Have you ever ordered a Pink Drink from Starbucks? How about a Grilled Cheese Sandwich from McDonald’s? You’ve definitely tried a Barnyard Burger from Wendy’s, right? If you think these are fake menu items, well, you’re half right: although you’ll never find printed menus showcasing these, they are definitely real items that you can order.
Secret menus are one of the best marketing tactics in the restaurant industry because they give customers who are in the know special access to unique menu items that differ from the typical printed ones. If you are looking for a way to spice up your customer’s ordering experience, you may want to consider creating your own secret menu.
What is a Secret Menu?
Secret menus are a selection of unadvertised meals or drinks made by a restaurant. They’re great ways to pique your loyal customers’ interest and start an informal whisper campaign to advertise your restaurant.
Secret menus generally fall into two separate categories:
Official Secret Menus are actual marketing campaigns made by restaurants that feature unique items for a selected few customers. These menus are typically printed separately from their in-house menus and are only given to customers who ask for them, or are given to the customer by the restaurant itself.
It’s also possible for official secret menus to not appear in any form of print or advertisement and are instead known by the staff. If you mention the secret item to the waiter or barista, they’ll know what you mean and prepare it for you.
Secret Secret Menus (and no, that’s not a typo) are more informal menu items that are created by modifying traditional orders. Informal secret menus are not a creation of the establishment itself and are instead made by the community of customers that are loyal and love a certain brand.
These types of menus are often discouraged by large franchises because they want to retain a certain standard in their offerings across all their locations. However, certain franchise owners might introduce secret menu items unique to their branches to boost local business.
While the origin of their item names is difficult to trace, these items are usually popularized through either social media or online forums with a customer giving them a special name. These informal menu items become actual orders once it gains enough traction, but do not appear in receipts as their informal item name.
How Can Secret Menus Benefit Restaurants?
Secret menus can provide a number of noteworthy benefits to your restaurant with little to no effort at all.
#1 They Create a Sense of Exclusivity
Making customers feel special is an important part of great customer service. Being in the know is a thrilling experience for anyone and you can create that feeling by sharing your special menu with only a select few customers.
Sharing your secret menu with a customer can make them feel special and improve their relationship with your restaurant. It fosters a sense of loyalty to your brand and helps develop a sense of community.
#2 It Starts a Whisper Campaign
It’s human nature to share a well-kept secret. Hearing about a unique order from a person online or at a restaurant is a great way to engage your customer base through organic interactions.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool to reel in new customers to your establishment. Couple that with the power of digital marketing and you have unique menu items that can be vouched for in online communities.
#3 They Can Increase Sales
Customers are always curious about the next big thing, and secret menus are full of just that. Unique menu items that only appear on certain platforms can definitely pull in both new and loyal customers to try out their newest items.
Secret menus can also be offered exclusively through online platforms. This can generate additional sales without overwhelming onsite staff, as anything exclusive can always lead to crazy fanfare.
#4 They’re Great Ways to Test New Menu Items
New menu items can be as stressful as they are exciting for a lot of restaurants. Create a hit, and you can expect customers to flock to your stores and overwhelm your staff. Create a miss and you can expect to see your creation on social media, but for all the wrong reasons.
Secret menus are a great way to quietly introduce new items to your loyal customers and get feedback on how they feel about the new creation. That way, you can safely gauge whether a meal is worth adding to the menu or not.
How Do You Make a Secret Menu?
Secret menus should be exclusive but at the same time accessible to your customers. Even though it costs next to nothing to implement a secret menu, you still need to put a lot of effort into creating one.
Thankfully, we can share a not-so-secret guide to help you create your own secret menu!
Step 1: Ask for Customer Feedback
Secret menus are one of the best ways to engage with customers directly and receive feedback. This allows you to know more about your customer’s tastes and preferences and gives you more opportunities to cross-sell or upsell your existing products.
Once you know what your customers want, you will have an easier time creating dishes that will cater to their tastes instead of having to start from scratch. You can deploy easy-to-fill-out surveys through either printed questionnaires or digital forms.
Step 2: Refer to Your Menu
While a secret menu is separate from your in-house one, it should not deviate far from what you already offer. To reduce costs as much as possible, you want to use the same ingredients that you normally have for your regular menu. Referring to your inventory is a great way to get inspiration for your new dish.
A new recipe does not necessarily require new or exotic ingredients. When creating a new menu item, it’s important to work with what you have and make the most out of it. Try to prioritize in-stock seasonal items like vegetables and produce, or refer to public holidays for inspiration.
Step 3: Brainstorm Item Name Ideas and Coordinate with your Staff
Inspiration can come from anywhere, especially from those closest to you. Unique item names are a great way to grab a customer’s attention and entice them into ordering your new menu item.
Your restaurant staff can have valuable input on what can work for your restaurant. Since they’re also the ones that will prepare it, it’s important to refer to them if they can create the secret menu item according to your spec.
Train your customers to advertise your secret menu in secret. Again, you want to balance the sense of exclusivity with a fair amount of accessibility. Encourage honest feedback and listen to what your staff has to say.
Step 4. Test and Promote Your Items
Just because it’s a secret menu, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t flaunt it. A successful secret menu is a sign of an effective marketing strategy, and could potentially mean more sales for your restaurant.
When promoting your secret menu items, it’s best to employ guerilla marketing tactics like posting it on social media or highlighting it exclusively on your online ordering page. Lowkey marketing is a great way to jumpstart organic conversations amongst your customers.
Building on Your Secret Menu’s Success
Over time, secret menus will become popular with the public as more and more regulars share their favorites with other people. In that case, it’s important to learn from your secret menu campaign as you start to phase them out.
You can use restaurant analytics to help you check which of your secret menu items worked and which didn’t. By employing menu engineering principles, you can contextualize each item and check how well it fits your current offerings. You might be able to get a new item or two for the next iteration of your menu.
Once you’ve sunset your secret menu, be proud of what you created. Have fun listening to your customers’ feedback and be sure to take those lessons to heart. That way, you can be sure that your next secret menu will be even better.