Savvy menu designers are quick to exploit consumer images of food on the basis of regional (multi state) and local (city or state) perceptions.  Place names like Carolina or Hawaii or Southwestern help the diner to mentally construct a vision of the fare being offered.  Well traveled and food conscious restaurant patrons are more likely than ever to draw the link between region, city or state and food.

Geographic associations take their cue from ethnic cuisines.  For most diners, Lasagna will always be linked with Italian as will Moussaka with Greek and Falafel with the Middle East.  Over time some menu items morph into mainstream American cuisine.  Most menu items, however, stay with the one who brought them to the table, the exceptions being spaghetti's ongoing migration into American and the eventual adoption or pilfering of quesadillas into Southwestern.

 

What exactly is a regional food?  

Every food writer and most consumers have a facility for connecting foods with various parts of the country.  In order to expand this knowledge base, Foodservice Research Institute used phone research to ask restaurant operators in each region of the US to list leading regional foods on their menus.  Most operators named two or three items. 

Region	Leading Regional Foods
Northeast	Lobster, meatloaf, soft shell crab, spaghetti with meat sauce, liver & onions, roast turkey dinner, eggs benedict, scrapple, home fries, blueberry pancakes, baked salmon, baked trout, crab cakes, large pancakes, belgian waffles
South	Fried chicken, chicken fried/country fried steak, biscuits & gravy, bbq ribs, bbq pork, bbq chicken, country ham, gumbo, open faced sandwiches w/gravy, etouffee, grilled hamburgers, blackened chicken, hamburger steak plate, fried potatoes
Central	Beef and mashed potatoes w/gravy, fish frys, pork tenderloin sandwiches, grilled pork chops, chicken fried/country fried steaks, breaded pork sandwich, chili w/ cornbread, sweet corn, farm fresh eggs, steaks
West	Chicken fried /country fried steaks, bbq ribs, chicken fried chicken, burgers, chili, hashbrowns, quesadillas, burritos, chips and salsa, enchiladas, biscuits and gravy, pot roast, chili rellenos, green chili stew, calabazita (Mexican puerco stew), bbq burgers

 

   

Leading American Cuisines

 

Leading Cities and States 

State and City names are mentioned on 3% of all items on chain menus.  Whether the reference is to Hawaiian Pizza or a Chicago Hot Dog or to Wisconsin Cheese Soup or Maine Lobster, a geographic connection builds on the folklore of places influencing the purchasing decision.

New York has captured a huge share of city mentions on menus mainly because of New York Strip Steaks and NY Pizza.  Texas comes in second followed by California.  Just about every state is mentioned in the MenuMine database of chain menus.  The task at hand for those responsible for menu content and promotion is to be certain that the cache of a particular state is strong in all parts of the country (if a national chain) or fairly well known in your locality.  Naturally, a little consumer research will pay dividends.

Leading Cities and States (basis 1095 menu items with state/city in name)
New York 24%	Florida 3%	Tennessee <1%
Texas 11%	Louisiana 3%	Mississippi <1%
California 10%	Denver 3%	Memphis <1%
Hawaii 8%	Wisconsin 3%	San Francisco <1%
Maine 7%	Idaho 2%	Virginia <1%
Alaska 6%	Colorado 2%	Kansas City <1%
Chicago 4%	Carolina 1%	Kentucky <1%
New Orleans 3%	St. Louis 1%	Georgia <1%
Boston 3%	Sante Fe 1%	Others

  

Leading American Cuisines

  

Regional and Local Menu Items

When determining the name of a menu item, operators are advised to observe seven essential menu design guidelines.  Somewhat similar to the "four P's" of packaged goods marketing, the "seven P's" are:

 - Protein --- is it beef, chicken, seafood or pork, or no protein?

 - Position on Menu --- is it an appetizer, sandwich, soup, salad or entree?

 - Price --- what does it cost and (how much do I get)?

 - Promotion --- what are the reasons why I should order the item?

 - Place --- what are the cuisine and image associations which further describe the menu item?

Note: place is often implied by the restaurant concept or the item name

 - Preparation --- is the item grilled, pan fried or deep fried or served chilled?

 - Profile of Flavors --- sauces, seasonings, cheeses, breads, batters, sides, dressing, stuffing/filling or other flavor enhancer used

All "7 P's" are essential to painting a complete picture of the food being offered.

State and City Related Menu Items  (selected from 1095 menu items with state/city in name)
Carolina Chicken Salad --- Ruby Tuesday	Florida Snapper --- Shula's Steak House
Mississippi Fried Catfish --- Dave & Busters	Georgia Chopped Pork ---Fox & Hounds
New York Style Pizza --- Sbarro	Louisiana Jambalaya --- Marie Callender's
Hawaiian Pizza --- Donato's Pizza	Chicago Dog --- Orange Julius
Texas Burger --- Houston's	St. Louis Ribs --- Buffalo's Southwest Cafe
Maine Lobster Dim Sum ---Roy's	Wisconsin Fried Cheese --- Joe's Crab Shack
Bone-In Kansas City Strip --- Sullivan's Steakhouse	California Burger --- Daily Grill
Colorado Prime Rib --- Durango Steak House	Boston Clam Chowder --- Anthony's Pier 4
Idaho Beef Tenderloin --- Trotter's To Go	Denver Omelet --- Ruby's Diner
Boston Cream Pie --- Baker's Square	Filet of Alaskan Cod --- Perko's Cafe
Shrimp New Orleans --- Bubba Gump Shrimp	New Orleans Jambalaya --- Houlihan's
Wisconsin Rainbow Trout --- McCormick & Schmick's	Mississippi Mudd Pie --- Po Folks
New York Strip Steak ---Perkins Rest. & Bakery	Grilled Hawaiian Salad --- Cheddar's
San Francisco Crab Cake --- Nieman Marcus	St. Louis Burger --- Johnny Rocket's
Sante Fe Mini Chimis --- American Cafe	Memphis Fries --- Red, Hot & Blue
Virginia Ham w/Raisin Sce. --- New Hampshire Univ.	Georgia Peach Smoothie --- World Wrapps
Prime New York Steak --- Maggiano's Little Italy	Wisconsin Cheese Soup --- Atlanta Bread Co.
Salad of Maine Lobster --- Oceana	Homestyle Texas Chili --- Iron Skillet

 

Locally Grown Fruits and Vegetables

Survey research conducted with restaurant operators by Foodservice Research Institute reveals that the leading locally grown produce used to prepare seasonal menu items are strawberries and pumpkins/squash.  Unlike tree fruits such as apples and citrus and vine fruits such as grapes, and tubers like potatoes, strawberries and pumpkin/squash are grown in just about all states.  One third of operators interviewed mention they use locally grown strawberries to prepare seasonal pies and shortcake.  Twenty percent mention pumpkin and squash, 20% fruit plates and fruit pies, 15% peppers for stews and chili.  Other produce mentioned include canteloupe and watermelon, sweet corn, green beans, okra, green tomatoes and sweet potatoes.