ELMHURST, Ill. -- Franny's Food Express -- a new meals store format launched by convenience-store chain White Hen Pantry here -- features a menu that tells it all and yet is easy to read.
The menu is broken down into four day parts, headlined "morning," "midday," "evening" and "anytime." Each part occupies one panel of the fold-out menu.
The morning part lists such items as breakfast panini and breakfast calzones for $2.49 and fresh fruit cuts for $2.99 a half-pound.
The midday section lists lunch-type fare such as garden vegetable focaccia: a quarter, $3.59; half, $6.29; and whole, $11.99. A large-type statement at the bottom of that panel invites customers to "Ask about our kid-size portions!"
Entrees such as roasted turkey breast and homestyle meat loaf are priced by the portion at $2.89 on the evening part. A list of side dishes is all priced the same: $1.49 for regular size and $3.49 for large. In that same section, under the headline of "Franny's Family Fare," meals for four, six and eight are listed with their respective prices and a listing of what comes with the meal.
The "anytime" menu part includes such items as tossed-to-order salads, gourmet deli salads and "hot 'n hearty soups & chili." In a strategy that helps create an easy read, each part of the menu starts off with a blurb that tells customers what kind of information follows. For example, at the top of the midday part there is this: "Choose from a tempting variety of unique gourmet sandwiches. Or try a freshly prepared garden salad. Hot homemade soups, tasty side dishes and delectable desserts round out your midday meal."
Another panel of the menu lists items that don't fall into the hot meals category. They include special coffee drinks, whole-bean coffee, deli meats and cheeses,and produce.
