making your menutips for creating your most important marketing tool

As a restaurant operator, there are many benefitsto creating and designing your own menu.

• 24/7 control of your primary marketing tool• Quickly adjust pricing as the market dictates• Easily add new items and remove underperformers• Change item descriptions as your kitchen evolves the recipes• No waiting for menu updates• Timely posting to your website and social media networks• Customize menus for special events and holidays

But it takes planning.• Researching industry trends• Determining menu content• Deciding on a size, format and style• Choosing the best software or online design service• Finding new fonts and graphics• Considering food photography• Engineering for profitability• Economical printing

So let’s get started!

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brand identity

Your menu. The only marketing your customers can’t ignore.

Before you get into the nuts and bolts of planninga menu, consider the big picture.

Your menu is the one piece of marketing everycustomer sees. That makes it a unique opportunity to brand your business – to communicate your personality and identity to a captive audience.

Every aspect of your menu is an opportunity to strengthen your brand image. Logo use, color choice, graphics and photography. Item names, item descriptions and especially item variety. The size and shape of the printed piece and even the quality of the paper stock and menu jacket.

The next time you dine at a chain restaurant, notice how the menu helps support their brand.

First ImpressionsWhat’s the first impression your menu makes on your customers?

Is it appetizing and interesting? Does it pique their interest for the meal ahead?Does it make them smile?

The menu needs to tempt and impress them.

It needs to reassure them that they made the right decision by choosing to dine at your restaurant.

Emotional ImpactBe aware of how your menu makes customers feel. Is the text legible in your restaurant at night?If not, people will begin their dining experience feeling frustrated.

Is the page layout open and airy, with plenty of whitespace, or are there too many items crammed into a small space, making the layout feel claustrophobic?

Avoid clichéd menu descriptions and repetition. Highlight items that differentiate you from the competition and contribute to your unique brand.

Do you have carry out menus readily available? When was the last time you updated your menu?Every little decision makes a big difference with your most important marketing tool!

It must support your brand.

inspiration

Before you sketch out your first menu design, do some

Google.comThe internet is a fantastic reference for menu contentand design, providing a window into both your localcompetition and restaurants all around the world! Grab a notebook to keep track of any great menuideas you encounter, and make a special folder on your computer for menu PDFs you download.

PinterestPinterest is one of the fastest growing social networks.Millions of people use it as a bulletin board of their favorite ideas and images, and you can browse themall! In the search bar, just type Menu Design, BurgerToppings, Restaurant Interior – or whatever you’relooking for – and the site returns hundreds of visuallyinspiring results you can “pin” to your own board. Be warned: it’s addictive!

BooksThere are only a few books currently in print that cover contemporary restaurant menu design, and none thatwill give you the range and depth of searching Googleor Pinterest. But if you need something with pages to flip, try these:

• 1,000 Restaurant Bar and Cafe Graphics: From Signage to Logos and Everything in Betweenby Luke Herriott

• Menu Design: What’s for Lunch?by Marc De Giminez

And if you’re a history buff, you’ll love• Menu Design in America 1850-1985

by Steven Heller

Dine AroundIt might seem obvious, but one of the best ways to get inspiration for your own menu is to dine at otherrestaurants. Pay special attention to menu inserts, sluggers and table tents, as that sort of specialty menuisn’t usually included when you search websites.

Most independent operators rightly view chains as the competition, but you must admit - they know how to make money. They have large research and development budgets for perfecting crowd-pleasingrecipes and testing their mouth-watering marketing, so plan to have dinner in a mainstream chain like Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster or Chili’s.

You can pick up a lot of tips and ideas from one visit,gaining first-hand knowledge of their service, menu,marketing and decor, giving you insight into why they’reso successful.

Don’t be afraid to snap photos of theirmenu or decor with your cell phone!Everyone does it these days, so you won’t even looksuspicious. You’ll learn so much that you won’t hateyourself in the morning.

And while you’re there, request a carry out menu on your way out and begin building a collection of hard copies for your reference file.

Ask AroundDon’t forget your own network of family, friends and regulars. They are a fantastic resource! Ask if they’veseen any exciting menus lately, locally or out of town.Ask nicely, and they might even pick up carry outmenus to add to your collection!

research

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Art of the MenuArt of the Menu is a design bloghighlighting some of the bestrestaurant and bar menu designfrom around the world.

