À la carte

À la carte (pronounced ah-luh-KART) is a French term that literally means “according to the card” or menu. In restaurant speak, it means ordering individual dishes separately instead of as part of a combo meal, thali, or fixed menu.

With à la carte dining, customers pick exactly what they want, one main dish, maybe an appetizer, perhaps a dessert, and each item is priced separately.

À la carte is different from:

• Set menus or prix fixe: Fixed price for multiple courses
• Thali or combo meals: Multiple items for one price
• Buffet: All-you-can-eat for a fixed price
• Tasting menu: Chef-selected sequence of small portions

À la carte menu pricing typically:

• Gives customers more choice and control
• Generally results in higher per-person spending
• Allows you to showcase signature dishes individually
• Makes it easier to calculate food costs for each menu item
• Let customers build meals based on their appetite and budge

Let’s say your à la carte menu lists:

• Butter Chicken: ₹350
• Dal Makhani: ₹220
• Garlic Naan: ₹60
• Jeera Rice: ₹130
• Gulab Jamun: ₹120

A table of two might order one Butter Chicken, one Dal Makhani, two Garlic Naans, one Jeera Rice, and one Gulab Jamun. Their total bill would be ₹940.
If you offered only set thalis at ₹400 per person, the same table would spend ₹800. The à la carte approach netted you an extra ₹140!

• Strategic pricing: Price high-margin items (like breads and rice) individually to maximize revenue.
• Suggest pairings: Train staff to recommend complementary dishes (“This curry goes wonderfully with our garlic naan”).
• Offer both options: Consider having both à la carte and set menus to accommodate different customer preferences.
• Create visual highlights: Draw attention to high-margin items with photos or special callouts on the menu.
• Monitor ordering patterns: Track which à la carte items customers frequently order together; these might work well as future combo offers

À la carte dining gives customers freedom while often leading to higher check averages. When done right, it’s a win-win for you and your diners!