The Mood Menu Method
Jay Ashton ??????
The Business of Helping People & Businesses | Canada's Restaurant Guy | Top 50 Worldwide Podcaster | The Canadian Restaurant News Channel | Co-Host The Late Night Restaurant Podcast | Fortune 50 Marketing Expert
Designing Menus That Think Like Your Guests
Jay Ashton, Canada's Restaurant Guy
In an industry where trends shift faster than a TikTok ok soundbite, menu design has often lagged behind. Categories like Appetizers, Entrees, and Desserts have dominated for decades ,a system built in an era when fine dining set the tone. But Gen Z and the next generation don’t eat like that. They don’t think like that. And if you want to win their loyalty, and their dollars , your menu needs to evolve.
Enter: The Mood Menu Method.
This fresh approach to menu engineering reimagines how people connect with food. Instead of organizing by courses or food type, it organizes by intention, emotion, or vibe, the why behind the order.
This article dives deep into how this method works, why it matters now more than ever, and how to implement it, complete with research, real-life examples, and the psychological backbone behind it all.
Why the Old Menu Format is Dated
The three-column, grid-based menu divided by traditional categories assumes guests:
None of that holds true anymore.
A 2023 study by the National Restaurant Association revealed that 73% of Gen Z diners prefer shared plates or flexible portions that don’t follow a traditional meal sequence. Even more telling, 61% say they decide what to order based on mood, not category.
Moreover, eye-tracking research from Georgia Tech found that the average diner only looks at 7–9 items on a menu, regardless of how many are listed. So how you group those items and the feeling they evoke, matters more than ever.
What Is a Mood Menu?
A Mood Menu organizes items based on emotional intent or social context, rather than ingredients or course type. Instead of:
You get groupings like:
Each section reflects how the guest feels rather than what the guest eats.
The Psychology Behind Mood Menus
This strategy taps directly into behavioral psychology. People rarely make decisions based on facts alone, especially when they’re hungry. They choose based on identity, community, and emotional need.
Key drivers that Mood Menus support:
1. Cognitive Ease
When options are grouped by feeling or scenario, the brain processes them faster. It reduces what psychologists call decision fatigue, the stress of too many similar options.
Stat: Studies from Stanford University show that reducing choice clusters by emotion increased selection speed by 40% and satisfaction by 23%.
2. Narrative-Based Memory
The brain remembers stories, not data. When your menu tells a story about the diner (not just the dish), you build stronger emotional recall, which increases return visits.
3. Self-Identity Alignment
Gen Z eats to match a mood, identity, or social statement. A 2022 survey from Y-Pulse shows that 72% of Gen Z diners say food choices are an expression of who they are. Mood-based categories create alignment with those expressions.
How Mood Menus Support Sales and Profitability
Beyond psychology, this approach gives you powerful operational and financial upsides:
Menu Modularity
Organizing by mood lets you rotate items in and out based on cost, without disrupting layout. That’s huge for tariff pressure or ingredient shortages.
Margin Highlighting
You can position high-margin dishes in popular emotional categories like “Comfort” or “Cheat Day” — increasing likelihood of choice without screaming, “BUY THIS!”
More Cross-Selling Opportunities
Mood menus naturally encourage bundling. A diner in “Treat Yourself” mode might grab a cocktail, a rich entrée, and dessert, all aligned under the same emotional umbrella.
Enhanced Social Sharing
Themed mood sections photograph well and name-drop better on social. Example:
“Had the Feed My Soul mac & cheese last night #comfortfood”
That kind of user-generated content builds brand love in ways traditional categories never could.
Building Your Own Mood Menu: Step-by-Step
Let’s break this down into a build-it-yourself model. You don’t have to blow up your whole menu, but integrating mood-based thinking will move your brand forward.
Step 1: Define Your Guest Archetypes
Look at your top three customer types. What emotional reasons bring them in?
List those core moods.
Step 2: Create Emotional Categories
Group dishes that speak to those moods. Here’s a cheat sheet for inspiration:
Each group can have a 1–2 sentence description that sets the tone. Think like a playlist curator.
Step 3: Reframe Your Language
This is where it gets fun. Your menu should talk like your guests do. Drop the formality. Punch up the personality.
Old: “Pan-roasted chicken with wild mushroom risotto” New: “Soul Hug Chicken” "Crispy-skinned chicken with creamy mushroom risotto. Feels like a cozy sweater for your tastebuds."
Step 4: Design the Flow
Visually, group each section clearly. Use color, icons, or borders to differentiate the moods. QR menus? Animate the categories so they pop as the user scrolls.
Digital menus can even let guests choose their mood first, then show a curated list of matching items.
The Future: AI and Predictive Mood Menus
The next frontier? Menus that shift based on guest profiles. Imagine:
Mood menus set the stage for this kind of experience-driven dining. And the data agrees.
Stat: Deloitte’s 2023 report on food personalization found that 79% of Gen Z diners expect restaurants to offer curated or personalized suggestions based on mood or preferences.
Case Studies & Real-World Success
Example 1: “Daydream” in Toronto
This all-day café dropped “starters” and “entrees” in favor of:
Results? 18% increase in average check and 3x social shares after relaunch.
Example 2: “Hot Mess” in Calgary
They grouped indulgent items under a menu section called “No Regrets.” Items included saucy burgers, loaded nachos, and deep-fried cheesecake.
The “No Regrets” section accounted for 38% of total food sales after rollout.
The Mood Menu Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Shift.
This isn’t just another design idea, it’s a response to how people now experience food. In a digital world where personalization is everything, the static, clinical menu layout is a relic. Mood menus speak the language of the moment: emotion, identity, and choice.
In a post-pandemic world where margins are tight and tariffs complicate everything, operators need flexibility. Mood menus deliver that, while simultaneously building brand, experience, and connection.
The Menu Is No Longer a List. It’s a Mirror.
Your guests aren’t choosing between pasta and steak. They’re choosing between being indulgent or responsible, sharing or soloing, staying healthy or going all in.
So help them see themselves in your menu.
Because when the menu stops talking about the food — and starts talking about them — that’s when loyalty begins.