A restaurant launches its autumn menu. Within a week, the questions arrive. Is the lamb dish still on? What is the new vegan main? Has the price of the set menu changed? Is the famous chocolate tart gone? Regulars want to know whether their favourite survived. New guests want to know what to expect. Staff answer the same questions at every table and in every message.
Seasonal menu questions are predictable. Answering them well keeps regulars happy and helps new guests book.
What guests ask
- What is new on the menu?
- Is my favourite dish still available?
- Are there still vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free options?
- Has the price changed?
- Is there a seasonal set menu?
- When does the new menu start?
Script 1: what is new
Guest: What's on the new autumn menu? Answer: The autumn menu starts on 1 October and includes a wild mushroom risotto, slow-cooked pork belly and a spiced pear tart. The full menu is on the website.
Script 2: favourites
Guest: Is the chocolate tart still on? Answer: Yes, the chocolate tart stays on all year as one of our signature desserts.
Or, if it has gone:
Answer: The chocolate tart is off the menu for autumn, but it'll be back as part of the winter menu in December.
Script 3: dietary options
Guest: Is there still a vegan main? Answer: Yes, the new vegan main is a roasted squash and lentil dish, and several starters are vegan too. All dietary options are labelled on the menu.
Dietary information must stay accurate through menu changes, as described in menu questions that should never reach your front of house.
Update the website first
Before announcing a new menu, update the website with the full menu, dietary labels and prices. Then every answer, online and at the table, comes from the same source. SpideyChat for restaurants answers from your published menu at any hour, so updating the website updates the answers.
Special events around new menus
Menu launches are a good excuse for a launch event or tasting evening, which bring their own questions, as covered in supper clubs and events that sell out through answers.
New guests and nervous diners
Some guests feel unsure about unfamiliar dishes, much like newcomers anywhere, as seen in beginners and the questions they are embarrassed to ask. Short, plain descriptions of each dish help them order with confidence.
Sorting what needs a person
Most menu questions are routine. A few, such as severe allergies or special dietary requests for an event, need a chef or manager. The approach of separating routine from personal questions is covered in receptionist screening questions.
Staff briefing
Before each new menu launches, brief front-of-house staff on every dish, especially ingredients, allergens and how to describe them. Guests ask servers the same questions they ask online, and consistent answers in both places build trust in the new menu. Update the allergen sheet and the website on the same day the menu changes, so neither source ever contradicts the other.
Menu changes and the chat on your website
Regulars check whether the chocolate tart survived late at night, and the chat box on your website lets them ask without waiting for a busy kitchen to reply. A chat assistant answers from your published menu, so the new menu should go up as text with dish descriptions, dietary labels and prices, not as a photo of the printed card. Remove the old menu page or mark it clearly, then refresh the assistant's training so the answers change on launch day. If the allergen matrix is a PDF or CSV file, upload it as a document.
Allergies are where the chat should defer. The assistant can repeat what your labels say, but a guest with a severe allergy needs to hear from the kitchen, so it should take their name, phone number, booking date and the allergy, and pass them to a manager. Launch evenings and tasting menus can end with a booking request captured with the party size and date, for the team to confirm. Training the assistant on your menu covers how pages and documents are added.
Telling regulars
Regulars appreciate hearing about changes before they visit. A short note in your newsletter or on social media, with a link to the new menu, prevents disappointment and gives them a reason to come back.
To see how menu questions would be answered, try an assistant on your restaurant website, or see the features.