During a period of management change within Restaurant EightyEight, the team began focusing on increasing the average spend per head (SPH) across service. Several suggestions were considered, including encouraging servers to upsell more cocktails and introducing a surcharge for the addition of Kagoshima Wagyu to the tasting menu.
Rather than relying on overt upselling, which can feel transactional, I identified an opportunity to improve SPH through a small but strategic change to the structure and presentation of the menu.
Previously, the restaurant menu was divided into two distinct sections. Guests were initially presented with the tasting menu, while snacks and aperitifs appeared on separate pages within the à la carte menu. This unintentionally separated these items from guests who had already decided to take the tasting menu — meaning many diners never saw the additional food and beverage options available at the beginning of the experience.
By restructuring the menu so that snacks and aperitifs appeared first — regardless of whether guests ultimately chose the tasting menu or the à la carte menu — these items were repositioned as the natural starting point to the meal rather than an optional addition.
At EightyEight, snacks are priced between £10–£17 and aperitifs typically range from £20–£24. This simple repositioning frequently resulted in an additional £30–£40 added to the spend per table, often with minimal additional workload for the service team.
To further reinforce this approach, the way the menu was introduced to guests was also adjusted slightly. Originally, the host began by explaining the tasting menu. Instead, the introduction was adapted to position snacks and aperitifs as the natural beginning of the dining experience, regardless of which menu guests ultimately selected.
Servers were then encouraged to frame their opening question in a way that subtly guided the decision:
“Will you begin with an aperitif, a snack, or perhaps both?”
or
“Have you decided with which snacks and aperitifs you would like to start with?”
This approach framed the items as part of the expected progression of the meal, making guests more inclined to consider them without feeling pressured.
Key Outcome The restaurant saw a consistent increase in early-course orders and a measurable uplift in spend per head. By repositioning snacks and aperitifs within the menu and subtly adjusting guest communication, additional revenue was generated without increasing workload for the service team — demonstrating how thoughtful menu design and service psychology can deliver meaningful commercial improvements.
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