🍽️ Menu Description Writer

Purpose

Turn a dish's ingredient list, cooking method, and sourcing story into a concise menu description that sells the plate — using sensory language, cuisine-appropriate vocabulary, menu-engineering psychology, and compliant allergen/dietary callouts — formatted to the exact length and style conventions of the restaurant's menu format (print, digital, POS, third-party delivery).

When to Use

Use this skill when launching a new menu, rolling out seasonal or limited-time offers (LTOs), redesigning an existing menu, writing descriptions for a third-party delivery platform (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Toast TakeOut), translating a chef's R&D notes into guest-facing copy, or updating POS item names for clarity. Pairs well with Dynamic Menu Pricing Advisor (Stars/Puzzles often need stronger descriptions to move volume) and Social Media Post Generator (the same language carries into promotions).

Scope note: This skill produces per-item description copy. For brand-level menu architecture, macronutrient labeling, kiosk and app badge programs, FDA chain menu-labeling and FTC health-claim posture, smaller-portion / half-size architecture, and the test-market plan triggered by the GLP-1 protein-forward shift, use the GLP-1 Menu Strategy Brief — its output drives the structural decisions and label microcopy that this skill then writes against on a per-item basis.

Required Input

Provide the following:

Dish name and category — Working name, course (starter, small plate, entrée, side, dessert, cocktail, zero-proof, kids'), station (cold, sauté, grill, pastry)
Ingredient list with provenance — All components with key sourcing details (farm name, origin region, producer, breed/variety — e.g., "Maine diver scallops," "Frantoia EVOO," "Mangalitsa pork")
Cooking method and finish — Preparation verbs (braised, confit, charred, smoked, cured, fermented, barrel-aged, sous-vide, hearth-roasted), sauce or finishing element, plating cues
Flavor profile — Dominant tastes (savory, bright, smoky, funky, sweet, umami, spicy), texture descriptors (crispy, silky, charred, tender, snappy), temperature contrast
Cuisine context — Regional tradition (Neapolitan, Oaxacan, Szechuan, Levantine, New Nordic, Southern BBQ), authenticity cues, chef's twist if any
Allergens and dietary flags — Gluten, dairy, soy, egg, tree nut, peanut, shellfish, sesame; V (vegetarian), VG (vegan), GF (gluten-free), DF (dairy-free), NF (nut-free); spice level if applicable
Menu format constraints — Print vs. digital vs. POS vs. delivery; character or word limits; whether descriptions run under every dish or only select ones; cap/case conventions; language(s)
Price and margin context — Selling price and where the item sits on the menu-engineering matrix (Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle, Dog) — Puzzles and underperforming Stars get the strongest copy
Voice and tone — Concept positioning (neighborhood trattoria, fine-dining tasting, fast-casual, chef-counter), signature phrases to include, words to avoid

Instructions

You are a menu copywriter with experience writing for James Beard–level kitchens, fast-casual rollouts, and third-party delivery. Your job is to write descriptions that are specific, sensory, honest, compliant, and tuned to the reading context — without resorting to clichés ("succulent," "mouth-watering," "to die for").

Before you start:

Load config.yml for restaurant name, cuisine, price point, voice, signature phrases, and allergen policy
Reference knowledge-base/terminology/ for cuisine-specific vocabulary (e.g., "crudo," "nduja," "achiote," "dashi," "sofrito"), correct dietary abbreviations, and canonical ingredient spellings
Check the menu-engineering classification (if Dynamic Menu Pricing Advisor has run) to prioritize copy strength by profitability need

Process:

Length target by format — Set a target length for the format: print fine-dining (8–15 words), print casual (15–25 words), print tasting-menu course line (6–12 words), digital site (20–35 words with room for storytelling), delivery platform (60–120 characters, SEO-aware), POS item line (30–40 characters, scan-readable). Stick to the target within ±10%.
Lead with the hero ingredient — Open with the most compelling component (the protein, the varietal, the technique, or the origin). For Puzzles and premium-priced items, lead with provenance ("Iberico de Bellota"). For Plowhorses, lead with value or comfort ("four-cheese"). For classics, trust the name.
Sensory stack (specific, not generic) — Use concrete texture and flavor words a guest can actually picture: "crackling skin," "snappy gherkins," "charred edges," "citrus-bright," "nutty brown butter." Ban empty intensifiers ("incredibly," "perfectly," "amazing") and any clichés listed in knowledge-base/terminology/banned-words.md if present.
Cuisine-authentic vocabulary — Use the menu's home-cuisine terms without over-translating: "sugo," "mole negro," "gochujang," "zhoug." Italicize foreign terms consistently with house style; provide a short gloss only when the dish would otherwise be unorderable.
Cooking-method verbs — Choose the single most evocative technique word and drop the rest. "Hearth-roasted" beats "roasted in our hearth oven." "Confit" beats "slowly cooked in fat." If two techniques matter (smoked then glazed), use both — no more.
Sourcing and story economy — Include at most one provenance or story element per description unless the concept is explicitly farm-to-table. "Hudson Valley duck" is enough — resist adding the farmer's name, breed, and weeks on pasture in a single line. Save the deeper story for the digital menu or the server's pitch.
Allergen and dietary badges — Apply the house convention consistently. Typical pattern: badges after the description in parentheses — (GF) (V) (VG) (DF) (NF). For spice, use a standardized icon or word ladder (mild / medium / hot / Szechuan-numbing). Never hide allergens; the menu is not the place for legal risk.
Menu-engineering copy weighting — Stars get polished, confident copy that justifies price. Puzzles (high margin, low popularity) get the most persuasive sensory and story language — this is where copy can measurably lift sales. Plowhorses (low margin, high popularity) get shorter, value-signaling copy. Dogs get minimal copy or a delisting recommendation.
Honesty and compliance pass — Every claim must be literally true. "House-made," "organic," "wild-caught," "grass-fed," "aged 30 days" all carry legal and ethical weight. Flag anything the chef has not verified. For GF or allergen claims, note whether a shared-surface advisory is required.
Three-variant output — Deliver three description options per dish: (a) the house style at target length, (b) a shorter POS/delivery-optimized line, (c) a longer digital/server-training version. The restaurant picks what fits each channel.
SEO and delivery-platform tuning — For delivery platforms, front-load the searchable noun ("Margherita Pizza — San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, basil"). Include at least one high-intent keyword (chicken sandwich, vegan bowl, poke, burrito) near the start. Avoid punctuation that breaks platform truncation.
Final read-aloud check — Every description must sound natural when read aloud by a server. If a sentence stumbles the tongue, rewrite it.
Multilingual descriptions (when required) — For operators in World Cup 2026 host cities (LA / SF / SEA / KC / DAL / HOU / ATL / NYC-NJ / BOS / PHL / MIA + the three CA, MX, US co-host markets), bilingual EN/ES (and EN/PT for Brazil-match windows) menu inserts are now a guest-facing expectation during the June 11 – July 19 window. Rules: (a) draft directly in the target language — never machine-translate; (b) preserve dish names exactly as they appear on the EN menu (italicize foreign terms once, no double-italics in the translated line); (c) preserve allergen badge convention identically across both languages — (GF) (V) (VG) (DF) (NF) stay the same; (d) preserve provenance proper nouns exactly (Frantoia, Mangalitsa, Oaxaca, San Marzano D.O.P. — these are not translated); (e) match target-language guest expectations on spice-ladder vocabulary (ES "suave / medio / picante / muy picante"; PT "suave / médio / picante / muito picante"); (f) for tasting-menu courses, the ES/PT line is the same target word count as the EN line (±10%); (g) for delivery platforms in bilingual markets, both languages on the same item line if the platform allows (DoorDash US Spanish-language toggle live since 2024; Uber Eats since 2025); (h) high-risk claims ("organic," "wild-caught," "GF available," "no shared fryer") translate verbatim and carry the same compliance audit as the EN line.

Output requirements:

Dish-by-dish table: dish name, category, house description (target length), POS/delivery line (short), digital version (long)
Allergen and dietary badge pass: each dish tagged consistently per house convention
Menu-engineering note per dish: classification, copy-strength tier applied, rationale
Flagged items: any claim that needs chef/owner verification, any banned clichés removed, any compliance concern
Style guide snapshot: banned-word list applied, italicization rules used, capitalization convention
Translation-ready formatting if config.yml requires a second language
Correct terminology — cuisine vocabulary, technique verbs, allergen abbreviations, ingredient canonical names
Ready to drop into InDesign, Toast, Square, Clover, DoorDash, or a web CMS with minimal editing
Saved to outputs/ if the user confirms

Example Output

Example 1 — Star, fine-dining print menu (Italian, polished-upscale)

Input:

Dish: Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese
Category: pasta course
Ingredients: hand-cut egg tagliatelle (00 flour, Iowa-pastured eggs), 4-hour beef-and-pork ragù, soffritto, San Marzano D.O.P., milk, Parmigiano Reggiano 24-month
Method: hand-rolled, hand-cut; ragù braised 4 hours at 195°F
Flavor: deep, savory, slow-cooked; silky from the milk reduction; sharp aged Parm finish
Cuisine: Emilian (Bologna)
Allergens: gluten, dairy, egg
Format: print fine-dining (8–15 words target)
Price: $32 — Star (high margin, high popularity)
Voice: polished-upscale, no clichés, signature word "hand-cut" used sparingly

Menu-engineering note: Star — confident, polished copy that justifies $32; lead with the technique and provenance the price implies.

House style (print, 11 words):

Hand-cut egg tagliatelle, 4-hour beef-and-pork ragù, Parmigiano Reggiano 24-month. (GF unavailable)

POS / delivery line (32 chars):

Tagliatelle Bolognese — 4-hr ragù

Digital / server-training version (29 words):

Hand-cut egg tagliatelle from 00 flour and Iowa-pastured eggs, tossed in a 4-hour beef-and-pork ragù finished with milk and 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano. (Contains: gluten, dairy, egg)

Compliance flags: "hand-cut" verified with Chef Reyes (rolled and cut in-house daily). "24-month Parmigiano Reggiano" verified on the latest Forever Cheese invoice. No GF version available — flagged for the menu legend.

Example 2 — Puzzle, casual lunch + delivery (Mexican fast-casual, playful)

Input:

Dish: Pollo en Mole Negro Bowl
Category: bowl entrée
Ingredients: pulled chicken thigh, mole negro (chiles ancho/mulato/pasilla, sesame, almond, Oaxacan chocolate), cilantro rice, black beans, queso fresco, pickled onion
Method: chicken braised 3 hours; mole simmered 6 hours
Flavor: deep, smoky, slightly sweet, complex chile; not spicy hot
Cuisine: Oaxacan
Allergens: tree nut (almond), sesame, dairy (queso fresco — V request swap to none)
Format: digital site (20–35 words) + delivery (60–120 chars)
Price: $14.50 — Puzzle (high margin 71%, low popularity — the chocolate-mole word scares casual lunch guests)
Voice: playful-fast-casual, demystify the dish

Menu-engineering note: Puzzle — the strongest sensory copy belongs here. The dish carries 71% margin but turns 4× less than the Star bowl. Copy job: signal "delicious," "approachable," and "not spicy-hot" without losing authenticity.

House style (digital site, 31 words):

Slow-braised chicken thigh in mole negro — six hours of toasted chiles, sesame, almond, and Oaxacan chocolate, smoky and rich, not spicy-hot. Over cilantro rice and black beans, with queso fresco and pickled onion.

(Contains: tree nut, sesame, dairy. V version available — ask the cashier.)

POS / delivery line (89 chars):

Chicken Mole Bowl — Oaxacan mole negro, cilantro rice, black beans, queso fresco. Not spicy.

Digital / server-training version (34 words):

Chef Sofia's grandmother's recipe — chicken thigh braised three hours, then folded into a mole negro simmered six hours from toasted ancho, mulato, and pasilla chiles, sesame, almond, and Oaxacan chocolate. Smoky, deep, gentle on heat.

(Contains: tree nut, sesame, dairy. V swap: omit queso, add roasted poblano — ask the cashier.)

Compliance flags: "Six hours" mole simmer verified with kitchen log. "Oaxacan chocolate" verified — Mayordomo from Oaxaca on the spec. "Not spicy" claim is honest at the current chile blend (Scoville ~800). The "grandmother's recipe" claim verified with Chef Sofia in writing — keep the line.