If you want visual inspiration foryour next menu, logo design ormarketing collateral, start here.

www.underconsideration.com/artofthemenu

menu software

The program you choose will have a huge impact on

A menu design can be as basic as handwritten text on a white page, but making your menu look great and fit the style of your operation often calls for morepowerful graphic tools.

Check for Updated ProgramsWill you be using software you already own? If so, do you need to download an updated version or upgrade to a newer release? If you’re purchasing new software, make sure the computer you’ll be using meets the technical requirements listed on the software developer’s website.

Check Your BudgetLayout software can be very expensive. Research youroptions fully to understand the financial commitmentyou’ll be making.

Choose a Menu MasterWho will be responsible for creating and maintainingyour menu files? Choose someone who is comfortablewith computers and has a good eye for proof-reading. The more powerful the program, the more difficult andtime-consuming it will be to learn and use well, so keepthat learning curve in mind if you’ll be using new or unfamiliar software.

Download Trial VersionsAll the software mentioned here is available in free, limited-time demonstration versions, allowing you totest the programs for up to a month before committingto a purchase. You can get a feel for each program andwhether you’ll be comfortable relying on it to createyour most important sales tool.

Have Realistic ExpectationsNo software will magically turn the user into a trainedgraphic designer, so don’t begin your project thinkingyou can easily produce the kind of photo-rich menu designs the chains use.

Microsoft Office SuiteMany computers ship with a basic version of the OfficeSuite already installed, so you may own some of thissoftware already.

It’s available in several different bundles, ranging from $100 to $400, depending on the version, or as part of the Office 365 subscription-based cloudservice. The newest versions are 2013 (for Windows)and 2011 (for Macs) A new Mac edition is due to bereleased in 2015.

Download demos from http://office.microsoft.com

•) Microsoft OutlookE-mail client - not suitable for menus

•) Microsoft WordThe classic word processor. Okay for bare-bones, text-only menus. As its name implies, Word has verylimited graphic capabilities, and it’s not recommendedfor image-heavy designs.

•) Microsoft PublisherPage layout software for desktop publishing, Publisheris adept at handling graphics and is the only OfficeSuite program suited for designing your menu. It’s available with the Professional Office Suite bundlesand via Office 365, but it is no longer made for Macs.

•) Microsoft ExcelBusiness spreadsheet software - not suitable for menus

•) Microsoft PowerpointPresentation software - not suitable for menus

Apple PagesApple’s word processing software offers good templates and integrates graphics more successfully than Microsoft Word, but still isn’t a full-fledged page layout program.

the look of your menu

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SoftCafe MenuProMenuPro has been the go-to software for independentrestaurant menu creation since 1994, and over the last two decades, the developers have made it more robust and easier to use, featuring interactive templateswith drag-and-drop simplicity.

MenuPro keeps you organized and makes formattingmenus a breeze. It has limited graphic capabilities, similar to Microsoft Word, but it generates highly legible designs. It’s available alone, or bundled with additional clip art and graphics. The stand-alone program starts at $329. The current version isMenuPro10, available only for Windows PCs.

Download a demo from http://www.softcafe.com

Professional Design SoftwareComplex and expensive with a steep learning curve,these are the industry standards for page layout software and provide the ultimate flexibility for creating any menu design. Like any tool, they’reworthless if you don’t know how to use them, so don’t invest in professional software unless you have time to learn it or have trustworthy staff who are already familiar with the programs.

•) Adobe InDesignThe most popular page layout program. Available forWindows & Macs as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud.An ongoing subscription fee is required, starting at $19.99/month.

Download a demo from http://creative.adobe.com

•) Quark XPressQuark revolutionized desktop publishing in the 1980sand is still going strong with a new edition – Quark2015 – due to be released in the next few months. Available for Windows & Macs, new licenses start at$849. (No subscription required.) Download a demofrom http://www.quark.com

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menu software

Self-Serve Design ServicesThere are several sites online that let you choose fromthousands of menu templates to customize a design foryour restaurant. Just enter your menu text and uploadyour logo or other images and their website does therest! These services typically offer unlimited self-servicemenu changes for a monthly membership fee.

My Menu LabSysco’s My Menu Lab lets you build graphic-richmenus, sluggers, posters and table tents for free! There is no cost unless you choose to order printsthrough My Menu Lab. Good things come from Sysco!

http://www.mymenulab.com

Software TrainingWhile you’re testing the free software demos, you mayfind you need more guidance or instruction.

