Definition: A voluntary initiative by hotels and restaurants to provide their customers with a brief, non-intrusive guide to the primary nutritional values of the foods offered on their menus. The nutrition numbers are shown on a second menu, hence Menu2, which is offered verbally by the waitstaff and never presented other than in response to a customer’s request.

Information provided
Nutritional analysis is rounded off and used as a guide only. Every item on the menu is assessed for comparative purposes. Establishments using Menu2 are required to include a minimum of two appetizers, two main entrées and two desserts that, when added, do not exceed 1,000 calories or contain more than 39 grams of fat and less than 7% calories from saturated fat. The numbers include total calories, total fats, saturated fats (in parentheses) and carbohydrates i.e. 350 – 12(2) – 45.

These reasonable/moderate dishes are not highlighted in any way. They are found to be reasonable/moderate only by their numbers compared to other dishes. As a result, nothing is labeled as “healthy” or “low fat” or in any way as a means to medicate.

Customers who participated in carefully controlled trials in Spokane Washington enthusiastically supported its introduction.

What Menu2 achieves
Assists the diner in making a whole mind decision (both sensually preferred and logically appropriate) without endangering their sense of “celebration”.

The Chef is helped to see the actual numbers that represent the portion/variety offered. Extra large portions are sometimes used in order to fulfill the customers desire for a “good deal” but when shown for what they contain in raw numbers become much less attractive.

Chefs have tried to introduce “Heart Healthy” recipes but universally find them “unpopular”. In the Menu2 trials conducted diners found their own selection by the “numbers” not by any health “message” or appellation. As a result the reasonable/moderate dishes sell well and this encourages further development of this greatly needed Menu segment.

Orders placed for reasonable/moderate dishes result in an identical averages check total per customer. This (because of lower portion sizes) results in increased gross profit on food cost.

In a culture with 44 million obese adults and a 67% overweight population with over 280,000 dying of “overeating” each year the Menu2 is seen as a caring, creative option when offered to today’s customer. To borrow from the old adage “You can lead a horse (diner) to water but you can’t make him drink.” But we may, with Menu2, help the customer to think!

No customer enjoys discussing his or her health needs with waitstaff. No waitstaff enjoys passing on detailed Menu alterations to the chef and no Chef enjoys (especially when busy) being told by nervous waitstaff what to do (or not to do) for an anxious customer. Menu2 offers a way around each one of these obstacles to providing great hospitality.

Menu2 has the potential to be the greatest single agent for positive, creative change in public food service since refrigeration.

The future for Menu2
After successful trials in a variety of Spokane, Washington restaurants there will be additional trials in Seattle/Tacoma Washington and the concept is to be studied in detail by Johnson & Whales University, the world largest institution that trains future chefs.

Adoption of this idea will be hastened by its support from a national sponsor committed to its promotional and administrative support. Because the net result of Menu2 would be “better health due to reduced consumption” it means that traditional food providers are less likely to see Menu2 as increasing their market volume. In actual fact it is believed that such an association may have the effect of increasing their market share.