Eating out: what does this menu want me to do?

This story might be a bit difficult to stomach, but after you read this column, it’s safe to say that you’ll never look at a menu the same way again.  Here’s why.

It’s called “menu engineering” (also known as menu psychology) and it describes the fine art of preparing menus to maximize profit.  The term took center stage when the economy nose-dived some seven years ago, and while not every restaurant entrepreneur plays the game, most restauranteurs realize that constructing a menu is far more than slapping a few recipes on a page. 

Here are five tricks of the trade, drawn from a range of literature on the subject:

1.       Beware, the dollar sign. Explained Sarah Kershaw, writing for The New York Times: “In the world of menu engineering and pricing, a dollar sign is pretty much the worst thing you can put on a menu, particularly at a high-end restaurant. Not only will it scream ‘Hello, you are about to spend money!’ into a diner’s tender psyche, but it can feel aggressive and look tacky. So can price formats that end in the numeral 9, as in $9.99, which tend to signify value but not quality, menu consultants and researchers say.”

2.       Aunts and Uncles are in.  The menu now says “Mac & Cheese,” but if we change it simply to “Mom’s Mac & Cheese,” sales will go up, according to Marylys Marris, writing for CBS News.  Explained Oxford experimental psychologist Charles Spence, as quoted by Amy Fleming at guardian.co.uk: “Give [the dish] an ethnic label, such as an Italian name, and people will rate the food as more authentic.” And Kershaw, writing for The Times, said customers “are much more likely to buy, say, Grandma’s zucchini cookies, burgers freshly ground at Uncle Sol’s butcher shop this morning and Aunt Phyllis’s famous wedge salad,” according to researchers.  

3.       Music and lavender. Research shows that classical music sells more expensive wine, pop music increases soft drink sales and both slow music and the scent of lavender lead people to hang out longer, according to Fleming’s piece at guardian.co.uk. 

4.       Location, location, location. When you open a menu, where do you look first?  Research identifies the middle of the right page as “prime menu real estate,” according to Marris, writing for CBS News.  Marris quotes her younger son Erza, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, who explained: "Most people who go to a restaurant are going to order an entree anyway. . . . [so the middle of the right page is] where I'd put desserts." Fleming quotes Professor and author Brian Wansink (“Slim by Design”) who said that people “generally scan the menu in a z-shaped fashion, starting at the top-left hand corner.” So it’s important to direct diners to the items you want them to see.  Accordingly, researchers find that sales increase if you place a box around an item, or include a photo of the dish (no surprise). 

5.       Too little choice?  Too much choice?  Researchers out of Bournemouth University have identified the optimum number of choices that customers prefer, and Professor John Edwards says the findings seem to hold across all ages and both genders. In her piece for guardian.co.uk, Fleming summarizes Edwards’ findings: “In fast-food joints, people wanted six items per category (starters, chicken dishes, fish, vegetarian and pasta dishes, grills and classic meat dishes, steaks and burgers, desserts), while in fine dining establishments, they preferred seven starters and desserts, and 10 main courses.” Apparently, having too many items overwhelms the customer, while having too few leaves them wanting.   

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