Latest / Restaurant Business with Fexingo: Food Service, Hospitality, and Independent Operators / Why Restaurant Menu Descriptions Affect Profit More Than Prices
Transcript
- Lucas: You know the phrase 'you eat with your eyes first'? I think the restaurant industry has been so focused on plating and photography that we've neglected the second-most-important sense for selling food: the mental image created by words. Luna: Meaning the menu description itself? I've definitely ordered something just because it said 'wood-fired' or 'hand-stretched'. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a great 2026 study from Cornell's Food & Brand Lab that quantifies this. They tested two versions of menus across 40 independent restaurants—same prices, same dishes, but one set used active verbs and the other used adjectives. The verb-driven menus increased order rates for high-margin items by 18 percent. Luna: Eighteen percent just from changing words? That's a bigger lift than most price discounts. Lucas: It is. And a lot cheaper too. The key finding was that verbs like 'seared,' 'drizzled,' 'roasted,' and 'smashed' outperformed adjectives like 'delicious,' 'fresh,' 'tangy,' and 'zesty.' The verbs evoke process and craftsmanship. The adjectives are just... noise. Luna: Out of curiosity—do these conversations ever change how you think about your own work? Because I know people listen to this show as part of their routine, and I think sometimes a small insight like this can actually pay for itself. Lucas: Absolutely. And you know, a lot of listeners have told me that the show has helped them tweak something in their own business or career. If that sounds like you, and you've gotten something out of it, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these episodes coming—buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small thing that makes a big difference for us. No ads, no sponsors—just listener support. And right back to the menu data, because I want to hear more about what those verbs actually do. Lucas: So the lab drilled down into specific categories. For appetizers, 'flash-fried calamari' beat 'crispy calamari' by 14 percent. For entrees, 'hand-chopped filet' beat 'premium filet' by 22 percent. And desserts—this is my favorite—'house-made chocolate ganache' beat 'rich chocolate ganache' by 19 percent. Luna: Wait—'premium' actually hurt orders? That seems counterintuitive. Premium sounds like a good thing. Lucas: It does, but the data says otherwise. The researchers think 'premium' triggers a sales-y, corporate vibe that undermines the authenticity diners are looking for. 'Hand-chopped' tells a story. It implies care and labor. 'Premium' just implies a price tag. Luna: So the lesson is: show, don't tell. Describe the process, not the quality. Lucas: Right. And that applies beyond the words. The study also looked at font and layout. For example, on an Italian menu, a serif font like Garamond paired with verb-driven descriptions increased trust ratings by 12 percent compared to the same descriptions in a sans-serif font. But when the description was adjective-heavy, the font made no difference. Luna: Interesting—so the font only matters if the language is already working. It amplifies the effect of good copy, but can't fix bad copy. Lucas: Exactly. The lab called it the 'consistency principle': if the visual design and the language both signal authenticity, the effect compounds. But if they clash—say, a rustic description like 'juniper-roasted pork' in a modern sans-serif font—diners actually reported confusion in follow-up surveys. Some thought the dish was pre-made or frozen. Luna: That's wild. A font can make you question the food's origins. Lucas: It can. And there's a real-world example I want to mention. A Denver bistro called The Kitchen tried to overhaul its menu last year. They went all-in on florid language—'deconstructed heirloom carrot tartare with smoked paprika aioli.' Sales dropped 8 percent in the first month. They reverted to simpler, verb-driven descriptions and recovered within two weeks. Lucas: The lab found that the sweet spot is about two to three verbs per item. Any more than that and the description starts to feel labored. And one more counterintuitive finding: mentioning the origin of ingredients—like 'Idaho russet potatoes' or 'Maine lobster'—only boosted orders if the origin was paired with a verb. 'Maine lobster, hand-shelled' outperformed 'fresh Maine lobster' by 11 percent. Luna: So the origin alone isn't enough. You need to combine it with an action. Lucas: Exactly. And this is where the profit math gets interesting. For an independent restaurant with an average check of, say, $45 and 200 covers a night, an 18 percent lift on high-margin items—which typically have 70 percent margins versus 50 percent for low-margin items—translates to about $40,000 a year in additional gross profit. Just from rewriting the menu. Luna: That's a real number. And it costs almost nothing to test. Lucas: Zero dollars. Just a few hours of copywriting. And the lab published a free checklist: use active verbs, limit to three per item, choose a font that matches the cuisine's cultural cues, and avoid adjectives that claim quality without evidence. Luna: I wonder if this applies to beverage menus too. I've seen 'hand-shaken cocktail' and 'small-batch bourbon'—those seem to fit the verb pattern. Lucas: It does, and the lab actually tested that in a follow-up. 'Hand-shaken' increased cocktail orders by 15 percent. 'Small-batch' alone didn't move the needle, but 'small-batch, barrel-aged' did. Again, the verb plus a process detail. Luna: So the takeaway for restaurant operators is: invest in your menu language the way you invest in your kitchen equipment. It's a direct profit lever. Lucas: And one more thing—the lab found that menus with verb-driven descriptions also increased the time diners spent reading the menu by about 30 seconds. That extra engagement translated into higher check averages because people were more likely to add a starter or dessert. The language didn't just sell the dish; it sold the meal. Luna: So the right words slow people down in a good way. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a great note to end on—next time you're handed a menu, pay attention to the verbs. They're probably doing more work than you think.