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Kate De La O

Instructor McCann

English 1301.127

14 October 2021

Menu Masters

Restaurants are everywhere, cities, small towns, schools, and so on. With today’s ever-

changing world our way of living has dramatically changed, including the consumption of our

favorite foods. Restaurants have found a way to still connect with their consumers, by turning

their hard copy menus into digital menus. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, in

2018, 44% of American money used to purchase food was spent on restaurants (Paulin).

Restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, Johnny Carino’s, and Sushi Madre all use their menu to achieve

their goal, using differing formats, prices, and by considering their targeted market.

No one likes to be waging war against a website while scouring the web to satisfy your

grumbling stomach. With 97% of the U.S population owning cell phones, it is crucial for a

restaurant’s menu to be mobile-friendly (Pew Research Center). When opening up the Chick-fil-

A, Johnny Carino’s, and Sushi Madre menu on a mobile or a computing device the first

prominent feature, consistent throughout the varying menus, is the easy accessibility of ordering

a pickup, delivery, and/or catering. The restaurants Chick-fil-A and Johnny Carino’s “Order

Now” button is distinct, both being red and having a bold font. Whereas the Sushi Madre “Order

Online” button is orange with a slim font but is complementary against a dark background. Both

use differentiating tactics that are still effective, easily allowing customers to place an order.

Scrolling through the menus, all three restaurants have a distinctive pre-set home page appeal to

their consumers. For example, Chick-fil-A automatically opens to reveal the basics and most
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commonly sold foods; Johnny Carino’s exhibits their dinner menu catering to those who prefer a

slow dine-in dinner with loved ones; and Sushi Madre presents their appetizers, as it is the first

order placed in a dine-in restaurant. Since the creation of menus, there has always been a

categorization placed to assist the consumer in finding exactly what they are looking for. Just

like in the classic hard copy menu, online menus are categorized but have the advantage of using

tabs. Chick-fil-A reveals tabs in order of timely meal intake: breakfast, entrées, salads, sides,

kid’s meals, treats, etc. While Sushi Madre and Johnny Carino’s reveals its contents in order of

meal preparation: appetizers, the main course, salads, kids’ menu, dessert, etc. However, Sushi

Madre’s tabs are not presented until the very end of the page, as opposed to Chick-fil-A and

Johnny Carino’s where they are presented on top. Forcing the viewer to scroll through the entire

menu is a seller’s technique used to show customers more options, in hopes of persuading them

to make further purchases. A feature used by Sushi Madre, not used by Chick-fil-A nor Johnny

Carino’s, is the addition of a virtual assistant, through Messenger. The assistant is always at the

ready with instant replies to any questions, increasing the chances of a customer making a

purchase, as any questions and concerns are immediately answered. Thus, creating a sense of

customer security before making a purchase, as the customer knows exactly what they are paying

for and receiving. Taking advantage of technologies’ ability to upload and share high-resolution

photos, all of these restaurants know that people eat with their eyes. With appealing photographs,

hungry customers search the menu and find their crave expanding to various meals, consequently

increasing customer investment. Johnny Carino’s and Sushi Madre’s pictures include garnishes,

as they are more of a sit-in and dine restaurant, as opposed to Chick-fil-A’s advertising

photographs, which consist of simpler fast and ready food. Johnny Carino’s, Sushi Madre, and
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Chick-fil-A utilize every aspect of formatting available on an online menu to appeal to their

consumers.

Each restaurant supplies its customers with preferred services, by taking into

consideration their targeted market. With a wide range of food options, there is something for

every member of the family, despite age, diet, and personal preference. Johnny Carino’s and

Chick-fil-A are more family-oriented restaurants. With gluten-free, low-calorie, and vegetarian

menu options, everyone gets to enjoy a delicious meal with the people they love. Sushi Madre

too has gluten-free, low-calorie, and vegetarian meal, but exclude a kid’s menu, meaning their

targeted audience is older. Including a plethora of meal options allows everyone to be part of the

joyous moment of breaking bread and spending time with their family. Not being satisfied with a

meal not only ruins the person’s experience but, as a parent, leaves a burden of unfulfillment, as

they are not able to provide their loved ones with food. As previously mentioned, Johnny

Carino’s and Sushi Madre both specialize in sit-in restaurant dining, while Chick-fil-A is a fast-

food, drive-thru, restaurant. Meaning the turnaround time of a meal preparation varies. When

ordering online, all three restaurants provide an approximate preparation time, in which it can the

food can be picked up and/or dine in. Johnny Carino's taking the longest as they specialize in

intricate Italian food, giving opportunity for customers to personalize meals. Followed by Sushi

Madre, who specializes in fresh seafood, thus cutting down a bit of time from the preparation of

the meal, and too allows the personalization of meals. Lastly, Chick-fil-A has the shortest

turnaround time, as their basic meal design is made to appeal to customers as a whole rather than

as an individual. Sushi Madre, Johnny Carino’s, and Chick-fil-A pay special attention to catering

for their customers, in order to maximize efficiency and business.

