The Effects of Restaurant Menu Item Descriptions on Perceptions of Quality, Price, and Purchase Intention

The restaurant menu sits at the core of a restaurant's strategy. A variety of suggestions have been made as to how restaurants should “manage” their menus: Some are derived empirically; others are driven intuitively without supporting evidence. This research note examines how menu description complexity can increase perceptions of item quality, expected price, and selection likelihood. It is recommended that restaurateurs would benefit significantly by carefully crafting menu descriptions that emphasize food preparation.