The Da Vinci code of restaurant menus

By: Ipacs Tamás Date: 2022. 10. 25. 08:34

What makes a guest choose a certain dish in a restaurant? Is it the name that sounds good? May be the described preparation method makes them choose it? The menu plays a crucial role in the decision.

Good wording of descriptive name of a dish may increase its sales by a quarter

Today a restaurant menu isn’t a simple price list, but a sophisticated marketing tool, many elements of which can have an impact on guests. As they only spend a few minutes reading it, the goal is to make them find what they like quickly, so that they order it and have more time for finding out what else to eat.

The language describing the courses should communicate value. Research has proved that good wording can increase sales by up to 25%. Researchers at Stanford University have come to the conclusion that expressions such as “dynamite chilli” or “sizzling beans” generate 30% bigger excitement than ingredients given without attributes. If a menu simply says New York Steak costs 43 dollars, the dish might seem too expensive, but if it comes with a paragraph on its “story”, the price-value ratio looks better. //