Chain Leader

   With so much at stake, it’s easy to see where menu writing can get bogged down. It’s important to recognize basic cultural norms, like knowing that mainstream America prefers not to think about eating specific anatomical parts, and it pays to know the demographic makeup of your diners.

   “Helping to make diners’ food selection easy is our job,” asserts Jeff Tenner, executive director of culinary operations at the Boston-based Legal Sea Foods. “We don’t want them to hold the menu for too long and slow down the ordering process.”
   Using commonly understood words on the menu makes items accessible to diners. When Roasted Ancho Chile Chicken undersold at Legal Sea Foods, Tenner changed the name to Apricot-Glazed Chicken and watched sales dramatically increase. Diners assumed that ancho meant spicy-hot rather than smoky-mild.