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What it is: Figuring out how much to charge for food at a restaurant. Ever wonder who decided that a frappuccino costs so much more than a coffee? Menu engineers did. They look at how much a menu item costs to make and how popular it is to determine the prices that will result in maximum profits for the restaurants. Specifically, they try to find prices that will encourage the purchase of highly profitable items while discouraging the purchase of less profitable items. They also physically design the menu in a way that gets people to pay more attention to higher priced items. Become a menu engineer and you can be the person everyone blames after realizing they spent $3.00 for a tiny cup of ice cream (but hey, you convinced us we should).

How you get there: Study hospitality, marketing, economics, or psychology. Pay attention to prices when you go out to eat to give yourself a common sense education in the field. Then look for internships in restaurant management or hospitality consulting. Most menu engineers work for hospitality consulting companies, but if you’re really good, you can start you own business after you’ve developed contacts in the industry.

Featured Author: Her Campus
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