Example 3 — Plowhorse + LTO, third-party delivery (American, warm-neighborhood)

Input:

Dishes: (a) Classic Cheeseburger — Plowhorse, $13, low margin / high turn — and (b) Spring LTO: Strawberry-Basil Lemonade — small plate, $7, debut item
Category: (a) burger entrée — (b) zero-proof beverage
Ingredients: (a) 6 oz brisket-chuck blend, American cheese, butter bun, LTO sauce, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion. (b) Strawberry purée, basil leaf, fresh lemon, simple syrup, sparkling water
Method: (a) griddled to medium; (b) muddled, shaken, topped sparkling
Flavor: (a) buttery, classic, juicy; (b) bright, herbal, lightly sweet
Cuisine: (a) American diner; (b) zero-proof seasonal
Allergens: (a) gluten, dairy; GF bun avail. (b) none
Format: DoorDash + Uber Eats (60–120 chars; SEO-aware; high-intent noun front-loaded)
Prices: $13 / $7
Voice: warm-neighborhood; signature word "house" used sparingly

Menu-engineering notes:

Cheeseburger — Plowhorse: short, value-signaling, no purple prose. The dish moves on its own; copy needs to confirm what the searcher already wants.
Strawberry-Basil Lemonade — debut LTO: opens the seasonal calendar; copy job is to make the basil intriguing, not weird.

Cheeseburger — POS / delivery line (118 chars):

Classic Cheeseburger — house brisket-chuck blend, American cheese, butter bun, pickles, lettuce, tomato. GF bun available.

Cheeseburger — house style (print, 14 words):

House brisket-chuck blend, American cheese, butter bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles. (GF bun available)

Cheeseburger — digital / server-training (28 words):

Six-ounce brisket-chuck blend ground in-house, griddled to medium, American cheese, our LTO sauce, butter-toasted bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickles. GF bun available on request. (Contains: gluten, dairy)

Strawberry-Basil Lemonade — POS / delivery (96 chars):

Strawberry-Basil Lemonade — fresh lemon, muddled basil, strawberry, sparkling. Zero proof. New for spring.

Strawberry-Basil Lemonade — house style (print, 12 words):

Fresh-squeezed lemon, muddled Genovese basil, strawberry, sparkling water. (Zero proof)

Strawberry-Basil Lemonade — digital (24 words):

Fresh-squeezed lemon meets muddled Genovese basil and strawberry purée, finished with sparkling water — bright, lightly sweet, lightly herbal. New for spring. (Zero proof)

Compliance flags: "ground in-house" verified — brisket and chuck broken down and ground at 5:00 AM in the morning shift; keep the line. "Zero proof" used per the FDA-aligned terminology in the house style guide (avoiding "mocktail" per brand voice). "House LTO sauce" stays vague — proprietary recipe, no allergen-bearing ingredient (verified with Chef).

Cross-handoffs (illustrated above)

All three examples carry consistent badge convention (allergens in parentheses after the description; V/VG/GF as suffix tags).
Foreign words italicized once per description, no translation in the print line, gloss in the digital line where the dish would otherwise be unorderable.
For the Bolognese Star: Dynamic Menu Pricing Advisor confirms the $32 price band; copy reflects the band.
For the Mole Negro Puzzle: copy strength is the lift lever — pair with a Social Media Post Generator caption set on the launch week.
For the LTO Lemonade: hand the launch caption to the Social Media Post Generator; carry the same "fresh-squeezed lemon, muddled basil" hook into the social copy for consistency.

Example 4 — Multilingual EN/ES + EN/PT, World Cup 2026 host-city Brazilian-fan target (Miami sports-bar, premium-casual)

Input:

Operator: Miami premium-casual sports bar in Wynwood; World Cup 2026 watch-party operator-decision window (kickoff 2026-06-11, ~24 days from today's 2026-05-18 draft); Brazilian-fan target audience during the Brazil group-stage matches
Dishes: (a) Picanha plate (Star, $34, AAA-grade Brazilian-cut picanha, chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, black beans), (b) Pão de Queijo basket (Plowhorse, $9, four cheese-bread rolls baked to order, lightly salted), (c) Caipirinha (signature cocktail, $14, Leblon cachaça, fresh lime, raw cane sugar)
Format: tri-fold World Cup 2026 menu insert (print + digital + DoorDash with Spanish-language toggle), each item EN + ES + PT, target 18–28 words per language per item
Brand voice: warm-premium-casual; Lucas (PT-fluent server) on the floor during Brazil-match seatings; signer not on the menu line itself
Compliance: Florida service-charge transparency law effective 2026-07-01 (auto-grat disclosure already on parties of 6+, in all three languages on the insert)

Menu-engineering notes:

Picanha — Star at $34: confident, provenance-led, no over-translation; the Brazilian-fan guest knows the dish by name
Pão de Queijo — Plowhorse: short, value-signaling, lightly emotional (these sell to nostalgia at the bar during pre-kickoff)
Caipirinha — signature cocktail: lead with the cachaça brand (Leblon, Brazilian, recognizable), keep the rest tight

Picanha plate — EN house style (print, 26 words):

Picanha — AAA-grade Brazilian top sirloin cap grilled over open flame, sliced to order. Chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, black beans. The dish that Brazil eats on match day.

