You could also leave extra white space around them or make them a contrasting color. Any of these methods will pull in the customer’s gaze, and encourage them to order these items.
Make sure to use this method sparingly, or you’ll dilute its effectiveness. If everything is in a box, then nothing will stand out.
Another thing to consider is where you place these items on the menu.
Restaurant menu engineers will tell you to consider the “Golden Triangle” when planning your layout. The eye is first drawn to the center of a menu, before moving to the top right and then the top left.
Keep this in mind when setting up your menu. Include your highest-profit items in the top center to make sure they are seen first.
Pricing out your menu requires a little more than just calculating your food cost and dividing it by 30 percent to get a total.
There are a few pricing tips that you can use to increase customers’ overall spend.
Anchor your menu with more expensive items
There is psychology at work when a customer looks at a restaurant menu, even if they don’t know it.
The first price that a person sees will influence how they look at the rest of the menu.
This is called anchoring. People tend to rely on the first piece of information they receive when making a decision.
To use this to your advantage, add a more expensive item where they’ll see it early in their perusal of your menu. For example, you could include it at the top right, in the golden triangle.
By comparison, the rest of the dishes on the menu will look more affordable. While the guest will probably order a less expensive item, they may view their perceived savings as an excuse to order an appetizer or dessert.