Lynda.com offers the very best video training online, with an emphasis on software tutorials. Their lowmonthly subscription fee gives you access to over2,000 courses on a broad range of subjects: time management, creative inspiration, social media, videoediting, business philosophy and much more.

In a few hours, the Lynda.com instructors can get youup and running in nearly any software you can think of.

There is a one-week free trial, and you will need a high-speed internet connection to access their videos.

Be sure to look for these exclusive courses:

• How to Use Lynda.com (free course)

• Food & Drink Photography• Designing a Restaurant Menu

• Food Blogs in WordPress• Up and Running with Publisher 2013• InDesign CC Essential Training• Photoshop Elements 13 Essential Training• Small Business Secrets• Font Management• Before & After: Graphic Design Techniques

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graphics

Careful use of imagery can give your menu

Searching the Internet& Copyright LawYour Google search may return hundreds of photos but they are not all legal to use on your menu. Major and minor league sports team logos, photos of celebrities and many other images online are protected by copyright laws and licensing agreements and are not free to use for commercial purposes. If you want to put a vendor logo on your menu, contactyour rep and request a high-quality digital version.

Stock Photography & IllustrationiStockphoto.com is an excellent and affordable stockimagery site. It offers extensively customizable searchparameters and a deep catalog of illustrations andhigh-quality photos. And all the images are legal to use!Dollarphotoclub is a new stock site, offering value-priced images.

If you don’t mind compromising a little on quality andselection, you can find truly free royalty-free images at sites like unrestrictedstock.com, www.sxc.hu, pixabay.com, freedigitalphotos.net, clker.com, andstockphotosforfree.com.

For royalty-free historic photos, the Library of Congressimage archive at http://www.loc.gov/pictures has anamazing collection!

Clip ArtMicrosoft Office and MenuPro include libraries of clipart, but try to resist the temptation. You won’t findchain restaurants using clip art on their menusbecause by its nature, clip art is generic, and rarely appropriate to use in a professional context.

Your menu should be an extension of your brandimage – of your restaurant’s uniquqe personality. You can search for royalty-free clip art online, or purchase collections on DVD, but explore other graphic options, as well, and only use clip art if it actually works to reinforce your brand.

Your LogoBefore you can add a logo to your menu, you’ll need it in a high-quality digital format. If a graphic designercreated your logo, they probably used Adobe Illustrator. Be sure to ask for your logo in several digital file types.Some vendors will only accept vector .eps files forscreen printing, while others prefer PDFs or high-resolution TIFF files. For placement on your menu or website, you might need a .png or .jpg version.

Collect them in a clearly labeled folder on your computer and burn backups on disc in case your harddrive crashes. You can’t afford to lose your logo!

Custom ArtworkIf you know a local artist or painter, custom artworkcan add charm and personality to any menu design as long as it’s appropriate for the personality of yourrestaurant. Support the arts!

Adobe Photoshop ElementsFor editing and managing your photo collection, including any images you may use in your menu design, Photoshop Elements is excellent software.The current version is Elements 13, available for bothWindows and Macs. Find it on Amazon for $70 - a great value for such a powerful program.

Apple PhotosIf you use a Mac, Photos (formerly iPhoto) is anothergreat choice to store and edit your photo library, andprobably came installed on your computer for free.

Adobe IllustratorAs its name implies, Illustrator is vector illustration software, and should only be used by professionalgraphic artists. It’s great for logo design, but not meant for page layout or for designing your menu.

visual flare

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custom food photography

Chain menus use food photos because

photos sell food

The DilemmaOn one hand, if you use a stock food photo on yourmenu that makes the food look delicious, but looksnothing like what your kitchen is serving, your customers will be rightfully upset at the bait-and-switch marketing tactics.

On the other hand, if you use the dark and grainy photos your bar manager shot on break with theircellphone, you may alienate potential buyers with unappetizing imagery.

If you use food photos, they have to lookeven more appetizing than what your customers can imagine.

Otherwise, they’re actually hurting your sales.

The best of both worlds is to use high-quality, well-lit, professional photos taken of your actual food as it’s actually plated and served. That meanshiring an experienced photographer with a goodcamera and lighting equipment.

