This week’s Design of the Week features a Frozen Cocktail Menu. This cocktail menu’s black and green design elements speak elegance, which is perfect for the upscale bar. You can get this fab menu out and about in minutes with the Menu Editor. Just click, update and print! It’s so simple.

Summertime is a great time to introduce a new cocktail menu and a signature frozen drink.

Here are ideas for promoting your signature drink:

• Facebook. Post pictures on Facebook of the customers who try your drink at your restaurant, and quote them on what they want to say about the drink.

• Frozen drink menu. Make a menu that focuses only on frozen drinks for the summer. Highlight the signature drink by putting it on the top of the menu.

• Drink of the week. Select a frozen concoction and give it a special price. Let the customers vote on which drink they like best and make it the drink of the week! You can see how many likes it gets on Facebook to track the popularity.

• Bring a friend. Pick a night of the week like Thursday to make your signature drink 2-for-1. Be sure to Tweet, Facebook and invite your email list on in!

How are you promoting your specialty drink?

Did you know that MustHaveMenus gives you more than great designs with your subscription? Our site is full of value, and I’d like to share a brief overview of seven things you didn’t know you get in your subscription to our online menu software.

Create beautiful menus online without purchasing additional software.

Your subscription provides you with all the tools you need to make most modifications to your menus, flyers and restaurant materials with the Menu Editor – anywhere you have Internet access.

If you want to make advanced customizations, we provide a Microsoft Word (very common desktop software) template for every design on the site. For instance, if you want to add a QR code, you can do this inside the word template. Watch our QR code how-to video here.

Online file storage for all of your restaurant marketing materials.

One of the coolest features available in your menu subscription is the ability to save your menu data online. This makes it simple to make changes to menu items, descriptions and prices. Plus, if you run seasonal promotions, you don’t have to start from scratch next year.

A personal dashboard to manage favorites, get ideas and your account.

The MyHome page gives you instant access to your account information, your favorite designs and ideas in the fresh promotions box.

Partnership with Constant Contact for email marketing.

MustHaveMenus members get access to customized templates for restaurant email marketing via Constant Contact. All members qualify for their 60-day free trial. And, we have a library of email marketing graphics included in your membership.

The Fresh Sheet email newsletter packed with ideas in your inbox each week.

Each week we drop a fresh topic, idea or MHM marketing research in your inbox to enjoy and inspire. The content here is exclusive to Fresh Sheet subscribers. Sign up here.

MustHaveMenus Blog – ideas, ideas, ideas!

Our blog is updated several times a week with industry news, marketing ideas and how-tos on topics such as menu design, social media marketing and improving the customer experience. One of our most popular features is the weekly – Your Marketing Action Plan – where we give you a promotion plan for using MHM templates, ideas for cost-effective events and tips on email marketing and DIY public relations.

Facebook Community – Interact with your peers, experts and get design tips.

We’re on Twitter, but we dig our Facebook Community because it gives you the ability to see new designs, interact with your peers and get exclusive menu design tips and access to experts – right on our Wall. All you have to do is click Like.

Not a member?

If the benefits above don’t talk you into signing up, check out our free 7-day trial or 15% off your first year when you sign up today. As Emily W. said on our Facebook Wall recently, “Everyday you [MustHaveMenus] make my life a little easier! Thanks for putting the power and creativity back in my hands and making it easy and fun!”

Memorial Day is approaching fast! That means it’s time to break out all the barbeque and ribs you can to satisfy your guests. Above we have a red, white, and blue table tent that is perfect for promoting your specials. It’s easy to update online and print in minutes with the Menu Editor. If you’re ambitious, you could get them on your tables today.  Every mall, car dealership, and fire works warehouse will be having a sale so people will be out and about. Take advantage of hungry deal shoppers with these five, last-minute Memorial Day promotion ideas:

1. BBQ Party Package. BBQ is a great way to feed a huge party for a small amount of money. Promote a party package that includes the slaw, potato salad and beans. Oh yeah, don’t forget the banana pudding.
2. Veterans. Make sure we don’t forget the reason we are celebrating today. Invite local veterans to eat at your restaurant for free! You still have time to run this promo on Facebook.
3. Flags for kids. Give a mini American flag to every kid that walks in the door to show how patriotic your restaurant is.
4. Coloring contest. Hand out coloring books with red, white, and blue crayons. Hold a coloring contest for the kids to win a free ice cream scoop. Send the winning drawings to the local media.
5. Drinks. If you have a bar or a pub, let soldiers and veterans drink half price. This is another great Facebook and Twitter promo.

