Menu misrepresentation by operators and a whopping lie
Dining with half a dozen old school mates at a popular restaurant, I encountered an annoying experience – one that I have observed occurs very often and yet stays overlooked, because many customers treat such behaviour as insignificant.
Let me explain. After the menus were handed out, Anthony, seated next to me on my right and who was the last to receive his menu, was asked by the waiter “Do you wish to know about anything on the menu?” When he replied “Not really”, the waiter walked away, before I could ask him about something on the menu – prompting me to recall him to the table with a not so loud, “Excuse me”. As a person who dines out frequently, it annoys me no end when this happens. For me, part of the dining experience comes with the menu.
What caught my eye on the menu and one which I found intriguing was the “coated with seasonal bread crumbs” description that was included against a food item. Now, where in the world is a bread crumb seasonal?
Over the years, I’ve noticed something interesting about the way menus are crafted, particularly the crafty ones which on closer inspection made me realise that they subconsciously by design lead one along a certain path! Certain restaurant menus employ artful descriptions and one can stomach that. Some exaggerate and that can leave a slightly bitter taste, but, it is those that tread the fantasy line that are the most repugnant.
For example, reading of “wild mushrooms” on the menu tempts one to ask the waiter which member of staff went into the forest to hunt for them. A sudden rush by several restaurants to carry this description on their menus makes one further wonder if it was “mushroom hunting” season. Take a wild guess; those mushrooms came from a farm or from the nearest supermarket. Absolutely right!
Now let’s talk about some other falsehoods. This happens mainly with chains hotels, but of late, independently operated restaurants have joined the caravan of deceit. Unfortunately a lot of gullible diners fall for the utter nonsense that is written on the menu.
Homemade: This certainly does hide a couple of lies. One, they never made the thing in the restaurant’s kitchen. Two, they purchased it from a wholesaler, sauce and all and merely warmed it up before serving it on the table. It’s the same as if I had guests over for dinner and served them a pre-bought supermarket burger, passing it off as homemade when all I did was take it out of the packet and heat it up…wouldn’t that be entirely dishonest?
Locally sourced food: supporting and giving preference to suppliers from the locality when sourcing vegetables, fruits and ingredients is incredibly noteworthy and stating that on the menu is fully justified. But when a lorry turns up to deliver fruits and vegetables grown hundreds of miles away, it busts open the lie.
A lawsuit brought against Burger King alleged that the company misrepresented the size of its Whopper sandwiches. The plaintiff claimed to have been duped by inaccurate promotional images of its actual size - where. Burger King’s advertisements made the Whopper sandwich look 35% larger and appear to contain 100% more beef. Burger King in its failed bid to have the lawsuit dismissed, argued that reasonable consumers know that food in advertisements is styled to appear more appetizing and larger than in reality.
What exactly does Burger King infer as ‘reasonable consumers’? Do they mean gullible ones? Thankfully, the denial of Burger King’s motion to dismiss means the suit can proceed.
Let’s see how it pans out.
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry
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