Menus — So Much More Than Just Food

Ever sit down, look at a restaurant menu, and think: Damn, they’re trying to do everything.

As a chef, I see this all the time. But here’s the truth: more isn’t better, it’s just more.

• Prep load explodes

• Cross contamination risk rises

• Line cooks and pantry staff get slammed

• Guests can’t tell what the story is

• Waste skyrockets, and you end up with $200 of dried nectarines in dry storage. Money sitting on the shelf, not making the owner money, but tying up cash that could be used elsewhere

I recently looked at a menu with pork, lobster, duck, grouper, shrimp, a zillion sauces, and overlapping flavor profiles but no connective tissue.

The result? A stressed-out kitchen and a confused guest.

If you’re not looking at how you cross utilize proteins, sauces, and components, you’re heading for waste and confusion.

If you have a burger on the menu, why do you need four different types? Unless you’re a burger only joint, WHY?

If your menu needs ad space just to fit, are you in the restaurant business or selling ad space?

There’s an old saying: KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. That’s not mean, that’s laser focused.

Let me show you why.

This menu I saw:

20 appetizers

6 flatbreads

5 salads

1 soup

6 sandwiches

5 burgers (one with eight touches, we’ll get to that)

12 entrees

2 pastas (why even have pastas then?)

7 sides (four frozen, two static veggies that never rotate)

That’s 74 items. I’m exhausted just thinking about the daily prep.

Food cost? Probably 45 to 50 percent.

You might think, isn’t that good?

Not if your fixed costs are 60 percent. Rent, CAM, you can’t change those. But you can change food cost and labor.

Here’s the trap.

The owner fires the chef, hires a new one, hoping they’ll fix it.

The new chef inherits the same mess; bloated inventory, no menu control, and has to blow through product.

Meanwhile, the owner beats up vendors for price cuts, looking for savings, without realizing the real problem: the menu.

The menu isn’t just a guest list, it’s the story of your restaurant.

If your place is called Dante’s, Lester’s, Gilbert’s, what’s your story? What’s your cuisine? How are you telling it to your guests?

The most consistent thing the restaurant industry does? Serve inconsistent food. Read that again!

When I was in culinary school, an instructor told us:

If you want consistency, go work at McDonald’s.

That’s not a dig, that’s a truth bomb.

Whether you’re in Texas, Florida, or France, you see the Golden Arches, you know exactly what you’re getting.

What if we took those 74 items and cut it in half?

37 items.

Now you can streamline ordering.

Streamline prep.

Streamline execution.

Get food out hot, right, and consistently.

Let’s go back to that burger with eight touches:

Bun, patty, LTO (lettuce, tomato, onion), cheese, sautéed mushrooms, wine reduction.

You get four of those at once, think they’re all coming out at temp?

Where’s the crunch? Where’s the acid?

What about pickled onions, a smart aioli, fresh herbs.

Simple, fast, flavorful.

Seasonal sides matter too.

If you list two veggies year-round, what happens when they’re out of season or get wiped out by weather?

Yes, we can import anything. But how does that taste?

What does it cost to your back door?

What’s the flavor loss and creativity loss when regulars get the same tired sides?

Guests: The Ones Who Pay the Bills

Here’s the kicker.

Don’t cater to them.

I know, you’re thinking, what is he talking about? They pay my bills!

Yes, but if you cater to everyone all the time, how big is that menu going to be?

I used to run special dinners once a month.

Inevitably, a guest would say, “OMG, you have to put this on the regular menu!”

No, I don’t.

It’s called a special for a reason.

It’s about FOMO, Fear of Missing Out.

Remember when you could only get Georgia peaches in season?

Now we get peaches year-round, and they taste like water.

I’ve heard owners say, “I can’t change the menu, we’ve done it this way for twenty years.”

Congrats on twenty years, but here’s the hard truth:

As your old clientele ages out, will the next generation come just because?

No.

They’re going to the new place, bold flavors, exciting menus, food that makes them want to be there.

If you don’t change, change changes you.

And while we’re at it:

If you have sesame seared tuna on your menu, WHY?

Are you stuck in the 90s?

Why not try:

Tandoori rubbed tuna, miso jicama slaw, crispy onions, green chutney.

Notice: balanced flavors. Texture contrast.

Simple, but exciting.

Final Word

Your menu is your voice.

It’s your story.

It’s your handshake with every guest.

You don’t have to do it all.

You just have to do you, with purpose, with clarity, and with the guts to evolve.

Because in the end, your menu isn’t just what’s on the plate.

It’s the promise you make to every single person who walks through your door.

Want a chef’s eye on your menu?

DM me or reach out. I’m here to help you cut the noise, sharpen your story, and build a menu that actually works.