I’m fortunate enough to have designed menus for a number of restaurants. I have enjoyed designing for all of my catering customers but one client that’s always great fun to work with is Mike and Sarah Calvert from Cheese & Alfie’s, Christchurch.
It’s always a result when clients understand the importance of having a good design. Cheese & Alfie’s certainly do. In my opinion, they have a great brand. It’s a wonderful mixture of warm, friendly, fun and funky but also carries off sophisticated, stylish and relaxed. This explains why they are so popular.
With this kind of winning brand, key to any restaurant’s marketing plan has to be good menu design. With Christmas just a few weeks away, excellent food and a good reputation is of course vital but just as important is the ability to stand out that little bit more. Be seen, get remembered and your business will attract the extra trade that comes hand in hand with the festive merriment. Corporate do’s, family get togethers or Christmas lunches with friends are all excellent clientele to introduce to your eatery. Visually reflect your brand and give them a reason to choose you. A good looking menu will not only get noticed, it should also make the diner excited to be there. In return they will want to recommend you to family and friends.
Mail copies of your menu directly. It’s a great way to market yourself, represent what you do and what your personality is. Make it look fantastic and it will leave a lasting impression with your potential client. Give it a great design and it will stand out amongst all the other Christmas mail outs. If it looks good, there’s a much higher chance it will still be hanging around the office for another year, ready for the next lot of bookings.
New menu design isn’t just for Christmas! Keep your menu fresh and relevant. If you do seasonal or special menus have them designed accordingly. Give your customers something that’s visually new, interesting and enticing.
This year Mike and Sarah came to me with the great idea of ‘Vintage Circus’. It was different from anything they’d done before but it still carries their brand and really does reflect both fantastic, honest food with plenty of Christmas cheer. It’s obvious to me that they value their customers 100% and in return want them to have a great overall dinning experience.
I think I will send a copy of this blog to Mike and Sarah. I’m hoping it will assure me a free portion of their Pea & chorizo risotto or even a slice of Millionaire gypsy tart….or both….did I also say what nice people they are?
Mike from Cheese & Alfie’s says……
“Becky is absolutely right, I cannot emphasize enough how important a well deigned menu is, it’s your ‘shop window’ and often your customers’ first impression on the quality of a good eatery. If they can see you’ve spent time and money writing about the food, they know they’re in for a treat when they get to eat it. Although we’re a relatively small family business, we frequently get asked if we’re a national chain because of the attention to detail and professional finish to things like the menu”
