Case Study: How La Trattoria Increased Revenue by 23% with Digital Menus

Background

La Trattoria, a family-owned Italian restaurant in a tourist-heavy district, had been operating for over 15 years with traditional paper menus. Despite offering authentic Italian cuisine and excellent service, they faced several challenges:

• High printing costs for seasonal menu changes
• Difficulty accommodating international tourists who couldn't read English
• Limited ability to showcase their food through descriptions alone
• Outdated menus circulation when items or prices changed

Owner Maria Rossi knew something needed to change when she calculated that the restaurant was spending over $3,000 annually just on menu printing and redesigns.

The Challenge

La Trattoria needed a solution that would:

1. Reduce menu printing costs
2. Better serve their international clientele
3. Showcase their dishes more effectively
4. Allow for quick menu updates during supply chain fluctuations
5. Maintain the elegant, authentic Italian dining experience

The Solution: PricelistQR Implementation

After researching various options, Maria chose PricelistQR for its combination of simplicity, flexibility, and multilingual capabilities.

Implementation Process

1. Menu Creation: La Trattoria converted their existing menu into markdown format, organizing items by categories (Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, etc.)

2. Enhanced Content: They added:

   • High-quality photos of signature dishes
   • Detailed descriptions of ingredients and preparation methods
   • Wine pairing suggestions
   • Indicators for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options

3. Multilingual Setup: They enabled translations in six languages most common among their tourists:

   • English
   • Spanish
   • French
   • German
   • Japanese
   • Chinese

4. Physical Integration: Small, elegant table tents with the QR code were placed on each table, along with a brief explanation in multiple languages.

5. Staff Training: All staff members were trained to explain the QR menu system to guests and assist those who needed help.

The Results

Within six months of implementing PricelistQR digital menus, La Trattoria saw remarkable improvements:

Financial Impact

• 23% increase in overall revenue
• 18% increase in average check size
• 94% reduction in menu printing costs
• 32% increase in wine sales due to better pairing suggestions

Customer Experience Improvements

• Positive feedback from international guests, who appreciated accessing the menu in their native language
• Increased ordering of specialty dishes once customers could see photos
• Reduced order errors due to clearer communication
• Higher ratings on travel platforms, with specific mentions of the multilingual menus

Operational Benefits

• Ability to update prices immediately when ingredient costs fluctuated
• Seamless introduction of seasonal specials without menu reprinting
• Better inventory management by marking items as "sold out" in real-time
• Valuable data collection on most-viewed dishes and peak ordering times

Specific Success Stories

Wine and Cocktail Sales

Before implementing digital menus, La Trattoria's wine list was rarely explored in depth by non-Italian speaking guests. After adding detailed descriptions and pairing suggestions in multiple languages, wine orders increased significantly, particularly among international tourists.

Specialty Dish Popularity

"Bistecca alla Fiorentina," a premium-priced specialty, saw a 45% increase in orders after adding a mouth-watering photo and detailed description of the aging and cooking process in multiple languages.

Reduced Order Confusion

Incidents of returned dishes due to misunderstandings (such as customers not realizing a dish contained an ingredient they disliked) decreased by 67%.

Lessons Learned

Maria shares some advice for other restaurant owners considering digital menus:

1. Invest in quality photos of your most profitable dishes
2. Train your staff to explain the system to less tech-savvy customers
3. Use detailed descriptions that tell the story behind special dishes
4. Update regularly to keep the menu fresh and accurate
5. Gather feedback from customers to continuously improve the digital experience

Conclusion

"Switching to PricelistQR was one of the best business decisions I've made in my 15 years of running La Trattoria," says Maria. "Not only have we reduced costs and increased revenue, but we've also been able to share our authentic Italian cuisine with guests from around the world in a way that makes them feel welcomed and understood."

For restaurants looking to expand their reach, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the dining experience for international guests, digital multilingual menus provide a powerful solution with measurable ROI.

Ready to achieve results like La Trattoria? Check out our pricing plans to get started with PricelistQR today.