Gus's Chicken Menu Analysis
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
As you walk into a restaurant for the first time, you begin to notice things. You may begin to gain awareness of the restaurant decor, the music playing and the atmosphere of the place. You may then start to recognize the types of people working and eating at the restaurant. Many factors go into making a restaurant its own, and by recognizing these factors one by one you start to figure out what a restaurant is all about. One major tool that implements smooth sailing in the kitchen and majorly shapes every customers judgment and understanding of the restaurant is the menu. A menu is the beating heart of a restaurant and without a successful, strong, beating heart; the restaurant will not be able to stay alive. At Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, their menu uses elements of simplicity, originality and tradition, creating a draw for customers all across the United States who are looking for some down home Southern cooking.
When the laminated Gus’s menu is slapped down in front of you by the local waitress who wouldn't rather be anywhere else, The first thing you notice is how bare naked it looks. But don't let the vulnerability of its nakedness fool you. The menu is bare and concise because it can be. This menu is practically telling the customer to shut up and eat some chicken because that is what this place is famous for. They don't need to go in depth about their chicken because its “World Famous” title says it all. The short disclaimer letting the customer know what comes with the meal they are ordering is as in depth as the menu gets. The simplicity of the menu lets the first time customers know that what this restaurant is known for is chicken and if you are looking for something else you probably shouldn't be at Gus’s. A broad and concise menu can also tell us that a lot of the customers must have an idea of what Gus’s is about. If people had no idea what they served they would need to have a more in depth menu, but because of the fame and fortune that has followed the Gus’s Fried Chicken name, they are able to give customers a simply southern menu with simple southern items that read, “Whole Chicken.”
The South may be known for a lot of things but one of the best things could quite possibly be the food. Nothing makes you feel better after a breakup, or cures a hangover faster than some greasy Southern food. Being in a college town, Gus’s is likely to attract hungry, hung-over college boys and sorority girls looking to cheat on their Spring Break diets. Even reading the words “Mac and Cheese” and “Fried Pickles with Ranch” puts a smile on anybody's face no matter what kind of day they have had. At Gus’s it doesn't matter what age you are, or what stage you're at, because there’s a menu item for everyone at every time.
Even though the Gus’s menu is simple, and lacks juicy descriptions of the menu items, Gus’s menu still makes your mouth water by playing mind games with you. The customer is presented with simple lists of endless Southern comfort food that leave so many delicious details up to your imagination. By leaving out the colorful descriptions of the foods, the customer is left on the edge of their seat dreaming and drooling over what they believe their meal will be like until it is placed in front of them. The unknown factors of the menu can make the dining experience very exciting if done successfully. However, If Gus’s didn't have fame surrounding their name, unknown factors on the menu may make the customers imagination run in the negative direction, but because Gus’s chicken is well known, people can confidently order something they know little about and believe it will be good. Menus have the power to create emotions and communicate ideas by the way the are read by the customer.
The categories that the Gus’s menu is organized into helps the customer in the ordering process by making blind suggestions. For example, the “Snacks” category may help the person out who may not be up for conquering a whole plate of fried chicken and is over the age of 12 therefore, unable to order from the kids menu. This may ultimately help the restaurant save food. There are also many situations where offering smaller portions are beneficial to the customers. For example: Girls may not want to order too much food on a date, students may want a quick snack in between classes and local men may stop by for a quick bite during work. Different portion sizes and different cuts of either white or dark meat make the menu very versatile for the variety of customers.
Another range of customers is being reached out to with the “Dessert” category. Sweet tooth is real and it is everywhere. Gus’s offers many varieties of one dessert option: pecan, chess, old-fashioned and sweet potato pie. Sticking with just pies for dessert can communicate with the customers that they not only know what they are doing when cooking chicken, but they've mastered pie baking as well. Having a dessert section makes the restaurant available for a full three-course meal and with a kids menu available, this place immediately becomes a draw to the local families. The down home, southern feel of the restaurant is already so strongly portrayed through the menu and the comfort of pies may create a feeling of nostalgia for certain customers.