I promised I would post when I finished my manuscript on restaurant menus. I am a woman of my word. It is complete, at least until an editor gets hold of it....
The book in brief: A thoroughly researched, socially observant, and entertaining firsthand account of how restaurant menus design consumer choice and the experience of
a meal.
The work is based on my documentation of 77 encounters with menus at 70 restaurants throughout the greater Los Angeles area, which span all restaurant genres and menu formats. But my insights about menus are not just the product of personal experience. They are enhanced by investigations in a wide range of disciplines, from experience design to behavioral economics. Decoding menus demands a diverse set of tools!
This book represents the next adventure in a series in which I seek understanding of the social significance and rhetorical wiles of restaurant aesthetics. It started with Smart Casual: The Transformation of Gourmet Restaurant Style in America (University of Chicago, 2013). Check out the description at http://www.alisonpearlman.com
Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the menus book. Other posts about the book may be on Twitter @theeyeindining, Instagram @alisonpearlman, or Facebook under my name.
Cheers, and best wishes for 2017!
Alison Pearlman