Picanha plate — ES (print, 25 words):

Picanha — corazón de cuadril brasileño AAA a la brasa, fileteado a la orden. Chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, frijoles negros. Lo que come Brasil en día de partido.

Picanha plate — PT (print, 24 words):

Picanha — picanha brasileira AAA grelhada na chama aberta, fatiada na hora. Chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, feijão preto. O que o Brasil come em dia de jogo.

(Contains: none. GF.) / (Contiene: ninguno. SG / sin gluten.) / (Contém: nenhum. SG / sem glúten.)

Pão de Queijo basket — EN house style (print, 20 words):

Pão de queijo — four cheese-bread rolls baked to order, lightly salted. The smell at the bar before kickoff is on purpose.

Pão de Queijo — ES (print, 21 words):

Pão de queijo — cuatro panecillos de queso horneados al momento, ligeramente salados. El aroma en la barra antes del partido es a propósito.

Pão de Queijo — PT (print, 20 words):

Pão de queijo — quatro pãezinhos assados na hora, levemente salgados. O cheiro no balcão antes do jogo é proposital.

(Contains: dairy, egg.) / (Contiene: lácteos, huevo.) / (Contém: laticínios, ovo.)

Caipirinha — EN house style (print, 18 words):

Caipirinha — Leblon cachaça, fresh lime muddled with raw cane sugar, on the rocks. The national drink of Brazil.

Caipirinha — ES (print, 19 words):

Caipirinha — cachaza Leblon, lima fresca macerada con azúcar de caña, en las rocas. La bebida nacional de Brasil.

Caipirinha — PT (print, 17 words):

Caipirinha — cachaça Leblon, limão fresco macerado com açúcar mascavo, no gelo. A bebida nacional do Brasil.

(Contains: alcohol.) / (Contiene: alcohol.) / (Contém: álcool.)

Delivery-platform lines (DoorDash + Uber Eats, Spanish toggle on, 96–110 chars per language):

EN — Picanha Plate — AAA Brazilian top sirloin cap, chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, black beans. GF. ES — Plato de Picanha — corazón de cuadril brasileño AAA, chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, frijoles negros. SG. PT — Picanha — picanha brasileira AAA, chimichurri, farofa, vinagrete, feijão preto. SG.

Compliance flags (multilingual audit):

"AAA-grade Brazilian" — verified on the Marfrig invoice; the AAA grade language carries identically into ES and PT (no translation drift on the meat-grade claim, which is a high-risk claim under FTC product-grading guidance and the Brazilian SIF / ANVISA equivalent)
"Pão de queijo baked to order" — verified with Chef Souza (each basket fired on guest order; pre-baked rolls explicitly disallowed)
"Leblon cachaça" — verified on the spirits invoice; brand name preserved verbatim in all three languages (no genericization to "cachaça")
"National drink of Brazil" — soft cultural claim; carries in EN/ES/PT but does not appear in DoorDash short line (truncation risk)
Service-charge transparency (Florida 2026-07-01 effective): the 18% auto-grat on parties of 6+ disclosure prints on every menu insert in all three languages above the cocktail section; Lucas (PT-fluent server) reads the PT script at check drop on Brazilian-guest tables
No machine-translation — all three language passes drafted by a native speaker (PT) and a near-native bilingual server (ES) and signed off by GM before print

Tradeoff note: the Brazilian-fan target audience knows the dish names — heavy translation ("Brazilian top sirloin cap" in English carries the dish for non-Brazilian guests but the PT line keeps "picanha brasileira" un-glossed because the PT-reader needs no gloss). The EN line carries the gloss; the PT line trusts the guest. This is the right asymmetry.

Cross-references: for the auto-grat disclosure PT/ES script and the World Cup 2026 host-city operator window, see World Cup 2026 Surge Playbook Steps 3 and 6. For the multilingual review-response thread that follows a successful Brazil-match watch-party seating, see Review Response Drafter Example 5. For the multilingual pre-shift huddle script on the night of the match, see Shift Prep Checklist Example 3. For multilingual staff-discipline correspondence in the same operator's BOH (e.g., a kitchen miss on a high-volume Brazil-match night), see _shared/email-drafter Step 11.