a vivid mental picture by appealing to the senses of taste, smell, and sight.
• Length: Indicate how long you want the descriptions to be. Too long can be off-putting, while too short may not convey enough information.

Example prompt for menu descriptions

“Imagine you are creating a menu for an upscale, farm-to-table restaurant that focuses on locally sourced, organic ingredients and innovative, creative dishes. Write descriptive and enticing menu entries for the following dishes:

• Pan-seared sea scallops served with a parsnip purée and garnished with microgreens.
• Slow-roasted, herb-crusted rack of lamb served with a red wine reduction and a side of garlic mashed potatoes.
• Vegan lasagna made with house-made pasta, seasonal vegetables, and almond ricotta, topped with a rich tomato sauce.

Remember to emphasize the quality of the ingredients, the skillful preparation, and the unique flavors of each dish.”

Resulting AI-generated menu descriptions

• Ocean’s Bounty: Dive into a taste of the sea with our Pan-seared Sea Scallops. Each morsel is carefully seared to golden perfection, bringing out the natural sweetness and succulence of the scallops. Paired with a creamy, subtly sweet parsnip purée and garnished with vibrant microgreens sourced from local farms, it’s a captivating blend of oceanic and earthy flavors.
• Herbivore’s Delight: Experience a feast for the senses with our slow-roasted herb-crusted Rack of Lamb. The lamb, locally sourced and ethically raised, is slow-roasted to preserve its juicy tenderness, then encrusted with a blend of aromatic herbs that complement its rich flavor. Served with a robust red wine reduction and a side of velvety garlic mashed potatoes, this dish is a testament to our commitment to quality and flavor.
• Garden Harvest Lasagna: Who said vegan dishes lack flavor? Our Vegan Lasagna defies expectations. Freshly made pasta sheets layer with seasonal vegetables harvested at the peak of freshness and creamy almond ricotta. A hearty ladle of rich, house-made tomato sauce adds the final touch. It’s a colorful, nutritious, and delectable ode to the bounty of the garden.

Those are great descriptions, but let’s say you’d like to make them more concise. In your next prompt, just ask ChatGPT to “limit these to 20 words or less.”

Revised AI-generated menu descriptions

• Ocean’s Bounty: Savor succulent pan-seared scallops paired with creamy parsnip purée and garnished with local, fresh microgreens.
• Herbivore’s Delight: Taste slow-roasted, herb-crusted lamb served with a robust red wine reduction and velvety garlic mashed potatoes.
• Garden Harvest Lasagna: Enjoy our vegan lasagna with house-made pasta, fresh seasonal vegetables, almond ricotta, and rich tomato sauce.

If you’re unhappy with the results, click the “Regenerate response” button, and ChatGPT will rewrite the descriptions.

Start using AI in your restaurant today

The digital age has brought innovative solutions to the restaurant industry, including artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT. Leveraging this powerful tool can revolutionize your marketing strategies.

Just remember, artificial intelligence is not a replacement for human creativity and insight but a tool to enhance it. Embrace this technology to refine your marketing efforts, attract a broader customer base, and elevate your restaurant business to new heights of success.

Content courtesy Operators-Edge.com

In today’s competitive restaurant industry, rising inflation poses significant challenges for restaurant owners. Higher costs of goods and reduced customer spending can impact profit margins. However, by making strategic changes to their menus, restaurant owners can combat these challenges and maintain profitability. This article explores three effective strategies for menu optimization in the face of inflation: identifying and emphasizing best-selling items, eliminating poor-performing dishes, and adjusting the menu layout for higher profits.

1. Identifying and Emphasizing Best-Sellers: One of the most effective ways to combat inflation is by identifying and emphasizing a restaurant’s biggest sellers on the menu. By prominently featuring these items, restaurant owners can guide diners toward ordering more profitable dishes. Here’s how to implement this strategy:

1. 1. Menu Placement: Position the best-selling items strategically, such as at the top of the menu or in a highlighted section. Use visual cues like borders, icons, or bold font to draw attention to these dishes.
   2. Descriptive Language: Craft compelling descriptions that highlight the unique qualities of the best-sellers. Use descriptive words to create an enticing narrative that appeals to diners’ senses and increases their desire to order these dishes.
   3. Visual Appeal: Include high-quality photographs or illustrations of the most popular dishes. Visual representations can evoke cravings and create an emotional connection, encouraging customers to choose these items.

