Guide
Writing a menu for a phone.
Online, the description is doing the job a member of staff would do. It has to answer the question, not decorate the dish.
In short
A good online menu description names the main components, indicates heat or richness, and answers the question that would otherwise be asked at the counter. Keep it to one line where possible. Descriptive detail increases selection, but only when it tells somebody something they needed to know.
Updated 28 August 2026
The description replaces a conversation
At the counter somebody asks whether it is spicy, what comes with it, or how big it is. Online nobody can ask, so the description has to answer. Every description that fails to do that produces either a customer who does not order or one who orders and is surprised.
What to include, in order
Main components first, then anything that affects the decision. Heat level, whether it comes with a side, portion indication for anything unusual, and dietary flags. Provenance and adjectives come last and only if there is room.
- What is actually in it
- Heat, richness or texture where relevant
- What comes with it, or what does not
- Dietary and allergen flags
Cut the adjectives that say nothing
Delicious, mouth-watering, tasty and famous tell the reader nothing and take up the space where the useful information should be. If a word could be applied to every dish on the menu, remove it. The exception is words that genuinely describe: crispy, slow-cooked, charred are doing work.
One line, because nobody scrolls a menu twice
On a phone, long descriptions push the next item off screen and slow the whole decision. One line, occasionally two for something unusual. If a dish genuinely needs a paragraph to explain, that is usually a sign the dish name is wrong.
The honest limitation
Better descriptions increase selection of the items you describe well, which mostly moves share around the menu rather than increasing the total order. That is still valuable if you describe your high-margin items well, but it is not the same as growing demand.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Should every item have a description?
Anything ambiguous, yes. A margherita pizza does not need explaining. A house special does.
Do I have to list allergens?
You have legal obligations around allergen information in Ireland and the UK. How you present it can vary, but the information has to be available and accurate.
Does naming suppliers help?
In rooms where provenance is part of the offer, yes. In a takeaway it usually takes space from information the customer actually needs.
Should I mark spicy dishes?
Yes, with a consistent scale. It is the single most common question at the counter and the most common reason for a complaint when it goes unanswered.
See it run your restaurant.
Twenty minutes on your menu and your numbers. We'll show you what actually changes in the first month and exactly what it costs. If it's not right for your restaurant, we'll tell you that instead.
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