Restaurant menus slim down to maximize efficiency and boost margins

Call it menu simplication, streamlining or shrinkage. It’s happening in every segment of the industry, from quick-service to fine dining, as operators downsize menus to make them more efficient and profitable.

It started at the beginning of the pandemic when takeout and delivery was the only game in town. Restaurants that remained open pared back their menus to items that traveled well and wouldn’t tax understaffed kitchens. Now that outdoor seating and limited dine-in service is available, smaller menus still make sense in many operations.

“When dining rooms began to close, we re-examined our menu and made the decision to reduce the menu and focus on guest favorites,” says Joel Yashinsky, CMO of Applebee’s. “In this time of uncertainty, we know our guests prefer to enjoy the food they are most familiar with. And a smaller menu helped our teams be able to meet the demand for Applebee’s Carside To Go, pick-up and delivery orders.”

Now that many Applebee’s locations allow reduced-capacity indoor dining, the more concise menu better addresses the challenges of current safety guidelines, supply constraints, speed of service and kitchen complexity, he added.