The Menu Economist
One menu move, every week.
Each issue takes a single behavioral-economics move and shows how the famous menus in our catalog run it, with the real grades and ticket numbers pulled straight from the breakdowns. The pattern, not the anecdote.
Issue No. 6 · July 12, 2026
Two ways to price a pizza
The same dish, split down the middle by a quiet disagreement about what a price is for. One camp treats it as bait. The other treats it as proof, and you can read the whole argument off the board.
Featuring: Domino's, Little Caesars, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Pizzeria Delfina, Del Popolo
Read issue No. 6→Issue No. 5 · July 7, 2026
The owner is on the menu: what private equity does to the board
The most consequential ingredient in American fast food never appears on a single menu. It is the cap table, and you can taste it in the architecture.
Featuring: Cinnabon, Arby's, Sonic Drive-In, Dave's Hot Chicken, Subway, In-N-Out Burger
Read issue No. 5→Issue No. 4 · June 28, 2026
The words are the flavor: how menu language sells the food and changes its taste
A good description does two jobs at once. It sells the dish on the page, and then it changes how the dish tastes in your mouth. The kitchen never moves.
Featuring: The Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Starbucks
Read issue No. 4→Issue No. 3 · June 28, 2026
The multiplier: why the price you trust is not the price you pay
The cheapest thing on the menu is doing a job. It earns your trust, and then everything you add on top of it feels like fair game.
Featuring: Domino's, Chili's Grill & Bar, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dunkin', McDonald's
Read issue No. 3→Issue No. 2 · June 28, 2026
The box trick: naming a bundle after its own price
When the deal's name is its price, there is nothing left to add up. The only question becomes which tier, and that one has already been answered for you.
Featuring: Taco Bell, Domino's, Dunkin', Chili's Grill & Bar, McDonald's
Read issue No. 2→Issue No. 1 · June 21, 2026
Drop the dollar sign: how the priciest menus hide the price
The best-evidenced move in menu design is also the cheapest, and the rooms with the most pricing power run it hardest.
Featuring: Nopa, Zuni Cafe, Pearl 6101, 4505 Burgers & BBQ
Read issue No. 1→Get the next issue
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