Monday, April 7th 9:30am - 4:00pm
Discover Financial Shine Bright Center
8560 S Cottage Grove Ave
Open to All, registration required
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April 7th, we will be holding a Storytelling & Menu Workshop at the Discover Center, located at 8560 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.
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This workshop is designed for food entrepreneurs and industry professionals looking to enhance their business presentation and marketing through storytelling. Will review previous menu design, pricing strategies, and overall business performance.
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Also included in our workshop agenda is a presentation and discussion on how small businesses can adapt their scenario planning strategies in response to the evolving economic landscape (ICE, Tariffs) impact on cultural shifting workforce dynamics, and cost management challenge.
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This event will also be live-streamed, all attendees both in-person and live-streamed must register to access the workshop. The registration link is shown below.
Event: Storytelling with some menu engineering review. Workshop facilitated by Menu Engineer, Sean Willard
- Panel Topic:Business Scenario Planning & Analysis in the Context of Today’s U.S. Economy Impact on Food & Beverages Businesses, facilitated by GCI Staff
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Date: April 7th, 2025
Time: Check-in: 9:00 am, Workshop begins at 9:30 am to conclude at 4:00 pm
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Location: Discover Center, 8560 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL Conference rooms A&B
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2025 January Menu Engineering for Southside Operators of Restaurants, Caterers, Food Trucks, etc.
What is Menu Engineering?
Menu engineering is part science, part art. By utilizing data, research, and industry knowledge, restaurateurs and operators can make impactful decisions on their menus to produce specific, measurable results in profitability and guest satisfaction.
Simply put, Menu Engineering is how we build powerful and profitable menus!
Source: https://www.menuengineers.com/
What will you learn?
- Menu Trends
- Menu Engineering Principles & Our Circular Development Cycle
- The Growth-Share Matrix
- Item Pricing & Positioning
- Menu Update Planning
- Menu Strategies & tactics to drive sales and profits
Why is Menu Engineering important?
- Ongoing menu engineering has the potential to increase restaurant profits by 10-15%
(source: Menu Cover Depot)● Highlights your more profitable menu items - Eliminating poor-performing items from the menu, helping your food costs
- Improves customer satisfaction
Selected FoodLab Chicago Alumni using menu engineering techniques have increased their revenues from 3% to 38%
Who is our workshop instructor?
Sean Willard, Menu Engineering Specialist
Sean Willard is a seasoned Menu Engineer dedicated to assisting restaurateurs and hospitality operators worldwide in the creation of optimized menus. His approach melds the precision of science, the finesse of art, the insights of data, and a wealth of industry experience to empower restaurateurs in crafting menus that bolster profitability and elevate the overall guest dining experience.
With a distinguished academic background from Cornell’s Hotel School and an extensive tenure within the restaurant industry spanning over two decades, Sean brings a wealth of knowledge and practical expertise to the realm of Menu Engineering.
One-on-one 90-minute personal consultation with Sean Willard
Attendees of the Menu Engineering Workshop can participate in a one-on-one 90-minute in-person consultation with Sean Willard from Tuesday, January 30th, through Friday, February 2nd.
Lunch
Will be served.
Parking:
Enter through the gate at the very west side of the parking lot.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Chicago Community Trust
The Coleman Foundation
Polk Brothers Foundation
LISC/Chicago
Greater Chatham Initiative
For more information, please contact the FoodLab Chicago Team
Tonya & Enrique
Foodlabchicago@greaterchathaminitiative.org
Office Phone 773-644-1451
