Judge a book by its cover? Never. Judge a restaurant by its menu? Always. Restaurant menus didn’t become commonplace until the 1800s, but once they did, they quickly became a go-to marketing tool for restaurateurs as well as a treasured keepsake for diners.
The new book Menu Design in America, 1850-1985 (available in August from Taschen) chronicles the graphic and gastronomic history of eating out in the US with 800 examples of thoughtful designs. You’ll never again be able to look at a menu in that slightly nonchalant, “I’ll eat whatever” kind of way.
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