The restaurant owners are always striving hard to put their best foot forward to help the diners have a great experience. They have been constantly evolving in terms of providing good ambiance, to hassle-free table booking and now by showcasing the nutritional value of the food you intake. Government initiatives and consumer health trends are now redefining the role of restaurants in society. The nutritional disorders for both kids and adults are being addressed in these initiatives. These programs display that when restaurants are supporting healthy eating options, people prefer restaurant food services. The saying, “Health is wealth” holds true when it comes to publicizing the nutritional value of dishes in restaurants. Read along to find the benefits of nutritional labeling on restaurant menus. This will allow you to decide if you really need to include it or not.
Benefits of Including Nutritional Value in Your Menu
1. Captures a Wider Customer Base
People have started eating out more compared to their older generation. The busy lifestyle and work schedule have forced them to look for eating options outside their house. Restaurants are getting benefits out of this and should use the opportunity wisely. Eating healthy food has its benefits. The diners are aware of this fact and it’s because of certain reasons they are visiting your restaurant. When the diners get an opportunity to read the calories and nutritional value on the menu, they feel at home. This could create a lasting bond with your customers as they are happy to learn what you are serving.
2. Nutrition Labels Increase Revenue
The display of nutritional information in your restaurant can boost the ordering frequency of labeled menu items. The consumers become confident about the nutritional and caloric values of the items they order when they look at the menu. Many diners are advised to keep a check on their food habits. The display of nutritional content on the menu makes it easy for them to decide and place an order. The Heart and Stroke Foundation launched a program called “Health Check.” This was a voluntary program for the restaurants to join. An “HC” symbol was denoted in the menu if the restaurant met the Heart and Stroke Foundations nutritional chart. This further helped people in narrowing their food preferences. Though it was taken down later, it delivered a loud message to supply healthier food. Restaurant businesses can be profitable if they give an option of customizable serving size. Restaurants that promote nutrition labels allow customers to make healthier choices. The overall process encourages routine visits to the restaurant and improves your business.
3. The Next Generation of Customers are Already Into Healthy Eating
Today’s generation has become very conscious of what they eat. A healthy lifestyle is preferred by most young adults. Health-conscious parents restrict their kids from eating fast-food at restaurants. There can be an exception to this when the nutritional labels are displayed on the menu where fast-food is sold. Parents feel relieved when they get a better meal for their kids. Thus your restaurant would stand a chance of repeated visits for these diners. The children have a habit of placing their order when they visit the restaurant. Providing nutritional facts labels helps them understand the nutritional value of every food item found on the menu. This encourages children to learn about nutritious eating and develops healthy eating habits. Also, children love the idea of going out to eat, and this way the parents will be more than happy to bring them to your restaurant as you have a healthy menu to offer.
4. Diet-Conscious Diners
The best way to judge if your restaurant needs to display a nutritional value menu is by looking at how often you get requests for substitutions on your menu. Do any of your customers ask for dry, wheat -toast, or low-fat yogurt? Are salads with dressing and scrambled egg whites the most sought for? If so, your diners are positively diet-conscious. Having a general discussion with your regular diners can help you understand their needs and views on diet. If you feel most of your customers do show a concern, then it is high time you have a menu that includes the nutritional values.
Do you Change Your Menu?
Does your restaurant believe in providing a fresh course of the menu on a day to day basis? In case you follow this method, it would be a tedious task to update the nutritional value as the menu is constantly changing. You would also need additional staff who works on this on a daily basis. This could be an expensive affair. For the above reasons, having a definite menu gives you a wide range of things to incorporate. The menu can be analyzed for the calorie counts, detailed nutritional values(i.e. vitamins, minerals, etc.). Also, you may just need a one time work for curating the details and furnishing the same for days together. If your menu changes seasonally, still consider analyzing the nutritional value of your items. As the seasonal menus are once in a while, you may consider taking out time to lure your diners.
Budget and Funding for Calorie Labeling
You need not spend a fortune to get a calorie labeled menu. There are different ways to incorporate the same. You may consider hiring a nutritionist for helping you curate a menu at the onset. Subsequently, when you start adding different cuisines to your menu you can take the help of software. There are quite a few software’s which help in creating a menu with nutritional values. You may find one-time-use software to a yearly subscription one at affordable pricing.
Displaying Nutritional Values is the New Trend
Most of the restaurant chains are following this trend of displaying the menu labeling for the items sold on their menu. This helps them win the trust of their customers. From the display of nutrient content, the diners will be able to decide on a healthy meal for themselves rather than eating out some unhealthy food. This rapport will work for your restaurant and help you grow. You can set yourself apart from your competitor by highlighting different dishes that suit people with varied dietary conditions.
Conclusion
The diners want to experience the best of both worlds; dining out and adhering to a healthy dining. Millennials prefer healthy meals so that they can achieve the required nutrition and avoid developing health conditions later in life. The best practices one can follow is by adapting the trend of displaying nutritional values. The nutrition information gives all kinds of clients the information they need. With nutrition information advertised so openly, people who are experiencing conditions such as diabetes and food sensitivities can get food that they can reliably eat. Displaying the calorie count on your menu card has pros and cons. Customers can check the caloric value along with the nutritional information of foods available in the restaurants, For sure the benefits outweigh the cons. This honesty helps you build trust and a long-lasting relationship with your diners. You are not only doing a business but also creating awareness and helping the public fight against obesity and diet-related diseases.