Catering Menu for Sarpino's Pizzeria

It's hard to know where to start on this one. I have lots of questions and a few suggestions.

First the questions.

• Are these photographs ones which you have commissioned for this job particularly? Is it possible to reshoot? Do you have any other image options?

• Where does the Gourmet experience guaranteed logo originate from? By which I mean is it a recognized logo which appears in other literature or is it something which has been specifically created for this job?

THE BIGGEST SELLING POINT AND BIGGEST FOCUS YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH IS MAKING THE FOOD LOOK BEAUTIFUL - LET IT SELL FOR YOU. SORT OUT THE FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND PULL IT INTO 2010

The biggest pull and selling point you have is the food and it isn't looking appetizing. It certainly doesn't look as fresh as you are suggesting in the copy. Putting some lettuces and peppers above a box which looks more like a fast food carton of reheated pre-prepared food isn't saying fresh to me.

Also the colours whilst tying in with the logo are over saturated and really don't look fresh or tasty. Food photography is highly specialized and very technical. My first job was for Good Housekeeping Magazine and I attended a fair few food shoots. There were usually a number of cooks on the shoot who prepared all the food so it was ready seconds before it went under the lights. Photographic lights are cruel to food.

For reference for beautiful food photography I would suggest picking up a copy of Waitrose Food Illustrated or Waitrose Kitchen if you can get hold of them. As you're in the states obviously Martha Stewart of Living Magazine fame has beautiful food shoots inside.

It would be nicer to see the food served on plates with the packaging to one side maybe with the food nicely styled on a plate in the foreground with a little pile of your cartons with the branding on obviously used in the background shot with a narrow depth of field to throw the background slightly out of focus so the focus is on the food.

The styling of this food shoot feels very dated. Again reference things like Living Magazine for some better ideas of styling food photo shoots.

The better you can get your food photography and pictures the better your business should do. Do more to make it feel home made which can be done subliminally with the styling of the shoot.

Also particularly in the middle spread the food could be shot so it illustrates more clearly each thing you offer. Sandwich Trays, Pasta Trays etc. The food by the pasta tray looks like a tray of chicken and there is nothing to illustrate the wraps or the salads.

WELCOME IS THE LAST THING ON THE BACK PAGE?

Welcome surely should come first rather than at the end. If it's an end qualifying paragraph then a differently worded head would work better. If it's a welcome message then it needs to fit onto the first page.

TOO MANY FONTS

On the first page alone I can see 7 in different logos, subheads, lists etc. Simplifying font usage down to two with one extra for the logo should be plenty. Different sizes and weights can be employed to further emphasize and differentiate content as necessary.

For the rest of my review I have made notes on the image.

Overall though I'd like to see some different approaches - some with less copy on, some with different pictures, some with different layouts and then do consumer testing in focus groups and see which ones perform the best for you.

I hope this helps and isn't too off putting. It can be so hard to design things like this and also as I don't know the business closely, it's hard too. I can only go on what you've said are your goals for the business. If you have any more questions, please just ask.

You did a great job of getting right to what you have identified as the key benefits of your catering product: Real fast. Real fresh. Really good. Those seem to be some of the key things I would be seeking as a business buyer of meeting catering services. You might consider adding something about "Great value." as that tends to be a key rationalization for any business (or personal) purchase these days. "Free delivery and set up" is great and well-featured as a supporting message.

However, I completely agree with the previous reviewer, the design/execution of your menu does not live up to the promise. The food does not look real, fresh, and good. And the brand personality created by the design is a little old school, not "fresh".

From a marketing standpoint, that is the most important thing here: that the food looks GREAT and that you create some serious appetite appeal.

Here is an example of a restaurant that does bring this promise to life extremely well, Cafe Manna. I wish I could show their offline menu and their catering menu, but you can also see here on their website http://www.cafemanna.com/index.html that the communication IS "fresh and yummy", which is what they promise. The food looks incredibly fresh, appetizing, and special. Interestingly, their catering menu doesn't even USE food images, but the design of it is so fresh that their promise still comes through.

You did not ask us to review your website, but I just wanted to add that the color scheme there - with the yellow - does a better job of communicating freshness than does this menu, which looks more dated and old. It seems like you are conflicted between "freshness" and "authentic Italian." Pick one or the other as the primary focus and go all in. Personally, I think "freshness" is a better direction and differentiator here.

I hope it's OK for me to comment on things that are outside the scope of this review; your logo could use an update, too, if you are trying to get to "gourmet fresh".

The bottom line:

At the risk of sounding overly harsh, which is not at all my intention, overall my opinion is that this design makes your food look and feel quite ordinary, rather than like the "Gourmet Experience" you promise.

I know that space is at a premium here and you have very little if any extra space for other suggestions for how to prove your promise. If most of your catering business comes from customers that are already quite familiar with your food, you could actually consider using a bit less photography and reduce the clutter/create some "air", though you still want some food images in there to create/reinforce appetite appeal.

If you could find a few square inches, I would suggest perhaps including a rating and comment or two from businesses that have used your catering and had a great experience. It doesn't have to be a lengthy review, it can just be a "five stars!" rating, from X prominent business customer, which creates and added reason to believe your promise. Keep it simple, as you've already got a lot going on here. I see you have a "customer feedback" form on your website. I suggest revising that to make sure you are collecting the open-ended positive comments specifically about catering services, and a summary rating (e.g. number of stars), as well as the name (at least first name) of the customer, to make it more humanized.

In addition to the visual design, the copy likewise feels very traditional, like nothing special. Consider giving it a little more "attitude"; nothing unprofessional, obviously, but just have some FUN with it. Lighten it up a little to be more engaging.

Finally, but of critical importance, the call to action in this menu feels relatively weak. (Forgive me if I just can't see it - it is difficult to make out every word of your copy in this small online format.) As your user/customer/prospect, it would be ideal if I had the phone number of my local Sarpino's franchise(s) prominently featured on the front of the menu. If I have to go to your website to find the local store contact information, I may very well decide to not deal with that and just grab a different menu from my drawer or binder. If you can't localize the printing down to the local store level, then I would suggest you go low tech and have the local stores write in the phone number and the name of the contact person. That, too, makes it more humanized and could be a nice touch. Or, leave a space where the local store manager can attach his or her business card.

actually i like it, but maybe you can use more color on subjects