As the cuisines and cooking techniques offered by UK restaurants becomes increasingly diverse, so does the language on their menus. Confronted by words like lardo, confit and za’atar, it’s no wonder that 51% of British diners have had to ask their server to explain an item.
Our research showed that 79% of us feel that restaurant menus can be overly confusing, so if you’ve ever had to Google something at the dinner table, you’re not alone! The younger generation are less likely to ask for help, with 40% of 18-24 year olds admitting they have felt too embarrassed to ask what something means.
Fred Sirieix, General Manager at Galvin at Windows and First Dates star, comments, “As a professional, I am there to look after guests, make them feel special and provide delicious food smoothly and effortlessly. OpenTable’s research shows that people in the UK can get frustrated with over complicated food terms. Restaurants need to be more conscious of the way their menus are written as the recent research shows people like them to be clear, concise and without confusing jargon.”
To give you a helping hand the next time you dine out, we have created a menu jargon buster which deconstructs some of the trickiest foodie terms. They’re listed alphabetically so you can quickly search for a word and avoid any surprises when your dish arrives.
If you spot any confusing menu terms we’ve missed, please share them with us in the comments below or tweet them to @OpenTableUK using the hashtag #MenuJargonBuster.
