Most people wouldn’t consider a restaurant menu a good read, sure it’s way more engaging than a by-the-numbers bus timetable, however it certainly can’t compare to the riveting twists and turns of a good old whodunit medical pamphlet. Still an amazing menu does have the opportunity to draw you in and take you on a magical journey through flavour country. While a bad menu can leave you apprehensive that you’re making the biggest mistake of your food life.
Here are 5 issues to look out for with menus
Old Plastic Menus with bubbling that look like they’ve been cooked in the microwave along with all the food. Nothing screams get out of there while you still have your alimentary flora, more than plastic sleeved or laminated menus that have lost their luster. These bubbles of plastic not only make customers think that the menu has caught a disease, but also that maybe this is the menu malady that might finally cross the menu to human infection barrier.
Paper Menus that look like a Pro Hart canvas. Don’t get too excited though most likely it’s a forgery. Next time you sit down to dine and see the face of Jesus outlined in spaghetti sauce in the margins, it might not be the sign of Christ that you’re looking for, more the sign they need to replace their menus, In this instance the second coming will more likely be indigestion.
Placemat Menus that don’t get cleaned, can be perfect if you’re interested in trying out some of the food before you order it, though differentiating which is which can be difficult. If you would like to be a smart ass, and point out to staff that their menus are covered in food, simply ask them if they could pepper it for you, as you think the menu is a bit bland.
General Dining Tip: When receiving cracked pepper don’t ever say when, you will lose whatever psychological advantage you have.
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Sticky Menus are similar to the last but yet way more insidious. Menus that stick together and make patrons question what kind of restaurant they’ve gotten themselves into. All those claims that the clam chowder is better than sex might be more of a euphemism than metaphor, though whether that disappoints will depend on what you’re looking for from a dining experience.
Bad Menu Images can drag down even the most scrumptious of descriptions. Old pictures that look like they’re from the 80’s, can also make patrons draw unflattering thoughts as to whether they’re emblematic of the how old the ingredients are. While some things from the 80’s are cool and don’t age, lettuce and other garnishes aren’t among them.
At the end of the meal while the table service technician is removing the remains, just after you’ve placatingly said that the meal was great, even though you didn’t care for it at all. Which you say because you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, especially those who have an arsenal of knives at their disposal. But don’t hold back on your critique when it comes to the menu, let the managers know that it wasn’t acceptable, give them a serving for once.
If on the other hand you’re a culprit with an old shabby menu and are looking for some new delicious photos for it, your social media or your website check out these beauties our photographer did for Mundo Churrasco in Bardon.
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One final word: According to research by Airbnb, a professionally photographed listing get 2-3x more bookings than average listings. Just saying. If you’ve got a restaurant in Brisbane and want to get in touch with our food photographer use the contact form below.