How will your restaurant be celebrating Memorial Day? Tell us about it in the comments below.

The bright and fun colors in this week’s Design of the Week – a cafe Bistro Happy Hour menu – got us in the mood for happy hour. It’s sure to perk up sales between the hours of  3 and 7 p.m. Happy Hour also is a way to bring in new customers and build your business. With our extensive portfolio of restaurant marketing designs, you can create menus, flyers and even business cards in minutes with the Menu Editor.

So here are some tips on how to make your happy hour happier:

1. Advertise. Hand out flyers (this week’s design makes a good one), and don’t forget your four walls and table tents. And, be sure to post specials socially (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.). Incentivize servers to sell the most margaritas during Happy Hour and have them hand out cards with a QR code linking to your Facebook page for Happy Hour specials. Send an email or Facebook update around 3:30 p.m. because many of your customers will be getting off of work thinking of where to go to wind down.
2. Eat and drink. Consider pairing food and drinks for Happy Hour specials. You could also do a reverse side of the happy hour menu above with bar food offerings.
3. Discount. Make sure the discount is worth it to the customer. Try using a popular discount like 2-for-1 specials.
4. Music. You want your customers to let go and have fun. Pick a night or afternoon out of the week and host live karaoke, or a live band.
5. Specialty drinks. Give your bartenders creative license to make up a drink that will appeal to your customers. Involve customers by letting them pick your new drink in a Facebook contest. You’ll want to post pictures!
6. Partner with a local business group such as the shops and offices around you for an after-hours cocktail event. Provide the food and offer great Happy Hour specials. Oh yeah, make sure you collect business cards if you cater. This is a great opportunity to do a little networking of your own. It’s also a great opportunity to show off your banquet and party spaces.

What will you do to make your Happy Hour happier?

May is National Egg Month and it’s a great reason to promote breakfast in your restaurant. It’s easy to do with our breakfast menu templates. Here are five ways you can use breakfast to gain

• Ask your social following to vote for their favorite egg dish. This is the time of year magazines and newspapers start their best of campaigns. Get a head start on spreading the buzz about your incredibly yellow fare.
• Roll out a new breakfast menu. Even if you have breakfast on your regular menu, a nice insert like the one above allows you to call attention to breakfast. This buffet breakfast menu is a great option because you can update it in minutes with the Menu Editor. Plus, you can add your own logo. Learn how the Menu Editor works here.

• Generate some breakfast meeting contacts. Want to really dazzle some executive types? Get a list together of the HR people in the immediate  area (3-5 mile radius of your restaurant). This is easily done by having a staff member stop by or call the list of companies you can find by doing a Google search on “companies near Insert Your Address.” You can give them some coupons or business cards. See the screenshot below for a few examples:

• Send email reminders each month. When you get introduced to the above contacts, get their email addresses. Set up an email campaign called Meeting Specials. Send out a reminder at the beginning of the month reminding them of upcoming events and your willingness to deliver or the fact that you’re the only place open before 7 a.m. for breakfast meetings. (This is true in my area. I know that’s why one restaurant started serving breakfast. It’s a competitive differentiator.)

• Post your eggcellent specials in pictures on Facebook. Research from Vitrue, an Atlanta-based social marketing firm, shows that Facebook posts with pictures have a 54% better engagement rate. If you’ve put the camera on the backburner, pull out an iPhone and start post pics with those egg specials today.

Earlier this week, we came across a hilarious parody from CollegeHumor.com on “honest chain restaurant menus.”  The infographic described the real story behind restaurants such as Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse and IHOP.

