Menu Design & Trends

I've always been fascinated by the sheer brutality of scale some kitchens face, and this floating city serves 30,000 meals a day with military precision that would make most land-based operations weep. The logistics alone — managing a million-dollar weekly food budget while trapped at sea — is the kind of operational nightmare that separates the real cooks from the pretenders.

I've watched enough TikTok food hacks to know that 90 percent are garbage engineered for views, not flavor — but the other 10 percent occasionally crack open something real about how customers actually want to eat. This one's worth mining for those moments when internet stupidity accidentally becomes menu inspiration.

Watching someone methodically work through an entire country's fast food landscape isn't just entertainment — it's competitive intelligence disguised as content. Every chain Nick hits represents menu engineering decisions that moved millions of customers, speed-of-service solutions your kitchen could steal, and flavor profiles that Americans haven't seen coming yet.

Watching a family work their way through every chain's idea of "spicy" is basically a crash course in how corporate R&D thinks about heat — which is to say, not at all like the line cook who actually has to explain to customers why their "fire sauce" tastes like ketchup with cayenne. The real education here isn't the Scoville ratings, it's seeing how disconnected most chains are from what spice actually does to food beyond marketing buzz.

McDonald's isn't just slinging burgers—it's running the most ruthlessly efficient food machine ever built, and this breakdown of their $2.1 billion empire will make you rethink everything you know about menu engineering. Every operator should study how they turn commodity ingredients into profit margins that would make your accountant weep with joy. This is systems thinking at its most brutal and beautiful.

I've watched too many restaurants blow their budgets on logos that look like they were designed by someone's nephew in art school. Bierut knows what the hell he's talking about — this breakdown of what separates memorable marks from forgettable garbage will save you from making the same mistake when you're building your brand.

I don't care if you think Chick-fil-A is fast food trash — their franchise model is pure genius and every operator should study how they've flipped the traditional power dynamic. While other chains bleed franchisees dry with upfront fees, CFA keeps operational control and splits profits 50/50, creating operators who actually give a damn about execution. It's the difference between renting a kitchen and owning the results.

Look, this isn't haute cuisine, but if you're trying to teach your line cooks how to think about prep efficiency or you're developing grab-and-go concepts, MikeG breaks down the fundamental mistakes that kill meal prep operations. The guy understands that consistency and proper planning separate the pros from the weekend warriors who flame out after two weeks. Sometimes the best lessons come from watching people fail at the basics.

Watching someone methodically work through every viral TikTok food trend before the platform potentially disappears is the kind of market research most chefs pretend they don't need to do. The truth is, whether you like it or not, these stupid trends move product — and understanding what hooks people before it hits your competitors' menus is just smart business. Sometimes the best menu development happens when you're paying attention to what you think is beneath you.

I know what you're thinking—architecture in a kitchen directory? But the way this guy breaks down concept development is exactly what separates restaurants that last from the ones that flame out after eighteen months. The methodology for building a coherent design language translates perfectly to menu concepts, and frankly, most chefs could learn something about creating a through-line that isn't just "elevated comfort food."

Look, I get it — TikTok recipes sound like amateur hour bullshit, but ignoring what's actually driving traffic to your competitors is how you end up serving yesterday's menu to tomorrow's empty dining room. This breakdown cuts through the viral nonsense to show you what's actually working and why, which is exactly the kind of intel you need when your next menu meeting rolls around.

Watching influencers chase viral TikTok foods through Tokyo convenience stores isn't exactly culinary education, but there's something here for anyone designing menus in 2024. The Japanese convenience food game — those perfectly engineered textures, the way they make processed feel premium — that's the real trend worth studying. Your customers are already eating this stuff on their phones.