Unique Serving Platter

My ten year old daughter asked me a few weeks ago, what a witch really is? She was still under the perception that a witch worships Satan and flies around on a broomstick. In fact, witches to her, were downright scary. I couldn’t answer her as well as I would have liked to. I told her that if she truly wanted to know the answer to that question, then I would take her to talk to a friend of mine who practices Wicca. My daughter declined at first, fearing the entire concept, but in the long run curiosity won. I called my friend and asked her if we could come over, explaining why. She was more than happy to answer my daughter’s questions and rid of her misconceptions.

My daughter was hesitant to enter her house, now that she knew she practiced Wicca. But she soon settled down with a mug of hot cocoa in the comfy living room recliner. My friend had brought out some items that she wanted to use to show my daughter in her explanations. Once my daughter was ready to listen, my friend began to talk.

She explained that Wicca wasn’t anything evil or devil worshiping. They simply worship more of the nature and cycles of the world than most others do. She produced a large book and laid it in front of my daughter. She said that it was her book of shadows. Of course, she needed to explain what that meant as well. Every witch has their own book of shadows that is only meant for them. Just like a journal would be. They write down any thoughts or quotes, recipes or information about herbs, even poems, spells or stories. Their book of shadows was something that they hold sacred - not to be shared or opened by anyone else unless given permission.

My friend told my daughter to open up her book of shadows and look through it. She did and the pages were decorated with not only words, but items that were of interest to my friend. She had herbs taped inside for reference, photos and spells that she had photocopied from various places. Her book of shadows was definitely personalized. I had never even known that my friend had anything called a book of shadows. I never even knew that they existed.

My friend explained that her book of shadows had many writings about her journeys and practices that she needed to write down in order to make more sense of things. She could learn what things meant by writing in her book of shadows. My daughter seemed intrigued and I had to admit, I was too. I think that I had a new understanding and appreciation for my friend after that day - her book of shadows too.

As a restaurant owner, you must give value to keep current customers and gain new ones. Competition in the restaurant business is stiff. Learn how you can profit from a new menu design. A good menu design can boost sales by ten to twenty percent in one month! Assess your customer base. Are you in tune with their lifestyle and what attracts them to visit your restaurant? Restaurant dining is theater, after all, and menu design is an important aspect of the diners’ experience.

Take a critical look at your current menu design. Perhaps you’ve felt comfortable with it, but the design is dated. Give it a face lift with a new menu design. Monitor food trends to keep your menu “fresh”. For example, fatty foods are out, heart healthy is in, “energy” drinks are popular and juice smoothies are healthy and appealing across age markets. Target your market and consider changes to your menu that will bring new customers.

The visual impact of your menu design is more important than you may realize. The 8 ½ x 11 format in a menu folder lends weight to the presentation. The cover should contain your logo or a graphic fitting your theme, centered with the name of your restaurant above and your address, hours and phone below. If you offer online ordering, include that information as well. A picture of a menu item, positioned to the right on a right hand page draws the eye of the customer, and produces more sales for that item. You’d do well to picture some of your best and high profit dishes. Use the small insert sleeves to advertise your daily specials or soup of the day. The sleeve sets the item apart and also makes it seem, well, special.

Choose fonts and colors to suit your restaurants’ style. Think of your menu as a picture book of your restaurant. When you convey quality in your menu design, your customer perceives value and has a positive expectation even before the food arrives. Good copy in your food descriptions can make your customers salivate because it sounds so good. Again, increased sales are yours. Take a simple hamburger. Read two descriptions:

Bacon Burger: served with lettuce, tomatoes and onion. Your choice of fries or coleslaw.

Our Famous Bacon Burger: Grilled and piled high with bacon, Spanish onions, cheddar, garden tomatoes and crisp lettuce. Our own barbecue sauce dresses the bun, fit for a king. Choose fries or coleslaw.

Of course, your food has to measure up, but you can see that copy matters.

Order a “take one” downsized tri-fold duplicate of your new menu design. Place near the register and entry. This is low cost advertising and keeps you in your customers mind after they’ve gone home. There are design firms specializing in menu design. When you’ve sketched out your new look, give one of these pros a call. A thoughtfully designed menu pays.