The SearchHow do you find a good photographer? Ask around,especially to colleagues in the local restaurant industry. Visit local restaurant websites and makenote of the ones with the best food photography.Make it a point to find out who took it.

There may be a photographer working at a localnewspaper or magazine who freelances on the side,or a friend of a friend with an amazing camera who’dbe happy to take food photos for you in return for a free dinner. Ask to see work samples in advance.

The CatchInvesting in professional photos of your food is alwayssmart. You’ll be able to use them for years to come in print advertising, on table tents, on your website andsocial media, and any other marketing applications.

But dynamically incorporating photos into your actualmenu design may require the skills and experience of a trained graphic designer. Chain restaurant menus don’t achieve that glamorous, mouth-watering look by dropping a few photos into Microsoft Word.

photos by Kyle Hughes, www.nextwavestudios.com

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fonts

If you find a font that looks really cool, but makes your menu hard to read,

Unless your menu is hand-written on a chalkboard,you’ll be choosing fonts, or typefaces, as part of themenu design process. The computer you’re usingcame with a set of fonts pre-installed, and most software programs come bundled with additionalfonts. But there are literally tens of thousands of otherfonts you can purchase, download, and use to expressthe brand personality of your restaurant.

The most important font tip for your menu:Choose fonts that are quickly and clearly legible.

A good rule of thumb is to not use more than threefonts in your menu design. The more you use, themore visually confusing the layout becomes, and themore distracting the typefaces are. The average customer spends less than two minutes looking at a menu before deciding what they want to order, so the goal of your menu design should be to helpthem find the item they’re looking for quickly.

It’s best to avoid red lettering for your menu text, as the human eye has trouble reading red type. If thecolor red is part of your brand identity, reserve it forbackground graphics or section heading titles, wherethe lettering is larger. Don’t make your item names or descriptions red.

Font Sites (Paid)You can browse a whole world of fonts for sale online (myfonts.com, fonts.com, fontshop.com, veer.com).Prices range from completely free to hundreds of dollars for a “family” of fonts which might includethin, italic, medium, bold, black, etc.

There are font boutiques specializing in vintage fonts(fontcraft.com, waldenfont.com, letterheadfonts.com)comic fonts (comicbookfonts.com), low-cost contemporary fonts (fontbros.com, hypefortype.com)and even pay-what-you-can sites (losttype.com).

Sites like mightydeals.com and designcuts.com oftenoffer font bundles for dramatically reduced prices.

Font Sites (Free)There are totally free and legal font sites that allow youto search by style and preview a few words in thetypeface of your choice.

http://www.fontsquirrel.comhttp://www.dafont.comhttp://www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com

Free fonts are often made by amateur designers,rather than experienced typographers, and as withanything, you get what you pay for. Freebies may havefewer characters and can display haphazard kerning.

Many free fonts are licensed for personal use only,with the designer requesting a few dollars if you intendto use them for commercial purposes. Be sure to readany usage restriction files included with the fonts you download.

Installing Fonts on Windows PCsOpen Fonts by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Fonts.

Click File, and then click Install New Font.

If you don’t see the File menu, press ALT.

In the Add Fonts dialog box, under Drives, click thedrive where the font that you want to install is located.

Under Folders, double-click the folder containing thefonts that you want to add.

Under List of fonts, click the font that you want to add,and then click Install.

Installing Fonts on MacsDouble clicking the downloaded font file will launchFont Book. Click Install Font.

keep searching

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menu engineering

Do you know the best items to feature?

And where they should be placed on your menu?

And how much to charge?

We do.

Doing Your HomeworkSo you’re finally starting to sketch out a menu design.

• Which are your high-profit items?

• Where should you feature them on the menu?

• What are the trending flavors of the season you could be capitalizing on right now?

• Have you conducted a Prime Cost Analysis to determine the optimum price for each item?

• Should it end in .00, .50, or .99?

• Which dishes are underperforming, and need to go?

• Which items are killing your kitchen productivityin terms of labor and workflow?

• What about opportunities to use existing inventory to give new depth and variety to your menu?

Schedule a Business Review and our team of Sysco experts will work with you to analyze and address all your menu concerns.

We’ll make sure you’re using the HOT SPOTS on yourmenu design, and review the path your customer’s eyetravels when they’re browsing the menu (see diagramsbelow.) We’ll explain pricing strategies and show youhow to increase average check size with table tentsand slammers.

