Planning a Pizza Menu

People visiting a pizza shop or restaurant will normally expect to find more options than just a couple of pizza toppings. Sure, there are some pizza shops that are so well known for a certain pizza that no one would even notice if they cut their menu down to one or two items, but that is not normally the case. What items you include on your menu depend on several factors, and menu planning should be one of the steps you complete very early in your plans when opening a new shop or restaurant. Here are a couple of things to consider when beginning your menu planning.

Style of Shop or Restaurant

What type of restaurant or shop do you envision? Do you picture an upscale establishment with cloth napkins and fine china, or a corner shop where a slice is served on a paper plate? Both types of places are great, but they are different and require different menus.

Casual:

For a more casual shop, the old standards may be enough. If you’re going to serve only pizza, offer 10-12 toppings and a few basic starters, such as bread sticks, onion rings or French fries, and you’ll have a menu appropriate to open your doors. If you want to include sandwiches, keep it simple at first. Don’t have a lot of sandwich choices as this will mean a much higher investment in the beginning. Instead, offer a few sandwiches and do them well. As your business grows you can add additional sandwiches, salads and other items.

Upscale

If you want to open a more upscale restaurant, the menu needs will be different. You’ll need to offer appetizers, pizza, and dessert. You should also include a large variety of sandwiches and, ideally, other entrée choices such as pasta dishes or salads. In a more "fancy" restaurant, you will also have the flexibility to be more creative with your pizza toppings. In addition to the typical fare, such as sausage and pepperoni, you could add more sophisticated choices such as margherita pizza. You will need to have 6-10 choices for appetizers and about the same number of dessert choices.

Clientele

Who do you think will be eating in your establishment? Will it be people who need to grab a quick bite during lunch? Will it be the hot spot for a romantic dinner? What should people expect when they walk in? The answer to these questions should have an impact on your menu choices. If customers will be making a quick stop, then having a limited menu will benefit both them and you. They won’t have to browse endless choices, and you can keep the popular items ready to go during peak times, thus decreasing the time you leave your customers waiting. This will be very important if you are catering to a lunch hour crowd.

For people who are going out for a nice dinner, they want to have a menu with options. Offering appetizers in a nicer restaurant is a great way to boost profits. A couple dining out isn’t going to order a third entrée, but there is a good chance they will order an appetizer if the options are appealing enough. The same goes for dessert. Offer several choices that will appeal to a variety of diners. No matter what type of restaurant or shop you plan to open, remember that you can always add items as your business grows. It’s much better to add items later than to start with a menu that is too big and have to take items off. With careful planning your menu can be one thing that helps makes your business a success.

Jessica Ackerman is a popular contributor for one of the best seattle pasta delivery restaurants- Padrino’s Pizza and Pasta. Do not hesitate to call them for your free pizza delivery .

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