Seasonal menu: asparagus, game and pumpkin without reprint

Why seasonal

A seasonal menu gives guests a reason to return regularly. It shows that the kitchen works with what is currently growing. And seasonal ingredients are often available in better quality during their peak season.

• Spring: Asparagus, wild garlic, radishes, young vegetables.
• Summer: chanterelles, tomatoes, berries, apricots.
• Autumn: pumpkin, game, Martin's goose, chestnuts, damson plums.
• Winter: herbs, root vegetables, braised dishes, citrus fruits.

Seasonal menu or insert

There are two common approaches: the main menu remains, and a small seasonal menu is added. Or the entire menu changes with the season. For most businesses, the addition is more practical. Classics remain, and the season gets its own stage.

On the digital menu, this can be solved as its own category at the very top, such as Asparagus Season or From the Forest. Or you create your own seasonal menu and link it via the daily offer.

Plan the switch

A seasonal change requires lead time: testing recipes, calculating costs, coordinating with suppliers, documenting allergens, and training staff. A plan with fixed dates prevents the asparagus menu from arriving only after the season is already half over.

• A few weeks prior: Determine and calculate the dishes.
• Shortly before: Update recipe sheets and allergens, train the team.
• At the start: switch the menu, inform guests.
• At the end: remove the seasonal menu in good time.

With a time-controlled QR code, you can also plan the change in advance. At Same-QR, the code then leads to the new menu from a specified date.

Communicate

Season is a topic that is easy to talk about. A sign reading Asparagus season begins, a photo on social media, a post on the Google profile all with a link to the current menu. Regular customers are pleased when they learn early that their favorite dish is available again.

Switch to digital quickly

Printed seasonal menus have a problem: they are expensive relative to their short lifespan, and if the stock runs out early, dishes are listed that are no longer available. A digital menu is more flexible in this regard. You can add, remove, and change prices, while the QR code at the table remains the same.

For guests who prefer to have paper in hand, a simple insert sheet is sufficient, which you can print yourself if needed. It is important that both versions have the same status.

Example: Pumpkin Week

So could a simple seasonal change in autumn look:

• Four dishes with pumpkin: soup, risotto, a main course with meat, a dessert.
• A dedicated category "Pumpkin Season" at the very top of the digital menu.
• A notice at the entrance and a post for the launch.
• An end that is oriented towards the offer, not towards a fixed date.

After the season, the category will be removed, but the recipe sheets will remain for the next year. This turns each season into a small routine that becomes easier with each passing year.

Frequently asked questions