More Business Review ServicesIn-depth menu analysis is important, but it’s not the onlyreason to schedule a review. We can offer solutions toyour most troublesome business issues and help yourrestaurant run more profitably:

Control Portion CostsAre there hidden costs in your daily food preparation?We’ll determine how efficiently your kitchen is running.

Marketing MadnessNeed help driving guest traffic through the door? We’ll examine what is and isn’t working and discuss further ways to put butts in seats.

Track PurchasesIncluded in your business review are all of your purchases and savings for the last year – a great opportunity to chart and compare.

Review iCare ServicesSysco offers a wide array of value-added resources specifically for the foodservice industry.

Employee TrainingThere are many options for assuring that you have thebest staff possible – from ServSafe classes to videos –Sysco can provide the right materials for training.

And much, much more!

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Menu Navigation Dynamics

Single Page Two-Page Spread Tri-fold Spread

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printing

Paper SizeChoose the size and format of your menu before youbegin designing in any software. If you’re planning toprint your menu in-house, and your office printer onlyprints on standard letter-sized 8.5” x 11” paper, it affectsyour menu design. Many small office printers cannotprint on legal paper (8.5” x 14”) or tabloid paper (11” x 17”.) As of this writing, 2-sided tabloid menus arevery popular. If you’re considering that format, makesure your printer can handle oversized 11” x 17” paper.

Card Stock / Paper WeightYour menu will last longer on a thick and sturdy stock,but many small office printers cannot feed card stockthrough without jamming. If you’re not using traditionalplastic menu covers, consider laminating your cardstock menu or table tents for support and durability.

Selection of oversized papers and card stock is typically very limited, even in office supply stores. If you buy directly from a paper company, you’ll receive better customer service, and perhaps free samples. http://www.reichpaper.com offers an excellent line of high quality papers in a wide range of colors, finishes and sizes.

Toner / InkIf you’re printing in-house, toner/laserjet ink costs can add up quickly and become an ongoing expense.Keep your menu designs clean and simple to save onink costs or find an affordable local printing company.You could also shop for an appropriate pre-printedpaper design in your menu’s size and use it as a kindof stationery, so you’re only printing text, not full-colorgraphics, with your ink cartridges.

Local Printing CompaniesEven if you do the bulk of your menu printing in-house, you should establish a relationship with a local printing company. You never know when anemergency print job might come up, or when yourown equipment might fail, or when you’ll need somebanners or postcard mailers or new business cards or any number of things you don’t have the capabilityto print on your own.

You’ll never regret having the name and number for a local printer you can rely on.

“Full Bleed” Printing

You’ve designed a standard letter-sized menu with a full-page background image, and you want it to fill the entire 8.5” x 11” space. This is called a “full bleed” effect, where the image “bleeds” off the edge of the page.

1. You start with letter-sized blank paper.

2. But when you print your design, you get a thin white border all the way around the page. Your printer needs thatlittle bit of margin for the rollers to grab the paper and pull it through the machine.

3. You still want the “full bleed” effect – it looks much more professional than the ugly white border. So your graphicfiles need to be prepared with “bleed” - extra image that extends about an eighth of an inch beyond the trim size - and printed on oversized paper. Crop marks are added to indicate where the paper should be cut.

4. The finished page, cut from the oversized paper, gives you an 8.5” x 11” sheet with image extending to the edge.

1. 2. 4.3.

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Our Menu Our Menu Our Menu

other design resources

Too much hassle?

Better things to do?

no problem

Menu design is more than just centering columns oftype on a page, and since the menu is your restaurant’sprimary selling tool, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

If you’d rather be in the kitchen, or managing yourstaff, or if you just don’t want the extra headache,there are other ways to get your menu designed!

There are many design services online that will offer to create your menu, but proceed with caution unlessyou have a direct reference from a reliable friend, acquaintance or other satisfied customer.

Local Print ShopsLocal printers often have designers on staff, and mayeven offer to design your menu for free as long as youpay them for the printing. This option is cheap, but it’shard to know the quality you’ll get, so don’t rely on themenu being unique.

Freelance Professional DesignersEspecially if you’re part of a local restaurant organization, ask around and see who has designed logos and marketing materials for them.There may be some talented local designers looking for new clients!

