Recently it seems that restaurants everywhere are downsizing their menus.
So far, three of the restaurants we have been to this year have had noticeably smaller menus, when compared to our previous visit. Usually presented as a menu “refresh”, with the hint of new things, the fact is that some of our favorites are no longer available.
On average, we go out to eat once a week, or perhaps twice. Usually on friday or saturday. That is to say, we have not yet been to a particularly large set of restaurants this year, so three of them makes a significant percentage. At all three places, the folding menus were replaced by single sheets.
We were able to come up with a few theories as to why this might be the case, although we are not by any means experts in this area.
- To disguise raising prices on the remaining options.
- Cost savings through removing lower margin items.
- Reduce kitchen staff by cutting categories of prepared ingredients.
- Increase efficiency by requiring fewer items to be made-to-order, fewer options means they can be anticipated more predictably.
I’m not sure if this trend qualifies as shrinkflation, or if that is just a related concept, but I feel it is an equally worrying trend. Have we just gotten unlucky with our visits this year? Is this an industry wide trend beginning? We recall seeing this same situation during the covid years, but even then to a lesser extent.
There is nothing to do but wait to see what happens, but, I can now imagine us expecting this each week when we choose a new place to visit.