8 menu design secrets to boost sales: The psychology behind orders
Or why you just ordered a gold leaf burger
Chew on this: Most diners will spend less than 120 seconds studying a restaurant menu. According to a study by the Foodservice Research Institute, 80% of diners make a decision within two minutes, although high-end restaurant menus get slightly longer.
In fast food restaurants, time spent scanning the menu board comes down to 10-20 seconds. A flash in the pan, perhaps, but most customers know what they’re ordering before they enter.
If you’ve put hours into crafting your menu, it might seem as if your efforts are largely wasted. However, there’s a huge opportunity to be seized if you can apply the following proven psychological nudges in the time you do have.
1. The pain - and perceived value - of pricing
A $1.50 Costco hot dog will always be a bargain, but can you make a $50 Salt Bae burger look like a great deal? These subtle pricing strategies can shape perception.
Omit currency symbols – Removing $ or € from prices takes care of the elephant in the room, i.e. this gold leaf burger is going to cost you.
Charm pricing – Use $19.99 instead of $20 for items that should seem like a deal; use $19.95 when pricing a premium dish.
Decoy pricing – Place an expensive item at the top to make mid-tier options feel like better deals. This is a common trick on wine lists.
Anchor pricing – Start with a high-priced item to set a reference point, making other choices appear more affordable.
💡 Example: A steakhouse may feature a $75 Signature Tomahawk Ribeye first, making a $40 Sirloin feel like a steal by comparison.
2. Choice architecture: Guiding decisions
Content counts, but structure closes the deal. Too many choices lead to decision fatigue.
The Golden Triangle – Eyes naturally focus on the top-right corner, center, and top-left first. Place high-margin items here.
Highlight specials – Use boxes, icons, or different fonts to draw attention to profitable dishes.
Limit choices – Avoid overwhelming customers; keep 7-10 items per category for optimal decision-making.
💡 Example: Fast food chains limit menu options to six to ten key items to speed up decision-making and increase sales.
3. Descriptive language: Let a writer loose
Words can make food more appealing, increasing both orders and perceived value. Hiring a professional copywriter once can generate revenue from every visitor.
Evocative descriptions – “Juicy, grass-fed steak” sounds more enticing than just “Steak.”
Cultural references – “Tuscan-style pasta” creates authenticity.
Nostalgia triggers – “Grandma’s Apple Pie” evokes emotional connections and boosts sales.
4. Use colors and visual cues
Colors influence appetite and perception. So if you want to promote your salad bar, choose green. It’s not….rocket science (a pun that only my UK readers will appreciate).
Red & orange stimulate appetite and create urgency.
Green suggests freshness and healthiness (great for salads and organic items).
Blue is not common in food settings as it suppresses appetite.
Contrast – High contrast between text and background enhances readability and draws focus.
💡 Example: Fast food brands like McDonald's and KFC use red and yellow to encourage impulse ordering. In case you hadn’t noticed.
5. Increase order value
Use strategic positioning and visual techniques to drive sales of high-margin items.
Signature dishes – Mark with icons such as “Chef’s Recommendation.”
Bundling – Offer combo meals to increase average order value.
Anchor items – Place high-margin dishes near popular but lower-margin ones to encourage upselling.
💡 Example: Starbucks’ “Venti” pricing makes the Grande seem like a better value, even though the profit margin is higher on the larger size.
6. Placement and layout: Improve readability & sales
How items are positioned affects what people order. Use layout techniques to your advantage.
Primacy & recency effects – Items at the top and bottom of a list are more likely to be remembered and chosen. Fun fact: it works the same for job interviews. Those who go last have a much higher chance of being hired.
Two-column layout – Avoid menus with too many columns; one or two columns are easier to read.
White space – Prevents clutter and directs attention to key dishes.
7. Fonts and typography influence perception
The way text is styled affects readability and the way customers perceive value.
Readable fonts – Use simple, clean fonts over decorative ones. This isn’t the time to bust out Papyrus.
Bold & italics – Highlight key items subtly to attract attention without resorting to clutter.
Font size strategy – Use larger fonts to emphasize premium items.
Italics create urgency – the forward slant literally suggests speed and momentum.
💡 Example: Italicizing “Limited Availability” on a dish creates a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) effect, driving sales.
8. Menu engineering & analytics: Measure to get the right mix
Analyzing customer behavior helps refine menu offerings and increase revenue.
Track popularity vs. profitability – Identify “stars” (popular and profitable) and “plow horses” (popular but less profitable).
Seasonal menus – Rotate offerings to keep customers coming back, but if you’re famous for your Prime Rib, leave that one alone.
Social proof – Mark bestselling items as “Most Popular” to reassure diners.
Loss aversion – Use “Limited Time Only” or “Chef’s Exclusive” to encourage quick decisions.
💡 Example: Removing less profitable dishes and highlighting high-margin items increases revenue without increasing prices.
Go to any established restaurant - so not one of the 30% who close within a year on average - and you’ll see all the above in action. Fast food franchises too. Once you see it, you can’t stop seeing it.
But I’m always amazed at how many new restaurants and bistros launch without a hard-working menu. It’s a blind spot for many restaurateurs who forget that their customers first ‘taste’ each dish on the menu.
News from the island
I once interviewed a Swiss couple who were travelling around the world overland by Land Rover. They were gradually working their way up the Caribbean island chain by cargo boat (not an easy task) and had parked up on the beach for another night under the stars.
They didn’t have many more countries to go, which must have been a relief because they showed me the daily ritual for unpacking their cooking and sleeping kit and it seemed like advanced Tetris. A single spoon in the wrong place was enough to block an ice cooler a few moves later.
Anyway, the most poignant and surprising moment of our discussion was when they revealed that of all the countries on earth they had driven through, St Maarten was the worst for traffic. Our 37-square mile island was the record breaker.
They were definitely onto something. Driving in St Maarten is a daily nightmare, but not because of Bangkok-style congestion or LA-levels of traffic. With a choice of one single-lane, potholed road to follow for most journeys, it only takes an accident (common) or broken down truck (mandatory) to bring the whole system to a halt. For hours.
Right now it’s peak cruise season and on most days of the week, several cruise lines dump 20,000 passengers on an island with a total population of around 50,000.
And what excursions are they selling on the ships? Quad bike convoys and tours by open top bus. Presumably these are not advertised as the ‘Journey to the heart of the world’s worst traffic experience’ so I salute the copywriter who paints a picture of island driving as it could have been.