We see this parody as an advantage in marketing campaigns for independent restaurants. These establishments have an authentic story to tell.

Independent restaurants have a character, a history. They’re part of the community. The people that own them live in the community. Their kids go to school with your kids. They go to church with you. They give the best service and food possible. You feel a sense of community when you walk in. Customers can feel a difference in the local establishment that’s nearly impossible for the chains to replicate. There’s no corporate agenda in place with small business owners.

Here are a few examples of how the independents beat the chains every day of the week:

1. Real family atmosphere. Family is in the kitchen and the dining room. Really. Uncle Vinny is in the kitchen cooking your favorite pasta from scratch and his wife is taking orders, talking to your kids, and actually making you feel like family!
2. Indies are in the neighborhood. Where you live. Down the street. The chains are, too but not really. I’m pretty sure you know the guy who’s just opened a sports bar so he can serve drinks and watch sports with customers. Throw in some real wings not the frozen ones and you really are eatin’ good in the neighborhood.
3. Authentic. You’re not going to get real pancakes like Grandma used to make at that international place; you’re going to get them at the greasy spoon everyone frequents on Sundays. You know the place. Because you know the place. It’s part of your community.
4. Local foods served here. Independents have the flexibility to serve foods from local suppliers. They should shout this from the rooftops because people want to know where their food comes from.

This parody shows that the Indies have the real story to tell. Are you telling yours?

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a five-part series on how to hire a restaurant menu designer. You can see the first two articles in this series by clicking on these links – Part One: Understanding What Kind of Designer You Need and Part Two: The Porfolio Review.

Now, it’s time to talk about what your involvement in the design process is. It’s important for you to do some homework before you work with a designer for two reasons. It will save you time, and it will save you money.

Here are the five things you need to bring to the table when hiring a restaurant menu designer.

1. An idea of what you like.

Understanding elements of design that you like will help you narrow down the options when a designer presents concepts. It’s a good idea to look at lots of designs (and they don’t have to be menus) before that first meeting. Bring examples or save some web links to show the designer your vision. Also, a sketch (on a napkin or paper) can give the designer ideas.

2. An open mind.

You are hiring a designer to give you a beautiful menu that will sell the experience and food you prepare to please your customers. If you want to make the design process go smoothly, commit to having an open mind on that first meeting. It will save you time, money and regrets.

3. Your restaurant’s story.

Your story doesn’t have to be professionally written at this point (although that’s not a bad idea!), but you do need to know your story. What’s important for your customers to understand about your company? Do you only use locally grown or produced foods? Are you committed to running a green, sustainable operation? Do you want to be known for your shrimp po’ boy?

Write down a few points or even record your voice on what you want people to take away when they look at your menu. This will help the designer get on the same page with you. He or she will be much better prepared to tell your story in the design and details.

4. Your target customer.

It’s important for you to know without a shadow of a doubt who you are targeting. If you need some ideas for developing a customer persona (marketing speak for that ideal customer), check out our article on creating your perfect customer on paper.

This data will give the designer a much better understanding of the person he or she is designing a menu for. You will probably have more than one perfect customer, but it’s important to narrow the scope as much as possible. When you complete this exercise, you’ll probably even have a regular customer in mind to name the persona after.

5. Your budgetary concerns.

These need to be on the table, front and center. If you’re concerned about the project costing too much, you need to talk to the designer ahead of time. Ask him or her what they can do to work with you on price. This will make the working relationship much easier on all parties. Money talks can be uncomfortable, but remember your menu is your No. 1 selling tool. It’s worth getting it right the first time.

Bonus Tip:

Much of this research and background can be covered in a cool document called the creative brief. You can find a standard industry template here. Or, you can see how we start a design with Made to Order – MustHaveMenus custom design service for logos, menus and flyers. Check out our pre-design questionnaire here.

Editor’s Note: Today, we had a special guest join us on our Facebook Community Wall for a chat. We talked best practices in Facebook for restaurants and foodservice professionals with Sayf Sharif, founder of ORestaurantDesign.com. Here’s a recap of the chat in case you missed it. Thanks again to Sayf for sharing his time and expertise.

