The next step is to move away from a reliance on selling the basics and to obtain an understanding of how to get specialty beverage items into your business. Remember, the end goal is to sell items that not too many of your competitors are already selling, and this is easily achieved through menu development.

Menu development is a necessary task that is about obtaining the perfect balance between raising revenue and profit in your business, while maintaining customer satisfaction.

Before you quickly rush out and throw your current menu in the bin, I have outlined a number of key points you need to carefully consider.

Firstly, does you café have the required equipment, capacity and layout for what you have in mind? Getting the appropriate equipment that doesn’t compromise space availability is important and should be a major contributor when selecting suitable new menu items.

Secondly, does what you propose to offer fit the needs and desires of your current customers? Your guests have expectations regarding why they frequent your establishment and most will not tell your employees if they feel they have not been met. They will just move on.

The third consideration is making sure what you are introducing is On-Trend.

Spend some time reviewing industry magazines and websites and leverage the popularity of growing trends. With small changes to a menu, you can completely overhaul it and bring it on to trend and provide an opportunity for sales growth by new customers without destroying the sales of your other menu items or diminishing your current customers’ expectations.

The next check point is product consistency and pricing. Stay away from drinks that require expensive or fresh seasonal ingredients and/or time-consuming make up methods.

Ask yourself, “Can this ingredient list be purchased consistently throughout the menu cycle?

By asking this question, you can control your costs and avoid overloading your menu with too many ingredients that are only available at reasonable cost during a small section of a season and then blow out for the rest of the year. Smart menu development concentrates on using ingredients you already purchase and integrates them into multiple drinks with the addition of syrups, sauces and smoothie bases.

The final thing you need to undertake when looking at menu development is perhaps the most important. Raise the skill levels of your employees through beverage training.

While the newly developed menu can become a selling tool for your business, it is your staff that need to promote the drinks, answer customer questions and make recommendations. Make sure your staff understand the concept and cocktails and are able to explain them.

So why is it necessary to understand menu development, you ask?

Well, a correctly thought out menu is a marketing tool for your business. It is also an effective tool for building brand loyalty in the marketplace and finally, it sets your establishment apart from all your competitors and it is the perfect balance between raising revenue and profit in your business while maintaining customer satisfaction.