Why Your Restaurant Menu Font Affects What You Order

In Episode 55 of Restaurant Business with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the surprisingly powerful role of menu typography and design in influencing customer choices and boosting restaurant profits. They explore a 2024 Cornell study that found items listed in a serif font with no dollar signs increased average spend by 8.6 percent. Lucas explains how chains like Shake Shack and upscale spots use font weight, placement, and boxed layouts to steer diners toward high-margin items. Luna counters with the risk of over-designing — citing a New York bistro that saw a 12 percent drop in repeat customers after switching to a minimalist, hard-to-read menu. They debate whether small independent operators should invest in professional menu engineering or can get away with smart tweaks in Canva. The hosts also touch on the ethics of 'nudging' guests without them knowing. A practical, data-backed episode for any restaurateur looking to squeeze more revenue from a simple piece of paper. Plus: a brief mid-episode reflection on keeping the podcast ad-free and listener-supported. #RestaurantMenuDesign #MenuTypography #MenuEngineering #RestaurantProfitability #CornellStudy #ShakeShack #UpscaleDining #RestaurantIndustry #ConsumerBehavior #RestaurantMarketing #RestaurantBusiness #Hospitality #IndependentRestaurant #MenuPsychology #RestaurantStrategy #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo