Chapter 10
Marketing to
Health-Conscious Guests
• Describe methods for identifying customer
requests.
• Discuss development and implementation
of healthy menu options
• Evaluate healthy menu options for specific
guest requests
• Describe nutrition labeling laws that apply
to restaurant menus
Objectives:
• The process of finding
out what your
customers need and
want, and then
developing,
promoting, and selling
the products and
services they desire.
Marketing
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Interview waitstaff about customer requests.
Do a customer survey. (See p. 357)
Informally get customer feedback.
Key in on:
– What are your customers asking for?
– Which items are most frequently requested?
– How much time does your staff have to meet these
special requests?
– Which requests are easy to meet? Which are not?
Gauging Customers’
Needs and Wants
• Who is involved?
• How to inform your customers of healthy
options:
– Simply describe the items well.
– Have waitstaff offer and describe the items.
– Highlight items with symbols or worlds.
– Include a separate section on the menu.
– Add a clip-on to the menu and/or a
blackboard or lightboard.
Developing & Implementing
Healthy Menu Options
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Low carbohydrate diet
South Beach diet
High fiber diet
Diet low in added sugars
Diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Low-sodium diet
Vegetarian diet
Low-lactose diet
Gluten-free diet
Responding to Guest
Special Requests
• Good menu descriptions
• Use waitstaff to provide descriptions
• Highlight healthy/special menu selections
– Use symbols
• Special/separate section of menu
• Add a clip-on to menu or whiteboard
• Use “small plate” approach
Responding to Guest
Special Needs
• Food prepared and served in restaurants or
other foodservices are exempt from mandatory
nutrition labeling found in packaged foods.
• Restaurants are not exempt from FDA rules
concerning nutrient claims and health claims
when used on menus, table tents, posters, or
signs.
• Any food being used in a health claim may not
contain more than 20% of the Daily Value for fat,
saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium.
Restaurants and Nutrition
Labeling Laws
• When providing nutrition information for a
nutrient or health claim:
– restaurants do not have to provide the
standard nutrition information profile and more
exacting nutrient content values required in
the Nutrition Facts panel of packaged foods.
They can present the information in any
format desired, and they have to provide only
information about the nutrient(s) that the claim
is referring to.
Restaurants and Nutrition
Labeling Laws
• Restaurants may use symbols on the
menu to highlight the nutritional content of
specific items. They are required to
explain the criteria used for the symbols.
Restaurants and Nutrition
Labeling Laws