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Catering different foods to different customers, all three restaurants fluctuate in prices. To

feed a family of three, at Johnny Carino’s, with one Classic Fettuccine Alfredo family platter,

Breaded Calamari for an appetizer, and three iced teas, totals to $71.43. Taking into

consideration the price, Johnny Carino’s includes any cake of your choice for dessert, all-you-

can-eat bread loaves, and family-size salads of your choice, as incentives. Feeding the same

family of three at Sushi Madre, assuming everyone gets the go-to California Roll, with one order

of Crunchy Calamari as an appetizer, and three ice teas, totals to $47.25, with no incentives. At

Chick-fil-A ordering three simple Chick-fil-A Sandwich Meal, includes a side of medium fries

for every burger, iced tea, and unlimited sauces, totals to $22.25. It only makes sense that the

most luxurious restaurants charge the highest prices, as you receive the quality of what you pay

for, thus paying for lavish dine-in food. Whereas fast-food restaurants charge cheaper, appealing

to customers looking for a quick simple lunch break meal.

Now in days, many restaurants offer premium, or membership deals and rewards. These

incentives are offered with every purchase and persuade customers to make future purchases

and/or become regular customers, as they will now get an “exclusive” deal. Before confirming an

order, Chick-fil-A, Sushi Madre, and Johnny Carino’s all offer some membership reward

systems. For every tax dollar spent at Johnny Carino’s the customer earns 1 reward point. After

accumulating a certain number of points, a customer may use these points to earn exclusive deals

on large food purchases or win a free dessert. Similarly, Sushi Madre gives the customer 1 point

for every $1 spent. Because earning a vast number of points at Sushi Madre is quicker, rewards

require more points than that of Johnny Carino’s. Chick-fil-A on the other hand, not only has a

reward system but has different levels of customer membership. Beginning with Chick-fil-A

Member, a customer earns 10 points for every $1 spent prior to taxes and receives membership
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benefits. Such as being the first notified about exclusive deals, gifts from local restaurants, have

the opportunity of participating in bonus challenges, and so on. Moving on to the Chick-fil-A

Silver member, a customer earns 11 points for every $1, opposed to the regular membership, and

are eligible to receive not only the Member benefits but can share their reward points with

friends and/or family. A Chick-fil-A Red member earns 12 points for every $1 spent prior to

taxes and receives all the benefits of a Silver member, plus special deals only accessible to Red

members. For the most dedicated customer, there is the ultimate Signature member, where for

every 1$ spent, before taxes, they earn 13 reward points. Besides being eligible for all the

previously mentioned benefits, the Signature member has the opportunity to voice their opinion,

by participating in voting polls. As evident, there are differing prices, each correlating with the

quality of food and each restaurant’s attempt to make the prices more appealing with incentives,

all expressed in the menu when placing an order.

The only constant is change, if a business does not evolve with the times, it falls behind

and gets eliminated. Chick-fil-A, Johnny Carino’s, and Sushi Madre have all switched over to

online menus as society continues to grow hand in hand with technology. With various aspects in

which an online menu can differ and still be effective and efficient, it provides a base for endless

creative and innovative possibilities. Making use of all online menu features, Chick-fil-A,

Johnny Carino’s, and Sushi Madre use a variety of formats and prices to appeal to their

differentiating consumers and reach their ultimate goal of providing and expanding their service.
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Works Cited

Chick-fil-A. “Menu.” Chick-Fil-A, www.chick-fil-a.com/menu.

Johnny Carino's. “Johnny Carino’s: Your Local Italian Restaurant.” Www.carinos.com,

www.carinos.com/locations/laredo/menu#/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2021.

Paulin, Geoffrey D., and U.S Bure of Labor Statistics. “Meal Appeal: Patterns of Expenditures

on Food Away from Home: Spotlight on Statistics: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

Www.bls.gov, Apr. 2020, www.bls.gov/spotlight/2020/food-away-from-home/home.htm.

Pew Research Center. “Mobile Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech,

Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 7 Apr. 2021,

www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/.

Sushi Madre. “Menu – Sushi Madre Laredo.” Sushi Madre Mucho Roll,

sushimadre.com/menuonline/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.