Examining a menu on the basis of the Kasavana - Smith model in a Hungarian restaurant

Abstract

Examining a menu on basis the in a Abstract Gastronomy is currently undergoing a renaissance, different gastronomic trends influence the way menus are set up. The purpose of this study is to investigate the menu of a restaurant in a Transdanubian city in terms of sold portions and margins. After an unstructured interview with the manager, the breadth and depth of the offer were investigated. Then the data were examined, based on the restaurant's menu selection, traffic and cost data with the help of time series analysis. During the processing of time series data, the analysis takes into account seasonality and compares the same terminology of the years studied. With the turnover and cost data, the Kasavana and Smith portfolio analysis method was used and based on the margin and the number of portions sold, the Menu engineering worksheet was used to create the data series for the presentation. The research provides a detailed picture of sales decisions for the period 2016-2019. The results of the examination show that reducing the selection and offering special dishes are in line with the gastronomical trends, but not necessarily with the location of the restaurant and the needs of its target audience. Using the model, seasonality was examined for the first time, which did not prove that restaurant guests were looking for seasonal food. With a well-selected menu – which is one of the most important marketing communication tools - the restaurant is able to influence guests' food choices. Proper use of colours, shapes and prices all affect the guest's subconscious mind, which is responsible for a large percentage of decisions. The character of the restaurant and its guests are usually determined by the dishes on the menu. In the case of the investigated restaurant the solution could be to tailor the prices to the target group and to strengthen the marketing communication. The restaurant — taking advantage of the large space — can be used to serve different target groups by sharing the room.