Restaurant Menu Tricks (2020)

AI, Recommendation Systems, and Profit Motives

• Commenters expect restaurant AI to mirror retail recommendation engines: repetitive, profit-driven, and not genuinely personalized.
• Consensus that AI will primarily steer diners toward higher-margin items, not maximize their enjoyment.
• Some explicitly liken this to how social media is “for our benefit” in name but actually optimizes engagement/profit.

Menu Psychology and Its Validity

• Skepticism that “menu engineering” is overhyped consulting psychology with dubious statistics.
• Others note the restaurant industry has tracked numbers for decades and claims at least some measurable impact.
• One simple, data-backed tactic: frequently remove or change the least-popular dish to increase overall demand.

Choice Architecture, Specials, and “No-Decision” Dining

• Multiple anecdotes of chefs and small places where the cook or server simply decides what you eat (yachts, diners, taco trucks, fixed lunch spots, Indian restaurants).
• Many diners welcome this: it reduces decision fatigue, feels like home cooking, and often yields reliably good meals.
• Staff recommendations can strongly shape what sells; servers effectively “choose” desserts for guests.
• Some treat “daily specials” and asking “what would you eat?” as a reliable strategy and quality signal.

Dietary Restrictions and Allergies

• Concern that “you’ll get what we serve” models clash with modern allergy/dietary patterns, especially in the US.
• Observations (not settled science) that severe food allergies seem more common in the US and younger generations; proposed but unproven causes include pesticides, food processing, or changing child-feeding habits.
• Reports from Japan: restaurants posting signs refusing guests with restrictions, largely targeting foreign tourists.

Salt, Taste, and the Dorito Effect

• Many complain about oversalted restaurant food; some say it’s a dealbreaker.
• Explanations offered:
  • Chefs adapt to customers accustomed to high-salt processed foods.
  • Taste perception varies widely; “supertasters” find normal seasoning excessive while others add more salt.
  • Some chefs’ palates may be dulled (e.g., from smoking).
• Linked idea: the “Dorito effect” of amped-up flavors driving higher seasoning expectations.

Pricing, “Market Price,” and Social Friction

• “Market price” (especially for lobster/crab) deters some diners who dislike asking costs, appearing price-sensitive, or refusing after hearing the number.
• Others explain M.P. as a practical response to highly volatile seafood costs and menu printing expenses.
• Some restaurants post daily prices on chalkboards; others rely on servers to provide M.P. on request, which can still feel awkward.
• Debate over tech fixes (QR codes) vs. high-end norms that avoid phones at the table.

Menu Language, Burgers, and Luxury Signaling

• Discussion of $20–$30 gourmet burgers versus simple $8 burgers; “elevated” burgers seen by some as a genuine niche, not pure scam.
• Trend in upscale menus toward minimal, ingredient-list style descriptions rather than adjective-heavy marketing prose.
• Observation that “fresh” rarely appears on fine-dining menus because freshness is assumed; calling it out can imply other items aren’t.
• Foie gras appears as a stereotypical luxury upsell; some object to its ethics and are surprised it remains fashionable, while others argue the animals are relatively well treated compared to industrial poultry.

Service Tactics and Wine/Menu Tricks

• Noted tactic: giving a table only one wine list nudges people to share bottles instead of ordering individual drinks.
• Some diners report modern servers responding to “what’s good?” with unhelpful scripts like “it’s all good,” possibly due to corporate training or fear of complaints.
• More effective approach described:
  • Narrow to a few items and ask for a preference.
  • Use playful questions (“if X and Y fought, which wins?”) to elicit honest recommendations.
• Several argue the best “menu engineering” is simply: only serve dishes you execute very well with consistently fresh ingredients.

Ethical Concerns About “Tricking” Diners

• Some readers dislike how the article frames psychological tactics—like anchoring with very expensive items—to increase spend as something clever or celebratory.
• They argue menu design could be optimized for satisfaction and happiness rather than revenue alone, and criticize the coverage for not challenging profit-maximizing framing more forcefully.