Food marketing
A translated menu can still leave customers unable to order
By Prof. Alessandro Buffoli, PhD
An unfamiliar restaurant needs to explain how a meal works, not just what each ingredient is called.
Imagine opening a hotpot menu for the first time. You can read every word. You still do not know whether one broth is enough for two people, how many dishes to order, or what the bill will look like.
The translation has succeeded. The ordering experience has not.
That is the problem I would tackle before deciding that customers in a new market dislike the food. A customer who cannot assemble a meal may leave without ever reaching a judgment about the taste.
Menus written for experienced customers can leave a surprising amount unsaid. Regulars know which items are shared, which choices are optional and which combinations work. A newcomer has to infer all of that while someone waits for an order.
Give the first visit a sensible starting point
I would test one clearly described meal for two: what it contains, how much food to expect, its price, and which substitutions are available. Keep the wider menu. The starting point simply makes it possible to order without first mastering the category.
The same principle applies to an unfamiliar tea, bakery item or regional Italian dish. What will it taste like? Is it a snack or a meal? Is the displayed portion meant for one person? Those are buying questions, not trivial explanations beneath the brand.
Pictures need to answer them honestly. A photograph of several dishes can make a single-item price look like a set price. A beautifully cropped bowl may tell the diner very little about its size. I would check what people believe they are getting before admiring the photography.
There is a useful short test here. Give someone unfamiliar with the restaurant the menu and a budget. Ask them to place an order for two people, then explain what they expect to arrive. Observe where they hesitate. Do not explain the menu halfway through and count the assisted answer as success.
Measure the errors, not just the speed
A quicker order is helpful only if it is the right order. Track surprise about portions, unexpected additions to the bill, requests to change dishes and food left because the table ordered too much.
Staff should still be able to guide a customer. But the business should not depend on every member of staff delivering an excellent explanation during the busiest part of service.
I like menus that give a newcomer confidence without making a regular feel restricted. A good first-meal suggestion does exactly that. It explains how to enjoy the restaurant while leaving the food’s identity intact. Changing the recipe can wait until there is evidence that the recipe is the problem.
Prof. Alessandro Buffoli, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marketing at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.