When restaurant owners look to grow, the first instinct is often to add more dishes to the menu. A new dish gives your guests another option. A new moment gives new guests a reason to come.

A moment is an occasion or time of day your restaurant hasn’t owned yet, such as breakfast, an afternoon coffee break, a business lunch or a late-night menu. Each one opens your doors to people who weren’t visiting before, rather than giving your regulars one more thing to choose from.

Adding items can make a menu longer, more complex and harder to manage, without necessarily bringing in more guests. Adding a moment, on the other hand, can make better use of your space during quieter hours, reach a new audience and create new habits around your brand.

In this video, we explain the difference between adding an item and adding a moment, and why the strongest menu growth starts with when and why people visit, not just what they order. Before your next menu update, ask yourself which new moment it creates and who it’s for.