Restaurant's approaches to menu planning, pricing and analysis: A research in İzmir

In today's World, tourism industry has a structure with intensive investments and severe competition. One of the leading sub-sectors of this industry is food and beverage and one of the most common establishments operating in this sub-sector is the restaurant business. In this line of business, entrepreneurship and therefore competition is very common. In such a competitive environment, restaurants have to communicate effectively with their customers, in order to be profitable and to survive. Menu is one of the most powerful tool for a restaurant, to be able to present itself and to understand the customers. In this study, management approaches of the restaurants' located in the city center of İzmir on the menu, menu planning, pricing and analysis were intended to be clarified. The aim of this study is to determine and evaluate restaurants' approaches and applications on the menu, with the help of descriptive analysis. Firstly a literature review has been held and questions for the structured interview are formed. Secondly interviews with the 15 restaurant (which are located in İzmir city center) managers have been done. All the records from interviews are compiled and analyzed and finally findings were revealed. Based on the results, it is figured out that restaurants generally depend on traditional habits when it comes to menu planning, pricing and analysis and they are unaware of modern techniques and how to use those techniques. Findings indicate the importance of education and raising awareness in the industry. Key Words: Menu, Menu Planning, Menu Pricing, Menu Analysis, Restaurant.