There’s been plenty of fodder about restaurant menus shrinking, offering fewer choices to increasingly selective consumers. But despite some notable dips, menu sizes over the last two decades have actually increased in every segment but one, according to a Datassential analysis.

Despite pullbacks reflecting changes in consumer demand, economic pressures, operational changes, and – the most significant driver of menu contraction, COVID – menu sizes have grown in restaurants from quick service to midscale and casual dining. The one exception to this is fine dining, where menu sizes fell as a result of the pandemic and have not recovered – a result of a new operational strategy that leans toward a more curated menu in the post-COVID era.

Menu Expansion By The Numbers

Fast casual menus have seen the most dramatic growth, with a 33% increase in menu sizes over the last two decades. As consumer demand has remained strong in this fast-growing segment, operators have explored new dishes that play alongside their core menu items, whether it’s new bowls, rice dishes or a la carte proteins. While showing the largest long-term growth, fast casual menus have also shown the biggest upward climb post-COVID.

Midscale restaurants, including examples like Cracker Barrel, First Watch and Black Bear Diner, have also increased their menus by a significant amount – 29% – over 20 years, boosted by loyal consumers willing to explore a broader menu that’s inclusive of broad consumer desires, whether it be indulgent new appetizers or lighter dishes that adhere to special diets.

Menus at casual dining chains, including Applebee’s, Outback and Olive Garden, have grown by just 4% over the past two decades, having seen a dramatic decline during the pandemic and struggling to gain significant ground in recent years as consumers have pulled back amid higher inflation, increased price consciousness and trading down to fast casual or even QSR options.

Quick service, or fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s, have grown their menus by 20% in the last 20 years, as increased traffic through consumer trade-downs, benefits from their value proposition and other factors have allowed them to comfortably expand the variety on their core menus as well as offer new items to draw in customers.

The bigger picture

Overall, consumers have 23% more items to choose from on menus across the restaurant industry. But that’s not just a quarter more sandwiches, soups, salads and beverages to comb through. Much of this expansion, particularly in recent years, has been about leaning into what operators do best: keeping the core menu lean yet interesting, drawing in new customers and keeping loyal ones without adding too much operational strain.

As the pandemic fades further in the rear-view mirror, operators appear to have taken the lessons of the lean times and written new rules for their menus: Conscientious expansion is now the name of the game.

Samantha Des Jardins is the Content Marketing Manager at Datassential. 

This analysis was presented as part of Datassential’s annual State of the Menu webinar. Visit this page for all of Datassential’s free resources. For media inquiries, please reach out to media@datassential.com.