How to Write Menu Descriptions That Sell (Without Lying or Overwriting)

Look at most independent restaurant menus and you’ll find two kinds of descriptions. The first is none at all: “Pork Sandwich, 14.” The second is a paragraph of adjectives that could describe any dish in any restaurant: “a symphony of flavors, lovingly crafted.”

Neither sells. The first gives a guest nothing to want. The second gives them nothing to believe.

The good news is that menu writing is one of the few things in a restaurant with real research behind it, and the lessons are simple enough to apply on a slow afternoon.

The Study Worth Knowing: Words Change What People Choose

The cleanest evidence comes from Stanford University. In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2017, psychologists Bradley Turnwald and Alia Crum changed only the labels on vegetable dishes in a large university dining hall, every lunch for an academic quarter, while the food itself stayed exactly the same (Stanford News).

The same green beans were labeled four ways on different days: basic (“green beans”), healthy-restrictive (“light ‘n’ low-carb green beans and shallots”), healthy-positive (“healthy energy-boosting green beans and shallots”), and indulgent (“sweet sizzlin’ green beans and crispy shallots”).

The indulgent labels led to 25% more people choosing the vegetable than the basic labels, and 41% more than the healthy-restrictive ones. Diners also took more of it.

Two lessons generalize to any menu:

1. Words that describe taste and texture beat words that describe virtue. “Crispy,” “charred,” “slow-braised,” and “buttery” make people want food. “Light,” “low-fat,” and “guilt-free” make it sound like a sacrifice.
2. The same plate sells differently depending on the words beside it. Description isn’t decoration. It’s part of the product.

The Famous Number You Should Treat Carefully

If you’ve read anything about menu psychology, you’ve probably seen the claim that descriptive labels raise sales by 27%. It traces to early-2000s research by Brian Wansink, then a prominent Cornell food-behavior researcher.

Here’s the caveat most articles leave out. In 2018 a Cornell faculty committee found that Wansink had committed academic misconduct, including misreporting data and problematic statistical techniques; he resigned, and by then 13 of his papers had been retracted (The Cornell Daily Sun). Not every study of his was withdrawn, and the general idea that descriptions matter is well supported by other work. But a precise “27%” is not a number to build a plan on.

The honest summary: descriptions clearly influence choices; nobody can tell you exactly how much for your dishes. Test it on your own menu.

A Simple Formula That Works

Most good menu descriptions do three things in under twenty words:

1. Name what it is, plainly. “Fish tacos.”
2. Give one or two concrete details that create appetite: an ingredient, a technique, a texture. “Beer-battered cod, lime crema, pickled red cabbage.”
3. Remove one doubt. Spice level, portion, a dietary note. “Two per order. Corn tortillas, gluten-free.”

Put together: Beer-battered cod tacos with lime crema, pickled red cabbage, and cilantro on warm corn tortillas. Two per order, gluten-free. Every word earns its place, and a guest can picture it.

What to Avoid

• Empty superlatives. “Best,” “famous,” “amazing.” Guests skip them, and AI assistants can’t match them to anything.
• Inside jokes. “The Gary” means something to your staff and nothing to a first-timer.
• Words that promise what the plate won’t deliver. If it’s “hand-pulled,” it had better be. A description that doesn’t match the plate gets the dish sent back, and that’s the expensive kind of mistake.
• Walls of text. On a phone, two short lines beat five.
• Virtue language as the lead. Say “charred broccolini, lemon, chili crunch” and add “vegan” as a label, rather than leading with “healthy.”

Descriptions Do Double Duty Now

Concrete descriptions don’t just sell to the guest at the table. They’re also what search engines and AI assistants read when someone asks for “spicy vegetarian noodles near me.” “Hand-cut wheat noodles, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn, vegan” answers that question. “Grandma’s Special” doesn’t. We explain the mechanics in how AI assistants decide which restaurant to recommend.

The Real Obstacle Is Time

Almost every owner agrees descriptions matter. Almost none have time to write forty of them, which is why so many menus are just names and prices.

This is a job AI is genuinely good at, as a first draft. MenuOnGo includes smart descriptions on its Pro plan: for any dish that has no description, AI suggests one, short, appetizing, and in the tone you choose, and it can offer fresh versions of the ones you already have. Treat them like a draft from a good copywriter who’s never tasted your food: keep what sounds like you, fix what doesn’t, and correct anything that isn’t true to the plate. Nothing is published until you approve it, and everything you approve stays yours, even if you later move to the free plan. You can try it free for 30 days and fill the gaps on your menu in an afternoon.

Before and After

Before	After	What Changed
Pork Sandwich	Slow-roasted pork shoulder, salsa verde, crackling, ciabatta	Ingredients and texture create appetite
Healthy Green Salad	Little gem, shaved fennel, toasted almonds, lemon-anchovy dressing	Taste words replace virtue words
The Gary	Smash burger, two patties, American cheese, griddled onions	Plain name, no inside joke
Soup of the Day	Roasted tomato soup, basil oil, grilled sourdough (vegan)	Concrete detail plus a dietary label
Famous Wings	Crispy wings, gochujang glaze, sesame, scallion. Medium heat.	Removes a doubt about spice

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a menu description be? Usually 10 to 20 words: enough to name the dish, add one or two appetizing details, and remove one doubt such as spice level or a dietary note. On a phone, shorter reads better.

Do menu descriptions really increase sales? Research supports that they influence choices. A Stanford study in JAMA Internal Medicine found indulgent, taste-focused labels led 25% more people to choose the same vegetable dish than basic labels. Exact effects on your own sales vary, so test on your menu.

Is the “descriptive labels increase sales 27%” statistic reliable? Treat it with caution. It comes from research by Brian Wansink, a former Cornell researcher found by the university to have committed academic misconduct, with numerous papers retracted. The general idea is supported elsewhere; the precise number isn’t dependable.

Should I use words like “healthy” on my menu? Leading with taste usually works better. Stanford’s research found healthy-restrictive labels were the least effective. Describe flavor and texture, then use dietary labels like “vegan” or “gluten-free” for guests who need them.

Can I use AI to write menu descriptions? Yes, as a first draft. Review every description for accuracy and tone, and never publish one that promises something the dish doesn’t deliver.

---

Sources: Stanford University (Turnwald, Boles & Crum, JAMA Internal Medicine, 2017), The Cornell Daily Sun. Images: Pexels (free to use). Data current as of October 2026.