Where to start: Throw it back to last Christmas
If you’ve got sales data from Christmas 2019 to work from, that’s a really great place to start. The world have changed this year, but it’s unlikely that people’s appetites have shifted too far from the Christmas classics. In fact, insight suggests that the old favourites and a sense of normality will be all the rage this December.
Once you’ve pulled your sales data from last December, plot your dishes and pricing information into an analysis template. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, and our handy Excel chart will do all the hard working out for you. Download it here.
Your analysis will tell you which dishes were most profitable and most popular for your business last Christmas – and which weren’t. Start shaping your menu by maintaining the ‘Stars’, and consider how you can improve the popularity and profitability of the ‘Arrows’ – or whether to remove them completely.
Now make your life in the kitchen a little bit easier
Dish complexity refers to the amount of effort and skill required to execute a dish successfully. This can include factors like prep time, number of steps in the recipe, number of stations required to prepare the dish, margin for error, etc.
Use our ‘Star/Arrow’ analysis template to measure dish complexity too, and you’ll soon start to see where you could benefit from making some changes.
Decreasing dish complexity can help make your operations more efficient, offer your guests a more consistent product, and often decrease your food cost – especially if labour is a challenge for your business in the run up to Christmas.
Finally, consider how much to charge
Christmas might be a time when consumers don’t mind splashing out, but most will still want to feel that they are getting value for money. It can be a tricky balance to strike when setting prices for your menu.
Set menus will likely have a better perceived value amongst consumers, especially when dining at Christmas (they’re also easy to prep for and manage during a busy service in the kitchen!). Consider how you can maximise your margins with upgrades, add-ons and drinks to help elevate the dining experience for the consumer, along with your profitability.
