Operations

Smaller menus may not be the growth hack restaurants thought they were

As restaurants continue to balance operational simplicity with the need to give guests reasons to visit, the menu-size debate is unlikely to disappear. The latest data suggests that simply cutting items isn't a growth strategy by itself, however.

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October 9, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

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For years, restaurant operators have been told that less is more when it comes to menus. We've heard that smaller menus can reduce operational complexity, improve execution and allow brands to focus on their best-performing items. Analysis from Bikky, however, suggests menu size alone may not be the growth driver operators have assumed.

Small-menu restaurant brands were growing faster than their large-menu counterparts earlier in the three-year period analyzed, but that advantage has largely disappeared. More recently, individual brand performance has varied far more within each menu-size group than between the two groups.

In other words, having fewer menu items doesn't automatically translate into faster growth.

The findings come as restaurant brands continue to rethink their menus. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in January 2025 that the chain's menu had become "overly complex" and announced plans to cut roughly 30% of its food and beverage items.

Chili's CEO Kevin Hochman has also described the brand's approach as "doing fewer things a whole lot better." The chain has removed about a quarter of its menu since 2022. At the same time, brands such as Dave's Hot Chicken and Raising Cane's have built rapid growth around highly focused menus.

Industry research has also linked menu simplification with stronger sales growth. Aaron Allen & Associates, for example, has reported that chains that simplified their menus outpaced peers in sales growth. Bikky's analysis, however, suggests the relationship isn't quite that simple.

Small-menu advantage fades

Bikky compared monthly transaction and revenue data from restaurant brands between September 2023 and August 2026, grouping brands based on the number of distinct entrees recorded at their registers during a typical month. The analysis included restaurants that were open during both the current month and the same month a year earlier and weighted each brand and month equally.

A year ago, small-menu brands were outperforming large-menu brands by about 5 percentage points in both transaction and revenue growth. The difference wasn't being driven by higher checks. Average check growth was nearly identical between the two groups, meaning traffic was the primary reason small-menu brands were ahead.

That advantage has since narrowed dramatically.

Over the most recent 12 months, small-menu brands were ahead by only about 1 percentage point in both transactions and revenue. By early 2026, the two groups had essentially converged.

That raises a bigger question for operators: If menu size isn't creating the gap, what is?

Brand strategy may matter more than menu size

The biggest surprise in the analysis was how differently individual brands performed within the same menu-size category.

Among the small-menu brands studied, the difference between the fastest- and slowest-growing brands was about 40 percentage points in transaction growth over the most recent 12 months. Some small-menu brands were growing rapidly while others were declining.

Large-menu brands were more consistent. Nearly all of the large-menu brands in the analysis grew faster over the most recent 12 months than they had the previous year, generally by a few percentage points. The spread between the fastest- and slowest-growing brands remained around 8 percentage points.

That suggests operators may want to look beyond the number of items on the menu when evaluating growth.

A smaller menu can help simplify operations, but it doesn't necessarily determine whether guests visit more often, spend more or return.

Restaurant menus keep getting bigger

The findings also come as the broader restaurant industry continues to add menu items despite the increased focus on simplification.

Datassential reported that average restaurant menu sizes have grown roughly 23% over the past two decades, including a 20% increase among QSRs.Technomic found that QSR core menus have grown 6% since 2021, even as brands continue to introduce and rotate limited-time offerings.

Individual chains moving in different directions

Chili's and Papa John's have discussed removing menu items to reduce complexity and improve execution. Domino's and Wingstop, meanwhile, have expanded their menus as part of broader growth strategies.

CAVA has also added items while emphasizing the importance of avoiding additional operational complexity.

The takeaway: There isn't one menu strategy that works for every brand. Start with the guest, not the menu count

Bikky's analysis doesn't suggest menu size has no impact on restaurant performance. Instead, it points to a more complicated relationship between menu strategy and growth.

The brands growing fastest aren't all operating with small menus, just as the brands growing slowest aren't all operating with large ones.

For operators, the more important question may be what a menu change is supposed to accomplish.

Adding or removing items can be designed to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, improve attachment or drive more repeat visits.

That means operators need to measure what happens after the menu changes.

Bikky tracks metrics including new guest acquisition, visit frequency, attachment rate and return rate to evaluate how menu decisions affect guest behavior.

OperationsBikky Inc.Starbucks

About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is Publisher of FastCasual.com and Vice President of Connect Food. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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