MustHaveMenus: All right, Sayf Sharif joins us from ORestaurantDesign.com to talk Facebook for Restaurants. Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself.

Sayf Sharif: Well, I’ve been working with websites and helping companies with their online presences since about 1997, originally working for a number of consultancies working with large companies, but left to form my own company in 2002 with a partner to focus on helping a variety of businesses. We started working with restaurants in 2002 and helping figure out what works for them specifically, and have grown that side of the business since then.

MustHaveMenus: Awesome! We’ve got our first question from David. We’ll answer all the questions in the comments of each question.

David Bloom: Do FB ads that link to FB pages perform better than ads that link to external pages? Thanks!

Sayf Sharif: I don’t know the precise statistics on that, but my understanding is that where the ads link to doesn’t affect the click through rate. Success is more determined by what your ad is, and the page that it links to. If you link to a random page on your website it might not do anything for you, same with linking to just say your wall on your Facebook page. However if you link specifically to something, say a form to sign up for a coupon or a special, then you’re more likely to get a better return.

David Bloom: Thanks. I would have thought that keeping the user inside FB would be a benefit but of course you’d have to make that explicit in the ad.

Sayf Sharif: It depends on your strategy. We’re big on keeping as much on your website as possible, and using Facebook as another means to easily communicate with new and current customers, as well as provide another funnel to your website which you can fully brand and control. If your goal is to increase the number of people liking your page through some sort of game mechanic to get them to like your page, then obviously keeping them on Facebook is important though.

MustHaveMenus: We recently surveyed foodservice visitors to our website on their usage of Facebook. 11 percent of them said they have a page but never use it. What damage does this do to a restaurant’s social reputation?

Sayf Sharif : Restaurants always have relied on word of mouth for their success, even today. What your friends say, and what you hear through your social networks informs your decisions. It’s just that today so much of that happens through social media, like Facebook. People will hear about a restaurant, or see someone liking a restaurant they’ve heard of, and are likely to check out that page, or the website. If your Facebook page has basically nothing on it, it’s not really selling that person on your restaurant. It doesn’t inform them or improve the word of mouth. So it might not directly damage you, but the restaurant is giving up a HUGE opportunity to introduce themselves into the discussion at that point, and to inform new potential customers about who they are.

MustHaveMenus:  So, would you recommend taking the page down until you have a strategy?

Sayf Sharif: Think of it like some ‘olden times’ conversation in a barber shop where one guy tells another guy about this new restaurant he tried downtown. Back before the internet the person who got this word of mouth had that guys opinion only, and had to base his decision solely on that. But now with Facebook Pages and Websites the restaurant can join that conversation and help sell that new potential customer.

Sayf Sharif: No, but if you don’t at least have all your basic information up there, you’re not doing any good. At the very least you should have your hours, phone, maybe even a picture of your menu. Just basic information is better than nothing, but an active strategy is far superior to either.

Cierra Washington: What type of content do you recommend restaurants put on their Facebook pages?

Jacqueline Stastny: Yes, this is a good question!

Sayf Sharif: Well certainly your basic information needs to be accurate. Hours, contact information, link to your website. Anything that is wrong and causes someone to show up when you’re closed or call a wrong number is going to turn people off, possibly forever….

Sayf Sharif: Other than that a good use of the photos, preferably high quality photographs, not something from a cheap flash point and shoot. Good quality pictures of your interior, your food, etc, will help inform people about your restaurant. If you have a really cool outdoor patio for instance, nice pictures of it might appeal to someone who didn’t realize that it existed.

MustHaveMenus: And, get you blasted publicly on Facebook.

Sayf Sharif: Other than that, it depends on how active you are. I think extra pages for email marketing sign ups, and the like are great, pages or coupons, changing your start page that people come to with a designed image is good. But I think too much is actually worse than keeping it simple, but high quality, and focusing on the actual posts you make to inform your customers on a regular basis.

MustHaveMenus: Sayf, do your customers (with successful FB pages) post specials, pictures and events? What works best?

