These Psychological Menu Tricks Keep Customers Coming Back to Your Restaurant

Getting a guest through the front door is half the battle. Bringing them back is what can make or break a restaurant.

A dizzying array of things can shape a guest experience, and inspire repeat business -- from the food to the service to the bathrooms. But restaurateurs can overlook one of the biggest factors: the menu.

It’s not just about presenting the food and drink. Restaurant menus communicate what type of equipment and ingredients are used, and the qualifications that employees should have.

The average guest spends 109 seconds looking at a restaurant menu, giving you less than two minutes to attract your customers. A well-designed menu directs attention to the items you really want to sell. And there are psychological elements to designing a menu that restaurateurs need to keep in mind. For example, giving consumers fewer options, and creating decoy menu options, can lead customers to choose the restaurant’s preferred option.

When it comes to the psychology behind a menu…