IHOP has a new menu, and now customers are spending more. That’s not a coincidence: The new menu was carefully designed to encourage diners to order more. It’s like a Jedi mind trick that gets customers to order a side of bacon.
According to DineEquity (DIN) executives, the redesign, introduced in April and in place across the country by June, is responsible for the restaurant’s recent sales boost. “The new menu’s improved layout … prompted guests to trade up and also helped to increase the sale of additional items, such as appetizers,” said Julia Stewart, DineEquity’s chief executive, during an October earnings call.
With an “expert in menu creative development,” whom the company declined to name, IHOP developed a new layout based on customer feedback in tests.