Several websites have sprung up to put you in touchwith an international network of freelance designers.http://www.elance.comhttp://www.odesk.comhttp://www.outsource.comhttp://www.guru.com

Regional Marketing, Design orBranding AgenciesA great option for when you want it done right the first time. Hiring a professional marketing team willprobably be the most expensive option, and the initialdevelopment may take longer than you’re accustomedto, but it should insure a truly outstanding finishedproduct that you’ll be proud to put on the table every day.

Don’t Rely on Regulars or StaffThey probably mean well, and may gladly offer theirservices in exchange for free apps and beer, but theydon’t necessarily understand the importance of yourmenu or even the fundamentals of page layout. You need a responsible, mature individual who alsounderstands marketing and graphic design. If youhave a regular who fits that description, by all means,give them a crack at designing your menu!

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After you’ve spent so much time and energy perfectingyour menu design, show it off in style!

Covers protect your menu from spills, smudges and finger prints, adding months of use to your printing investment. They can be extensively customized and areavailable in many colors and textures, embossed withyour logo, backlit, hand-crafted out of metal or wood, etc.

These vendors also stock menu papers, inserts, tabletent holders, and whatever else you need to make yourmenu look great!

Menu Solutionshttp://www.menucovers.biz

The Menu Shoppehttp://www.menushoppe.com

Risch, Inc.http://www.hrisch.com

menu jackets and more

Design Competition SitesOver the past few years, a new kind of design service has sprung up online - the competition sites. You decide how much you’re willing to pay, submit a creative brief for your design project (a logo, shirt, restaurant menu or whatever), and freelance designers around the globe compete to win the prizemoney! You get to see loads of different design options for a fraction of the price it would normallycost, and in a fraction of the time! You pick the winner,and if you don’t like any of the designs, you don’t pay!

http://menu.designcrowd.comhttp://www.99designs.comhttp://www.logotournament.comhttp://www.hatchwise.com

You may have seen Facebook ads for Fiverr, a company connectingavailable talent with people who need jobs done, including marketers,designers, writers, musicians, editors, photographers, videographersand more. Unlike the other sites, Fiverr isn’t a competition; it has a feestructure starting at $5, as their name implies. http://www.fiverr.com

*WARNING There is an element of risk with any of these freelance and competition websites. Many of the designersare in foreign countries and are only moderately good at communicating in English. In later stages of development, it may be tricky to convey what you’re looking for. Yes, you can get a variety of design options quickly and cheaply, but the process doesn’t compare to working face-to-face with a local designer who understands your market and yourcustomers. For critical jobs such as logo creation – the visual essence of your brand identity – it may be smarter, and more rewarding, to keep that design job within your community if you can. Your logo is worth more than $5.

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menu trends for 2015

You can view the full results of the National RestaurantAssociation’s annual Food Trend Chef Survey by visitinghttp://Restaurant.org/FoodTrends

Keeping up with the ever-changing tastes of your customerscan be a daunting task, but having fresh daily specials andadding new items onto your menu from time to time helps keep your regulars interested and coming back for more.

So how do you find out the latest and greatest industry trends?

Tasty Trend TrackingWe’ve collected nearly 200 of the topprojected food trends for 2015 intoone convenient book.

It’s packed with expert ideas andopinions from the National RestaurantAssociation, Technomic, the NPDGroup, Forbes, Nation’s RestaurantNews and many more.

Ask your Sysco Marketing Associate for a printed copy or view it online at http://bit.ly/SyscoFoodTrends2015(the url is case sensitive, so use capital S, F and T)

Food and MoreAs demonstrated by the NRA’s Top 20 Food Trends (at right), our collected book of trends covers ideas for new apps and entrées, but also broader industry concepts that could affecthow you develop your menu this year.

Consider these insights:

Restaurant Hospitality predicts creative snack applications:“The great thing about snacks is they let you enjoy a medley of different foods without feeling gluttonous. From a kitchenstandpoint, snacks are a great way to showcase your conceptwithout guests feeling like they have to order a full meal. Snacks lend themselves to sharing, socializing and gathering.”

Grubhub, the online food delivery service, compared the 2014NRA chef’s survey predictions to its own users’ trends duringthe year and discovered “shared plates are clearly becomingmore popular options within the takeout segment – whichspeaks to an interesting shift in takeout dinner behavior: diners may be increasingly likely to order in groups.”

What implications could these trends have for your business?Are ready to take advantage of new ideas, new flavors, and themany projected trends for the coming year?