1. Eliminating Poor-Performing Dishes: To mitigate the impact of inflation on costs, restaurant owners should consider eliminating poor-performing dishes from their menus. Streamlining the menu not only reduces operational complexity but also helps cut back on expenses. Here are the steps to follow:

1. 1. Analyze Sales Data: Review sales data to identify dishes with consistently low demand or low profitability. Evaluate factors such as food costs, preparation time, and popularity among customers to make informed decisions.
   2. Regular Menu Review: Conduct regular menu reviews to assess the performance of each dish. Remove items that consistently underperform or do not align with the restaurant’s overall concept or target audience.
   3. Seasonal Menu Offerings: Consider offering seasonal menus that showcase new, innovative dishes or capitalize on ingredients that are cost-effective during specific times of the year. This approach allows for increased profitability and keeps the menu fresh and exciting for customers.

1. Adjusting the Menu Layout: A well-designed menu layout can significantly impact customers’ ordering decisions. By making strategic adjustments, restaurant owners can highlight the most profitable dishes and improve readability. Here are some effective changes to consider:

1. 1. Visual Hierarchy: Use font sizes, bold formatting, or colors to create a visual hierarchy that directs customers’ attention to high-profit items. Ensure that the most profitable dishes stand out and are easy to locate.
   2. Boxed or Highlighted Sections: Create special sections or boxes to draw attention to signature dishes, chef recommendations, or high-margin items. This helps customers quickly identify the standout options and increases the likelihood of ordering them.
   3. Simplified Language and Organization: Use clear and concise language to describe dishes, avoiding jargon or excessive detail. Organize the menu into logical sections to facilitate easy navigation and understanding.

In the face of inflation’s challenges, restaurant owners must be proactive in making menu changes to maintain profitability. By identifying and emphasizing best-selling items, eliminating poor-performing dishes, and adjusting the menu layout, restaurant owners can effectively combat rising costs and reduced customer spending. These strategies not only improve profitability but also enhance the overall dining experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. By staying agile and adapting to the changing economic landscape, restaurants can thrive despite inflationary pressures.

By Luke LaBree
CMO, Dennis Food Service

First, while it might be the most significant piece of the equation, your focus should not fall solely on food costs. There are several categories that restaurants should examine when setting prices, including the cost of ingredients, labor costs, competition, and customer demand. Restaurants need to strike a balance between setting high enough prices to cover their costs and generate a profit while still being competitive and appealing to customers.

To set prices effectively, restaurants may use various pricing strategies, such as cost-plus pricing, value-based pricing, or competition-based pricing. Some of the key factors to consider when updating pricing include the following:

1. Cost of ingredients: The cost of ingredients can vary due to changes in the market or supply chain disruptions. Restaurants need to stay up-to-date on the cost of ingredients and adjust prices accordingly. Your Dennis Account Executive can help with menu costing software.
2. Labor costs: Labor costs are an important factor to consider when setting prices. In many places, minimum wage or the competition for quality employees has increased the starting pay range, so restaurants may need to adjust their prices to account for the increased labor costs.
3. Competition: Restaurants need to stay competitive with their pricing. This may mean adjusting prices to be in line with other restaurants in the area or offering special deals or discounts to attract customers. It’s also important to note that not all ingredients are the same; quality plays a role in customer decision-making. In other words, don’t blindly lower the cost of your premium dish to follow a competitor’s similar but lower-quality menu item. Instead, differentiate with marketing that educates and appeals to your customer base, creating demand.
4. Customer demand: The demand for certain menu items can fluctuate, and restaurants may need to adjust their pricing to reflect this. For example, if a particular dish is very popular, your restaurant may be able to increase the price slightly.
5. Inflation: Inflation has a direct impact on all of the above; food costs, labor, even the utilities needed to prepare food can be affected. It’s important to remember that inflation also reduces the purchasing power of consumers, as the same amount of money will buy fewer goods and services. This can make it more difficult for restaurants to attract customers and drive sales.

How often should you update your restaurant’s menu prices? There is no one-size-fits-all answer for how often restaurants should update their menu pricing. However, all restaurants should regularly review their menu prices to stay in line with market conditions and ensure that they remain profitable, course correcting with price changes as needed. In a “food service vacuum” food cost is always at the top of the list, and with that in mind, here are a few food costs that restaurants should be mindful of:

1. Meat prices: Meat prices can be volatile and are often influenced by factors such as the cost of feed, weather conditions, and the demand for different types of meat.
2. Produce prices: The cost of produce can fluctuate depending on the season and the availability of certain items. For example, certain types of produce may be more expensive during the winter months when they are not in season.
3. Seafood prices: The cost of seafood can be impacted by factors such as the availability of different types of fish, the demand for seafood, and the cost of fuel for fishing boats.
4. Dairy prices: The cost of dairy products can be influenced by the cost of feed for cows, the demand for different types of dairy products, and the cost of production.

