Thereâs a whole field of study around optimizing your food and drink menus known as menu engineering. But the types of menu are often overlooked. Although any bar, restaurant, brunch spot, lounge, or country club uses menus, its easy to forget how integral the types of menus are to your business and to customer satisfaction.
Most people may not even know how many types of menus there are. Thatâs why weâre going to explain the basic types of menu, then weâll touch on drink menus and dessert menus for good measure. From a static menu, to a fixed menu, to a du jour menu, the menu types are all something you should know if you work in the hotel industry, country clubs, guest retention, restaurant tech resources, or if your job involves hosting brunch (see also:Â brunch menu).
If you want to dive even deeper in restaurant lingo, you can check out the article we have on the topic. From 86 meaning to free pour and everything in between, you will become a real pro at understanding the specific terms.
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À la carte.
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Du Jour.
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Cycle.
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Static.
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Fixed.
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Digital.
Whatâs Another Word for a La Carte?
Phrases like âfrom the menuâ and âindividually pricedâ communicate that a menu or section of a menu is a la carte. It all boils down to items being priced separately, as add-ons to your meal. This can happen with sides or very specific dishes. Its what you can expect from a drink menu, too.
What Is a Du Jour Menu?
Du jour menus change daily, depending on whatâs available or what the chef prepared. So, âchicken du jourâ means the chicken thatâs available today. Likewise, âsoup du jourâ is the soup thatâs available today. It can be a drink menu if you serve different iced teas or homemade lemonades each day, for example.