Sayf Sharif: Yes to all…

Sayf Sharif: It’s good to have an editorial calendar, and stick to it. Consistency is important. You don’t want to post too much, or it irritates people, and you don’t want to post too little or it’ll be missed, ignored, or even confuse your customers….

MustHaveMenus: Define editorial calendar, please.

Sayf Sharif: I think what is best is to post daily with a special, if you have one preferably, or at least call something out. Every morning between 9-11am local. A short descriptive listing of your special that day can help drive business that day for lunch, and dinner.

MustHaveMenus: What’s a good frequency of Facebook posts?

Sayf Sharif: Pictures of fun events or live bands and stuff are great, but at the same time you don’t want to flood people with too many picture galleries. Make sure it’s relevant enough to be on people’s walls, or keep the photos in a gallery on your website.

Sayf Sharif: Events though are a good thing to post and promote on Facebook, no matter what they are.

Sayf Sharif: I’d say a daily specials post in the morning. If you have a blog that you publish on a calendar separate from your specials, say twice a week you can link to that when you post it whenever that is. Otherwise try to keep under 3 posts a day or people are going to look at you as spammy. One every morning, and one twice a week for your blog, and then one for a weekly event like a band on friday is a good balance.

Sayf Sharif: You want to inform people, not smother them.

Sayf Sharif: I missed the Editorial Calendar question…. Ok an editorial calendar is the frequency and dates of your posts of all types. You generally shouldn’t start out with one, but for later success it helps to create a schedule you can stick with. for instance an editorial calendar can be as simple as “1 post about specials every morning on facebook and twitter, 1 blog post on tuesdays and thursdays sharing on social media, 1 drip email every wednesday morning at 11am, 1 monthly newsletter every first friday of the month” etc. Something that you have on your calendar that says “ok today you need to do x”. Otherwise it can be easy to put things off and forget to do your online marketing and social media, and consistency is very important.

David Bloom: Can you give best practices on the use of images in FB ads? I am thinking about stock photos v. logos v. avatars, etc.

Sayf Sharif: It depends on the restaurant and the point of the ad. I think if you have a good logo that’s nicely designed and clear to read, then that’s a good thing to use, and to build familiarity. Stock Photos are good, but people can sniff things out if they look too stock, and it can turn some people off. Avatars similarly. Keeping the image as ‘personal’ to your restaurant as possible is the best move, and helps people connect with you.

Cierra Washington: what’s the point of having a facebook page and a website?

Sayf Sharif :Well your website is where you can really control your brand, and image. Where you can really put out there the public face of your restaurant. It’s something you can really control. Meanwhile your Facebook Page is more an avenue to communicate with people. Your customers aren’t likely going to your website every day to find out if you have some neat special that day, but they’re more than happy to ‘like’ your page and then read it that morning when they log in to check out Facebook. And with over 500 million people on Facebook, it’s a great way to reach those people and communicate.

Sayf Sharif: The thing then is ‘why not just a facebook page’ and to that I’d say that You can’t fully control Facebook and they can change any time. You can’t fully brand your pages, and you’re restricted by another company. It’s better to control your brand as much as possible rather than put everything in Facebook’s hands…

Sayf Sharif: Plus who knows how long Facebook will be around. It could be around 100 years or in 10 months some new thing will be the ‘it thing’. It’s a relatively new development, and things will continue to change so rapidly, a website is a place you can have as your center, that you control, and use the other various avenues to connect with your customers socially reaching out from that base.

MustHaveMenus: Sayf, are you good to stick with us a few more minutes?

Sayf Sharif: sure. hit me

MustHaveMenus: What are your thoughts on Facebook Deals? These are getting ready to roll out all over the place. How can restaurants best use them?

Sayf Sharif: Well I like them better than Groupons I’ll tell you that….

MustHaveMenus: Tell us more..

Sayf Sharif: The thing to keep in mind with any of the social deals and coupons is to be cautious about what you’re offering, and what kind of cost it’s going to be. I think Facebook Deals is going to blow the other coupon sites out of the water (or at least has the potential too because of how far it’s already hooked into people) but at the same time Facebook Places isn’t as widely used as the main features.

