Best 5 articles about restaurant menus

Restaurant menus are not just a piece of paper but the backbone of every great restaurant. Read these excellent articles to learn about the history and evolution of restaurant menus as well as how to create modern menus that sell.

1. A Brief History of Restaurant Menus

Mental Floss

Learn how restaurant menus evolved over time, from early inscriptions like the Assyrian Banquet Stele to the refined options of modern restaurants. Menus first appeared in China during the Song Dynasty, offering diverse choices. France later popularized menus in fine dining, standardizing their use in restaurants. The article also explains how menus reflect social changes, such as the introduction of kids' menus during Prohibition and the controversy over gendered pricing in the 20th century.

2. The Menu Trends That Define Dining Right Now

The New York Times

A great deep dive by The New York Times about how restaurant menus reflect cultural trends and evolving dining habits. Modern menus are more creative and personalized, moving beyond traditional formats. They often feature minimalist designs, bold colors, playful mascots, and handwritten touches to convey a sense of individuality. Trendy offerings and medium-length dish descriptions strike a balance between clarity and intrigue. Overall, today’s menus are not just functional but embody the personality and ethos of the restaurants they represent.

3. How to Create a Great Restaurant Menu

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts

This article by one of the most prestigious culinary schools on earth outlines best practices for designing restaurant menus, emphasizing the importance of clear organization, strategic pricing, and appealing visuals. It highlights tips such as using concise descriptions, and leveraging menu psychology (e.g., anchoring high-priced items or highlighting specials). It explains how the layout should guide customers' attention to profitable dishes while maintaining readability. It is a must read for anyone looking into creating professional menus that sell.

4. The secret tricks hidden inside restaurant menus

BBC

Delve into the psychology behind restaurant menus and how they influence diners' decisions through design, descriptions, and layout. Learn about menu engineering and how to guide customers towards specific choices and how visual cues can convey perceptions of quality. The article also explains how machine learning and eye-tracking will shape future menus by personalizing dining experiences and predicting orders based on past preferences.

5. Why do people go to restaurants? It’s not about the food

The Economist

Two London restaurateurs explain what really makes people dine out in a wonderful article by The Economist. Their restaurant, The Wolseley on Piccadilly is not just a restaurant but a theater of elegance and social connection, where every detail, from the black-and-gold Japanese lacquer to the perfectly choreographed service, evokes timeless sophistication. The owners, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, explain how the space embodies their vision of dining as a restorative and communal experience, blending nostalgia with vitality. With a menu offering high-end comfort dishes like schnitzels and strudels, The Wolseley prioritizes atmosphere and storytelling over Michelin stars, transporting diners to imagined worlds of glamour and history. Their approach reminds us that restaurants are not just about food but about connection, fantasy, and the enduring pleasure of shared experiences.