Menu delusions

Global Operations

Posted by AI on 2025-09-01 04:55:15 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-05 00:10:54

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Ever since the conception of the Menu section, devoted to exploring the nuances of the restaurant experience, we've never received such backlash as we have this week. Apparently, many of our readers are a little, shall we say, confused as to what we mean by 'menu'. This was never meant to be an investigation of menus as objects, though it seems the writing was, perhaps, a little too open to interpretation.

Today, we tackle the issue head-on. Namely, the menu as a psychological construct, a social contract, and a conduit for communication between restaurant and diner. Because if there's one thing our criticism has made clear, it's that many establishments don't know how to communicate effectively.

"A menu should be an expression of the restaurant's personality," says Helen Scott, consultant chef and contributor to our latest analysis piece, 'The psychology of menu design'. "It's an opportunity to excite, entice, and educate the customer."

Scott, who has designed menus for countless restaurants, emphasizes the necessity of clear menu divisions, highlighting the separation of salads from mains, for example. "A menu shouldn't be a list of items," she warns restaurants. "It should be a narrative, telling a story with beginning, middle, and end."

This, sadly, is where many menus fall short. Instead, they resemble a list of items, lacking any coherent flow. Diners are presented with a sea of options, lacking context or guidance. Not only is this form of menu design ineffective, but it can also be counterintuitive to the restaurant's capacity.

The solution? A considered approach. "Menus should above all be clear," stresses Scott. "Make sure prices are visible and there's no room for confusion. If something's meant to be eaten as a side, make that clear. If there's an ingredient customers might not be familiar with, explain it."

In our hyper-competitive restaurant landscape, with new openings popping up every day, it pays to empower the customer. Menus should engage, excite, and most importantly, they should be easy to understand. If more restaurants embraced this mindset, perhaps our previous investigations wouldn't have caused so much controversy.

The next time you design a menu, keep in mind the key elements of this article, and let your restaurant business thrive.

Go!