MustHaveMenus: Speaking of Places, a lot of restaurants get checkins but they haven’t claimed their Place. How do they do this?

Sayf Sharif: Any Deal you put out there, be prepared to get hit big time with it. They’re unlimited as far as I know, and so far social couponing has mixed results with restaurants.

Sayf Sharif: To claim your place, you need to find it on facebook via searching for it, and then on that page there is a link that asks “is this your business?”. Click on that and follow the questions. If I recall correctly, like Foursquare, it requires a phone call to your public number it has to confirm.

MustHaveMenus: Kind of like Google Places, where they mail you a postcard?

Sayf Sharif: Yeah except it’s a computer that gives you a code over the phone.

Sayf Sharif: Which is great if you have a minimum wage guy on the phones and he has no idea what the thing is saying. Be sure when you claim your place on Facebook you’re ready to answer your phone!

Sayf Sharif: Anyway Deals are good if you have an advertising budget to grow new business, if you’re new and need to spread word, etc. But if you have an established business, and want a bump, the cost could easily outweight the results. This could change in the next few months or years as social couponing evolves, but right now I tell my customers that it is not without risk and to not expect it to be a panacea.

MustHaveMenus:  Good warning.

MustHaveMenus: Sayf, it looks like we’ve run out of questions. Thank you so much for joining us!

Sayf Sharif: Not a problem. And if anyone has other questions for me they can contact me through our website at http://orestaurantdesign.com/

MustHaveMenus: Where can our guests find out more about you?

Sayf Sharif: http://orestaurantdesign.com/ is our website, and they can find out more about us there, and contact me with any other questions they might have.

Sayf Sharif: Oh and duh… our Facebook page too. http://www.facebook.com/orestaurantdesign

What’s black, white and read all over your restaurant? A spring specials menu! This Design of the Week is so simple to update with the Menu Editor online menu software that you can make changes weekly or daily. Its simple black and white design lend elegance to this staple for delis and lunch locales.

Here are five ways you can use a spring specials menu to grow your lunch business:

1. Put a stack of menus on your counter with the weekly specials for this week and next. Encourage your customers to take a few back to the office.
2. Send a spring specials menu out in ever to-go order bag.
3. Put the spring specials menu inside your regular menu as an insert. This calls attention to new items and bestsellers.
4. Put your spring specials on your website. However, be sure to update it often or your customers won’t go there to look.
5. Have one of your staff members distribute the specials menu to your neighboring businesses once a week (even if you don’t change the menu offerings.)

What are some ways you promote your spring specials? Tell us about it in our Facebook Community.

Hi everyone! We’ve got a treat for you this Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern. Stop by for our on-the-wall chat on how to make Facebook a success in your restaurant.

Introducing Our Guest

Sayf Sharif has been working with companies of all sizes, from mom and pop corner stores, to large e-commerce concerns such as Barnes and Noble, to improve their websites since 1997. Since 2002, his companies OrcaPack and oRestaurantDesign have focused on providing high quality award-winning websites to his customers, particularly restaurants, focused on usability, success, and a return on investment. The advent of social media in particular has created a dramatic new avenue for his customers to achieve online marketing success.

How a Facebook Wall Chat Works

You can participate two ways:

1. Pre-post your question on our wall. We’ll get Sayf to answer those in the comments of each question on Wednesday.
2. Ask your questions on the Wall starting at 1 p.m. Eastern. Each question will be answered in the comments.

A few rules because we want you to get the most information out of this discussion.

1. No blatant self-promotion. We invite everyone to participate, but anyone who pushes products on our chatters or members will be asked to leave.
2. No personal attacks. This discussion is to garner best practices and ideas for your business; not to debate issues or call names. We will ask anyone who throws out insults to leave.
3. Stick to the topic. This discussion is very focused on Facebook for restaurants and other foodservice professionals. We don’t want to veer off topic because we have less than an hour. We will provide contact information for Sayf at the beginning and end of the chat if you have off-topic questions.

Please RSVP at the event link if you plan to attend, or just drop by. Thanks to Sayf for joining us!