The bottom line is that restaurants must stay up-to-date on the factors that impact pricing and be flexible in their pricing strategies to remain competitive and profitable. Reviewing menu prices, food costs, and labor expenses at least once a year provides valuable insight into your establishment’s profitability.

More articles on menu pricing and profitability:

And, don’t miss episode 70 of the Dennis Knows Food podcast! Dennis account executive and industry expert Josh Henderson shares his insider tips and tricks for reviewing menus with maximum impact. With over 20 years of experience in food service sales, Josh knows what it takes to succeed.

Listen to Ep. 70 Now

These conversations have reignited the need for healthful eating because it is one of the most important ways to improve our overall health and well-being.

According to Datassential’s COVID-19 Health at Home report, 78% of consumers agree that diet has a major impact on how your body fights/protects against illness, and 44% of consumers say they have been eating healthier in response to COVID-19.

The foundation to any healthful eating pattern is consuming an ample amount of plants, specifically fruits, and vegetables. Restaurants have a unique and important opportunity to provide consumers with a variety of plants to support healthful eating and their overall wellness.

Restaurants have been instrumental in exposing people to fruits and vegetables and providing consumers with a delightful, delicious plant-forward experience,” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. “Restaurants are often the first exposure, or point of entry, to trying — continuing to try — new fruit and vegetable consumption behaviors,” says Reinhardt Kapsak.

Popular fast-casual chain restaurants Roti Modern Mediterranean, Panera Bread, Noodles and Company, and Chipotle Mexican Grill have put fruits and vegetables at the core of their healthful menu development.

• The majority of Roti’s entrée toppings are colorful nutrient-dense vegetables such as red cabbage slaw, cucumber, and tomato, and fresh seasonal vegetables roasted in-house.
• Panera Bread added plant-based grain bowls with a variety of produce such as corn, tomatoes, avocado, arugula, and cucumbers. These new bowls are a warm complement to Panera’s produce-centric salad menu that features strawberries, edamame, and blueberries.
• Noodle’s and Co. introduced “Zoodles,” zucchini cut into noodle shape, that boost its entrée’s vegetable quotient.
• Chipotle has a long history of offering vegetarian entrées with guacamole and introduced plant-forward lifestyle entrées that introduced supergreens to its menu. According to Chipotle’s VP of Marketing Stephanie Perdue, “Chipotle has the opportunity to bring more vegetables to the center of the plate. Chipotle customers are looking for simple, plant-based food now more than ever, especially as people look for convenient ways to eat healthier at home,” she says.

As consumers gain more exposure to fruits and vegetables from popular fast-casual chain restaurants, they will look to all types of restaurants to offer and innovate with more fruits and vegetables. Here are a few ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into the menu.

• Let the vegetable be a flavor carrier: Kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts rose to popularity because they were paired with a variety of unique, familiar, and slightly indulgent flavors such as parmesan, balsamic, curry, and bacon.
• Allow fruits to be the star flavor: The natural, vibrant flavors of fruit can enhance any part of the menu. Fruit salsas made from mango, pineapple, peaches, and watermelon can top chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. Purée fresh or frozen fruits into dressings or sauces, add fresh fruit to salads and bowls and add to trendy pizza, flatbreads, or tacos.
• Add simple fruits and vegetables to family meals: As families continue to stay-at-home and prioritize healthy eating, ensure newly developed family meals are well-rounded with fruits and vegetables. These can be everyday items like salads, mixed veggies, and fresh fruit.

Source: National Restaurant Association

Technically there is no “red meat season”, but if I had to pull one out of thin air, the kickoff would be July.

Summer is the season for grillin’, chillin’ and letting your internal carnivore come to the dinner party.

What did the perfectly-rested steak say to the prematurely-sliced steak?
You need a rest… you’re bleeding.

“What cut should I use?”

There is no good answer. I could tell you what cuts of beef you should use & those you should steer clear of – however, it is simply a matter of personal likes vs. product use vs. your grocery budget. Other considerations include how you will be using the product. Will you be using a slow cooking technique, like braising or smoking? Are you going for a quick seared steak presentation? Will you be roasting and shaving for sandwiches? Once a clear path of production/use has been paved, your account executive (or myself) can better assist in steering you in the right direction.

There is no bad cut of beef, but there is improper product handling that can lead to unsatisfactory finished product. The rule of thumb is to choose heavily used muscles (higher use of muscle + stronger protein structure with less marbling) for longer cooking methods, such as slow smoking, braising and slow roasting. On the opposite side, a lesser used muscle (better marbling due to muscle inactivity) is suitable for quick cook techniques such as grilling, searing and slow roasting.

