Menu's 'Golden Triangle' = High profit dishes for restaurant

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
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The Golden Triangle is the area of your menu that customers read first. You’ll want to display high-margin items (such as your stars and puzzles) in your Golden Triangle.

But where exactly is the Golden Triangle on your menu?

Aaron Allen – restaurant consultant and expert on the psychology of menu design – says that, “When we look at a menu, our eyes typically move to the middle first, before traveling to the top right corner, and then, finally, to the top left.”


aka Top middle
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
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It took a "study" by a "restaurant consultant" to figure out people are most likely to look at the top-center of a menu first?

Somebody actually spent time/money on this? o_O
 
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FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
30,889
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So next time I am at a restaurant I will simply order one Golden Triangle to go.

That should run about $345.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
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No one does everything well. So if I see lot of items on the menu, I know the restaurant/food will likely disappoint. More restaurants need to chop off like 80-90% of the menu items and only concentrate on few dishes. Easier for the restaurant, easier for the customer, and results in better tasting fresher food. That's what I love about restaurants in Asia. They specialize and try to do few dishes right.
 

Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,613
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No one does everything well. So if I see lot of items on the menu, I know the restaurant/food will likely disappoint. More restaurants need to chop off like 80-90% of the menu items and only concentrate on few dishes. Easier for the restaurant, easier for the customer, and results in better tasting fresher food. That's what I love about restaurants in Asia. They specialize and try to do few dishes right.
Meanwhile, Chinese restaurants in the US have 100 line items on their menus.
 

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
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Thank you, Brian! :)

Next up on nine news at five, a Bradenton family perishes in a tragic boating accident. Is the Bermuda Triangle up to its old tricks?
Stick around, we'll be right back.
♫ ♪ ♪
Wrong coast silly.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
99,760
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I think he's saying they basically have 12 ingredients and 4 different sauces. From there, they have about 100 different ways of mixing them into different dishes.

That's like saying French cooking has one ingredient, butter ...
 
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ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
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Your typical Chinese menu has basically 8-10 preparations of food, just with different proteins.

The only real difference between the chicken lo mein, pork lo mein, shrimp lo mein, beef lo mein, and veggie lo mein (for example) is one ingredient. They're already using that same chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, and veggies for various stirfrys.

So, you basically end up with the same (roughly) 12 ingredients, just mixed with different sauces and served over rice.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
99,760
17,708
126
Your typical Chinese menu has basically 8-10 preparations of food, just with different proteins.

The only real difference between the chicken lo mein, pork lo mein, shrimp lo mein, beef lo mein, and veggie lo mein (for example) is one ingredient. They're already using that same chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, and veggies for various stirfrys.

So, you basically end up with the same (roughly) 12 ingredients, just mixed with different sauces and served over rice.

Is there any cuisine that cannot be described that way?
 

snoopy7548

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2005
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Is there any cuisine that cannot be described that way?

Pizza.
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ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
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you pick the proteins and veggies, plop some sauce and stick in oven.

Right, but Pizza is even easier because there really only is one preparation for it. It usually goes on a slab of dough... unless you're going to one of those fancy places that makes calzones. Then it goes in a folded slab of dough :)
 
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sactoking

Diamond Member
Sep 24, 2007
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Is there any cuisine that cannot be described that way?
I mean, go to an "American" restaurant. Hamburger, pizza, Mac n cheese, corn dog. They share very few ingredients. They all use a different appliance for cooking. Very inefficient.