Some of the most successful restaurants are those with the simplest of menus.

In-N-Out Burger

The menu is a prime example of In-N-Out’s intense focus on simplicity to maximize quality and minimize expenses. Items on the menu are mainly unchanged from the original restaurant stand and exhibit a rare marriage of quality and affordability:

• 3 Burger Choices: Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Double Double (most expensive at $3.40*)
• French Fries
• Beverages: Soda (4 sizes), Shakes (3 flavors), Coffee, Milk

Since its inception, In-N-Out Burger has enjoyed tremendous success, growing annual sales to approximately $400mm per analyst estimates and consistently earning a #1 ranking in the fast food burger chain segment, ahead of competitors such as Wendy’s, Five Guys’ and Fuddruckers. 

While you may have created a complex spreadsheet to determine your pricing, don’t show this to a client. Please don’t abandon it either. It would help if you had this to help you figure out your pricing in the future as costs change.

After you do a job, you may want to return to that spreadsheet and adjust the numbers.

Keep Menu in Mind

Just like in photography, keep things simple for design purposes. This also applies to your estimate and pricing. Restaurant patrons don’t want to be overwhelmed when reading a menu. A clean, straightforward design will convert better than a list of options or large chunks of expository text. A visually pleasing design effectively uses white space and naturally guides the eye to essential menu items.

Your customers are the same. Please keep it simple.

Ditch the dollar signs.

Pricing shouldn’t be the center of attention. One way to downplay price is to remove any associated dollar signs that elicit a negative emotional response. You want them to concentrate on the content, not the price. 

Don’t line up the prices.

A list of prices aligned to the left or right is easily scannable, which could encourage people to choose lower-priced items out of habit. Mixing up pricing placement throughout the estimate will minimize decisions based on price comparisons.

Use simple, descriptive language.

Avoid industry jargon or long sections of text that will confuse people. Yes, more and more people consider themselves experts, but the simple, descriptive language in the item’s title will attract more sales.