Be sure to place careful consideration when choosing the perfect cut for your platform. Beef is a big expense, so don’t overspend on a tender cut if you plan to treat it like a tough cut. On the flip-side, don’t use a tough cut like a tender cut and expect a suitable outcome.

If you choose wisely, season well and use proper cooking techniques, you will be hitting menu home runs all day long.

For more information about Beef from Dennis, check out these pages:

BBQ Foodservice   Rangeline Meat & Provisions   Premium Beef Products

Chef Tim’s Surf & Turf

Most of today’s flat-screen televisions feature the ability to play images and videos from a USB flash drive (also known as jump-drive, or thumb-drive). Simply plug a jump-drive of content into the USB port of your TV to showcase your menu, photos, or videos. Some TVs even allow your content to play on loop with a slideshow. Here are the steps:

1. 1. You can use any TV that is equipped with a USB port capable of playing media. I’ve found Vizio Smart TVs to be a reliable and cost-effective option.
   2. Buy the VESA mount you like from Amazon.
   3. Make a menu design using PowerPoint.
   4. Export the menu as a Jpeg and save it to a jump drive.
   5. Plug the jump drive into the USB port on the TV.
   6. Turn on the TV and select the USB port as the input. Browse to your menu graphic and “play” it.
      Some TVs can display multiple images as a slideshow, so it could be multiple menu pages, or a menu and pictures of food.

Here’s how to do it!

But, not all televisions are created equal.

Ever wonder why some TVs are much cheaper than others even though they are the same size? TV manufacturers can create a range of models and slash prices by removing premium features. The ability for a TV to read and display content from a jump drive often falls under that “premium feature” umbrella. If your TV has a USB port, but when you plug a jump drive in nothing happens… it most likely means that your TV’s USB port is there to provide power only.

No USB? No problem.

You don’t need a fully functional USB port as long as your TV has an HDMI port. When plugged into your HDMI port the ‘Micca Speck 1080p Full-HD Ultra Portable Digital Media Player’ provides you with a USB, and more. If you’ve got an extra TV kicking around, I highly recommend this little device. Why? Because in 2020 I helped a customer set up 3 of these on used TVs – and it worked flawlessly. The Micca Speck is a cheap, powerful media player that can display multiple images and video formats in full HD quality. The player comes with a remote control and connects to your TV via HDMI cable. It also includes some noteworthy features such as an SD memory card reader, USB port, automatic restart after a power failure, and a durable aluminum case exterior.

Menu Image Pro-Tip

Microsoft PowerPoint slides can be set to a default size of “1080p” or 1920×1080 (the same aspect ratio as our modern television displays). Often 1920×1080 is already the default PowerPoint template size, if not you can change it. Once you’ve created your menu simply “export” the slide as a jpeg image and copy it to your jump drive. Because the image is exported as 1920×1080 pixels your menu should display on your TV exactly how it appeared in PowerPoint.

Of course, you can use any application you’re comfortable with to create your digital menu artwork. And there are many more methods, services, and devices you could utilize to display your electronic signage… this one just happens to follow one of my favorite business strategies – highly effective and inexpensive.

If you’re already having your menus designed and printed by an outside company, a TV-ready digital version of your menu could be just a conversation away.

*PowerPoint stuck in 4×3 aspect ratio? Try this!

If you see black bars on the left and right of your content, it means your slides are set to a 4×3 aspect ratio.

1. Go to the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint.
2. Select “Set Up Slide Show”
3. Change the “Slide show resolution” from ‘Use Current Resolution’ to ‘1920×1080’

Micca Speck 1080p Full-HD Ultra Portable Digital Media Player

If you’re in need of additional menu items with a focus on ease of production and consistency, ravioli is a crowd favorite that is sure to fit the bill. Offered in many shapes, and sizes, and stuffed with unique fillings, there is most definitely a ravioli to match your specific criteria.

Whether it be fried and used as an appetizer, or menued as a creative vegetarian offering; we are sure to have the perfect ravioli for you.

See More from the Test Kitchen  Visit Our Recipe Center

The paradigm shift for restaurateurs is coming fast and menu changes started in March for many operators. As we move forward, menu strategies new and old will converge as we adapt to the right mix of price points, value, menu items, and differentiation that will appeal to consumers.

This document from Goliath Consulting Group is a guide to developing a competitive menu that will excite guests and allow you to grow your revenue. Here are the first six steps to getting started.

Source: Operator’s Edge [Goliath Consulting Group]