Food truck owner told me my menu was too big and I should cut half the items

I run a small taco truck in Denver and a guy who owns three successful trucks came by last month. He saw my menu board with 18 different items and told me I was killing my own business. He said people get overwhelmed and take too long to order when there's too many choices. I argued with him at first but then I noticed my line was moving super slow during lunch rush. I cut my menu down to 8 items last week and kept the 3 most popular salsas. My ticket times dropped by almost 4 minutes and people seem way happier. Has anyone else had a veteran owner give them feedback that actually hurt to hear but helped in the end?

3 comments

3 Comments

val9491mo ago

That bit about people taking too long to order hit home for me. I ran a BBQ stand with about 15 meat options and figured more choices meant more sales. Once I slimmed it down to 5 main plates and 3 sides, my line moved way faster and I actually sold out of stuff instead of throwing leftovers away. Hard to swallow that advice but the numbers don't lie.

richard_anderson1mo ago

Right, so here's something I never see mentioned about cutting down options. You actually changed your customers' behavior without them even knowing it. When you had 15 meats, people were comparing flavors in their head, weighing pros and cons, trying to remember what they liked last time. That mental math takes energy. By cutting to 5, you basically did the hard part for them. They just pick from a short list and move on. It's like how grocery stores put the expensive stuff at eye level, you're steering their choices but making them feel like they decided. Smart move with the BBQ stand by the way.

rowanharris1mo ago

Nah, I actually think a BIG menu can show you know your stuff and draw in curious eaters.