Posts by Phil Iannuccilli

Picture this: You’ve poured your heart into building your independent restaurant, crafting menus that draw crowds and creating an atmosphere guests love. Yet, despite the hustle, profits feel stubbornly slim. Food costs creep up, waste piles on unnoticed, and some dishes quietly drain resources while others carry the load. In an industry where every percentage…

In the competitive world of restaurants, where every detail counts toward profitability, menu psychology plays a pivotal role. One of the most powerful concepts is the Golden Triangle – a design principle rooted in eye-tracking studies that reveals how diners naturally scan a menu. When customers open a typical single-page or two-page menu spread, their…

I did my apprenticeship at a great French restaurant with a great French chef. What I noticed right away, was there was nothing he couldn’t do. Not only did he have great food, but he made his own ice cream, sorbets, cakes, tarts, soufflés and chocolate truffles. It became the model for me. Right from…

I could be wrong, but I think it was the SBA where I first read – pricing is a part of your marketing plan. I’ll go one step further – pricing is the majority of your marketing plan. In terms of food, we all learned about plate cost and how it relates to pricing. If…

Long ago, I learned about restaurant cost controls. When it came to food cost, I learned it must be 30% or less. Today, it’s a challenge more than ever. Point being, the focus was always on the percentage. It took me a while to understand; we bank dollars not percentages. Here’s an example. Let’s say…

Can anyone make a menu? This is the ultimate question! If we’re asking can anyone make a list of popular items, with prices, and sell it to the public? The unfortunate answer is yes! This is also one of the reasons why 85% of all restaurants fail in the first year. On the other hand,…