The past decade has seen restaurant operators expand menu offerings at a furious pace, eager to stay ahead of flavor fads and stave off aggressive competition. But all of this menu-rollout activity no doubt left the average consumer feeling confused and overwhelmed—and many restaurant-chain kitchens unable to successfully execute on such a dizzying array of choices.
In 2013, operators hit the wall—the average menu totaled a bulky 112 items—and started trimming the fat off the menu. During the past couple of years, Technomic has charted this downsizing trend; its most recent MenuMonitor data shows that chains in the Top 500 restaurant segment have reduced menu items by 3.2%. Appetizers and desserts have dropped by more than 5%; entrées by almost 11%; and nearly every major entrée category has seen a notable decrease in items.