The Psychology of a Good Menu

A menu is like a silent salesperson, one that influences choices, guides the eye, and nudges guests toward certain items without them ever realizing it.
Great restaurants understand that menu psychology should be designed with intention.

When done right, it can increase revenue by 10–15% without changing a single ingredient.

Here is the science behind why some dishes sell better than others.

Guests Don’t Read. They Scan the “Golden Triangle”

When a guest opens a menu, they don’t read it top to bottom.
Decades of eye-tracking research show that diners follow a predictable pattern called the Golden Triangle:

• Top right → first place the eye lands
• Top left → second
• Center → third
   

These three zones are prime real estate.
That’s why high-margin dishes are strategically placed in these positions. The guest feels like they made a free choice… but planning put the selection right under their eyes.
 

Shorter Menus Convert Better

Long menus overwhelm the brain.
Too many choices = decision fatigue, which leads to either:

• choosing the cheapest item,
• defaulting to something familiar,
• or feeling less satisfied after ordering.

Research shows the ideal menu length is:

• 7 items per category (casual dining)
• 5 items per category (premium dining)

Fewer choices feel more curated — and curated feels premium.
A focused menu gives confidence: “Everything here is good.”

The Price Anchoring Trick (a.k.a. the Decoy Effect)

Here’s a simple pricing example that works every time:

Wine A – €18
Wine B – €28
Wine C – €46

Most people pick the middle wine.
It feels “safe”. Not cheap, not extravagant.

Now add a decoy wine:

Wine D – €98

Suddenly, Wine C no longer looks expensive — it looks reasonable.
Wine B becomes even more popular.
Revenue rises.

The guest feels smart.
The restaurant earns more.
Everyone wins.
 

Why Descriptive Words Sell More

Which one sells better?

Option A:
 Grilled Salmon – €22

or

Option B:
 North Atlantic Salmon, grilled over oak, served with lemon butter – €22

Option B wins every time.

Descriptive details:

• activate sensory imagination (“oak-grilled”)
• imply quality (“North Atlantic”)
• justify price (“lemon butter”)
• make the dish feel crafted rather than produced

This is psychology at its most delicious.

Photos & Icons: Extremely Powerful (in the Right Context)

Fine dining avoids photos.
Casual and family restaurants? Photos can increase sales of a dish by up to 30%.

But it must be done strategically:

• One tasteful photo per page
• Clear category icons (spicy ????️, vegetarian ????, chef’s special ⭐)
• Avoid clutter — unless the brand aesthetic allows it
   

Visual cues reduce hesitation, especially for international guests or unfamiliar cuisines.

Menu Engineering Can Increase Revenue by 10–15%

Menu engineering analyzes:

• food cost
• profitability
• popularity
• contribution margin
   

Then reorganizes the menu so that:

• profitable high-sellers are highlighted
• low-margin dishes are deprioritized
• “stars” are placed in the Golden Triangle
• pricing is structured to maximize perception of value
   

Restaurants that apply menu engineering typically see a 10–15% revenue increase within weeks — without raising prices or changing recipes.

That’s the quiet power of design + psychology.

A good menu blends psychology, aesthetics, pricing strategy, and guest experience into a single, elegant tool that guides choice naturally.
 

The best menus:

• feel effortless
• look refined
• communicate the brand
• and subtly guide guests toward dishes the restaurant is proud of