The first item on a menu can become the reference point customers use to interpret a restaurant’s price range and brand positioning. However, simply placing the highest-priced item first should not be expected to produce results. Operators should first determine whether the signature dish, target price range, and core items the restaurant actually wants to sell all point in the same direction.
Key Conclusion
Assessment by Director Kang Jong-heon: The first position should feature the item that most accurately represents the restaurant’s price range and brand identity. The first price and description presented to customers may become the basis for comparing the items that follow.
Placing a premium-priced item first can make subsequent items seem relatively more affordable. Leading with a core menu item can quickly communicate both the restaurant’s recommendation and what it represents. The right approach should be determined by considering the sales strategy and operating conditions together.
Why Price and Brand Perceptions Change
Summary of the book’s rationale: The referenced book, Why Does That Restaurant Succeed? Use Psychology in Your Business, Part 1 (「그 가게는 왜 잘될까? 심리학으로 장사해라 PART 1」), explains that the information encountered first can become a reference point for the overall judgment. It discusses this phenomenon through the primacy effect, the representativeness heuristic, and the anchoring effect.
If customers accept the first item and its price as a reference point, they may not evaluate later items independently. The same price may seem expensive or reasonable depending on the information presented beforehand. The first item can also serve as a cue for judging the restaurant’s price level and expertise.
The first item does more than display a high price. It communicates what the restaurant represents and which price range it uses as its standard.
What the Available Information Supports
The provided materials do not include order volumes or customer responses from before and after a specific restaurant changed its menu. The discussion therefore cannot be presented as a proven result from an actual restaurant startup case. Before applying it, operators should further review the menu structure, ordering choices, responses to pricing, and kitchen conditions.
Illustrative example from the book: If the first item is a premium hamburger steak priced at KRW 25,000, a pasta dish priced at KRW 17,000 may seem reasonable. Conversely, if customers first see kimchi fried rice priced at KRW 9,000, they may perceive the same pasta dish as expensive. This is a hypothetical numerical example intended to aid understanding, not actual restaurant data.
Director Kang Jong-heon’s Decision Criteria
When Leading with a Premium-Priced Item
This approach is primarily intended to establish a higher starting point for price comparisons, making mid-priced items seem more affordable. The premium price must be supported by the menu name, ingredients, cooking method, and value provided. If only the price is high without clear justification, it may undermine trust in the brand.
When Leading with a Core Menu Item
This approach clearly presents the item the restaurant wants customers to understand and order first. If brand representation and concentrated demand are important, the core menu item may communicate the brand message more clearly.
The key consideration is whether the first item aligns with actual operations. A signature item is not suitable for the first position if it frequently sells out or if the quality delivered differs from its description. The same standard should be applied to items the restaurant would prefer customers not to order because they place an excessive burden on the kitchen.
Implementation Steps
Define the brand criteria. Summarize the signature dish, target price range, and desired customer impression in one sentence.
Assign each menu item a role. Distinguish the choices that the core item, premium comparison item, and entry-level item are intended to encourage.
Check what customers see first. Review not only the first line but also large photos, bold text, and the first screen of the self-service ordering kiosk.
Align the presentation. Check whether the menu name, description, photo, and price display convey the same brand impression.
Validate ordering responses. Record selected items, price inquiries, sellouts, and kitchen workload before and after the change. The referenced book suggests observing customer responses and order rates for two weeks before making adjustments. However, the appropriate evaluation period should be determined separately based on each restaurant’s circumstances.
Exceptions and Cautions
If a premium-priced item is disconnected from the actual menu structure, customers may perceive it as an exaggerated tactic.
False scarcity, such as describing the same everyday item as a limited edition, can undermine trust.
Changing the first item does not automatically improve food quality, service, wait times, or demand within the restaurant’s trade area.
If featured items and pricing standards differ between online and offline channels, brand perception may become fragmented.
Practical Review Questions
Identify what customers see first on the initial screen. Check whether that item represents the restaurant and whether there is a clear basis for explaining the price difference. Also confirm that the restaurant can fulfill orders for the item under actual operating conditions. Then record ordering choices and customer responses to decide whether to retain or revise the placement. Menu layout is a tool that can support customer choice; it is not a formula that guarantees customer response or sales.