Page 32 - GBC Spring 2026 ENG

Kevin Morrison
Kevin has spent over 40 years shaking up the hospitality
scene, building standout brands like Tacos Tequila
Whiskey and Fish N Beer. Founder of Spicy Pickle Sub
Shop, he now leads Butter Hospitality, coaching the next
generation of independent restaurateurs. Contact Kevin at
kevin@butterhospitality.com or 303-990-7817.
Walk into any golf course club-
house restaurant, members’ lounge,
halfway house, or 19th hole patio
overlooking the course and one truth
is immediately clear: the menu is
quietly running the entire operation. It
drives revenue, influences labour,
shapes guest behaviour, and ultimately
determines whether a restaurant
thrives or merely treads water.
Yet despite its influence, the
menu remains one of the least
optimized tools in many food and
beverage operations. Owners spend
hours refining décor, staffing plans,
training programs, and vendor
relationships, but the one item every
guest interacts with often receives
only surface-level attention. Some
operators update their menu once a
year. Others rotate dishes reactively.
Too many still rely on instinct rather
than data.
This is where menu engineering
changes everything. Menu engin-
eering is the disciplined process of
analyzing each item’s profitability
and popularity, then using pricing,
placement, and design to influence
what guests order. It transforms a
static list of dishes into a strategic
sales tool—one that can improve
margins without cutting quality or
raising prices across the board. In an
environment shaped by rising food
costs, labour shortages, and tighter
margins, menu engineering has
become one of the most powerful
levers available to golf course
operators.
Menu
Engineering
The Profit Powerhouse Hiding in Plain Sight
32
32Golf Business Canada
Golf Business Canada