FILM · 2022 · USA
The Menu
- Directed by
- Mark Mylod
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Studio
- Hyperobject Industries, Searchlight Pictures, Gary Sanchez Productions
71 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
Summary: TMDB
51 Interesting Facts About The Menu
- #001
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The burger eaten by Margot/Erin was a real burger, unlike the food seen throughout the rest of the film; the dishes created by Chef Slowik were prop food. Everyone on set who watched Anya Taylor-Joy eat the burger got so hungry that John Leguizamo ordered hamburgers and fries from Five Guys for the entire cast.
- #003
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At the start of the film, the customers are led to the restaurant by Elsa and a few goats. The Erguvan goat is a goat used to keep cattle and other animals calm while they are transported in trucks to slaughterhouses. This is a hint that the diners are the cattle being led to slaughter.
- #005
The entire kitchen team was trained to prepare the dishes station by station, so that when you look at them, they are all doing the correct things they would need to do for that dish if this were real life rather than a film.
- #007
The lavish food designs were prepared by the famous French chef Dominique Crenn, who (as of 2016) is the only woman chef to have earned three Michelin stars in the United States, for her restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. Although the actors and much of the crew tended to taste the flavors between takes, they had to be reminded that the food was mainly a prop and therefore inedible.
- #008
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The script contained an alternative ending in which a team of firefighters and investigators walks through the burned wreckage of the night and, behind a sealed fireproof door, finds Slowik's severed head smiling on a plate and his severed hands holding the title menu.
- #009
Food consultant and restaurateur Dominique Crenn was so impressed by Hong Chau's dedication and technique that she offered her a job at one of her restaurants.
- #012
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Tyler constantly talks about death and food, with lines like "to die for" and "embalm me in this," which makes sense later because he knew in advance that he would die at the end of the meal.
- #013
John Leguizamo told Entertainment Weekly that he based his character in the film on Steven Seagal. Noting that the two first met on the set of Executive Decision (1996) about 30 years earlier, he said: "I've met lots of these stars like that, maybe before they were washed up," adding, "I kind of based my take on Steven Seagal. We had a bad encounter. We did a movie together. It was Executive Decision. He's kind of a scary person."
- #014
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In the script, a broken Tyler/Craig originally accepted Slowik's offer to "learn" instead of hanging himself after being insulted by Slowik, and spent the rest of the dinner washing dishes, even ignoring Margot's attempt to persuade him to leave with her.
- #015
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There is an extra layer to the revelation that Margot is actually a prostitute. She is not just a prostitute but a high-end escort, which is probably why Tyler hired her for a non-sexual activity; many escorts offer services such as going on dates or talking. It is later revealed that the rich old man, who clearly knew he had hired her, essentially confirms that she has a wealthy clientele in general. This makes Margot even more like Julian, because, like him, she has been very successful in her career but no longer fully enjoys it because of how different wealthier clients are. It also adds layers to Julian's final request that she make him a cheeseburger. A prostitute's job is not only to indulge the client's fantasies but also to pretend to enjoy them enthusiastically and to build their confidence. All Julian wanted to do was flip one last burger, something that gave him far more pleasure than eating a cheeseburger would give Margot. His request can be seen as serving him in a non-sexual way, proving that he is a "giver" who understands his client's desires and can skillfully indulge them. Combined with his speech about dinner service being a showy relationship that no one enjoys, this did not escape Julian, who realized long ago that he had become a "taker." As a result, he lets her go and survive.
- #016
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Chef Slowik curses the customers who have the audacity to ask him for a menu change, even ordering a person killed partly because of such requests and shouting "THERE ARE NO SUBSTITUTIONS AT HAWTHORN!" while the murder is committed. This is a hint as to why the chef deviates from the menu to humiliate Tyler and then encourage his suicide: because Tyler forced Hawthorne to accept a substitution by bringing a different date at the last minute — Margot/Erin is literally a substitution. This may also be part of the reason she is ultimately allowed to survive.
- #017
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The s'mores course is inspired by the final dessert course at Alinea, the three-Michelin-star restaurant where chocolate and sweets are "painted" directly onto the table as a mural.
- #018
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In the Taco Tuesday course, chicken legs are served wrapped in a telephone cord, similar to the telephone cord with which Slowik's father tried to strangle his mother.
- #019
Hong Chau was one of the key architects of the character Elsa, who was somewhat limited on the page and was inspired by all the "funky people" Chau saw while filming Showing Up (2022) in Portland, Oregon. Elsa was initially meant to look very plain, very beige, and basically blend into the scenery.
- #020
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Elsa says chefs never intentionally burn anything unless it is necessary for the menu. The film ends with everyone on Hawthorne Island being burned to death at the end of the title menu.
- #021
Contains a major spoiler — show
Anya Taylor-Joy came up with the idea of Margot punching Tyler after learning that everyone knew from the start that they would all die.
- #022
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Although Slowik's fame, talent and celebrity are the film's focus, Margot is the only diner who eats the dishes Slowik makes throughout the film. Every dish served in the film is cooked by Slowik's team.
- #025
Dominique Crenn, chef of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, was used as a consultant on the film. Fiennes even adopted some of her mannerisms for Slowik. For example, Crenn is known for creating menus in the form of poetry, which is something Slowik does in the film.
- #026
The cast did a week of intense rehearsals before filming began. Covid protocols meant they formed a tight bubble that delivered a good performance on screen.
- #028
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The Chef mentions that bread is the food of ordinary people but refuses to serve it alongside the bread. This foreshadows the reason for the events in which he accuses his customers of being tasteless wealthy elites who have ruined the joy of cooking; "they own it."
- #029
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Chef Slowik calls someone "donkey" as a nod to Gordon Ramsay's use of the insult.
- #030
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The script does not reveal the words Chef Slowik says to the humiliated Tyler that hasten Tyler's suicide. It only states that what Slowik whispered to him "destroyed Tyler immediately."
- #033
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Tyler's incongruous calm in the face of all this chaos becomes far more meaningful when we learn that he was told in advance that no one from Hawthorne would get out alive.
- #035
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The descriptions of each dish as they appear on screen: CHEF'S WELCOME raw local oyster in mignonette emulsion, lemon caviar and oyster leaf. AMUSE BOUCHE compressed and pickled cucumber melon, milk skin, charred lace. THE ISLAND raw diver scallop, brined local seaweed and algae. BREADLESS BREAD PLATE No bread, salted accompaniments. MEMORY homemade smoked Bresse chicken leg al pastor, tortillas made with a heritage table, green salsa cubes. MESS pressure-cooked vegetables, seared fillet, potato confit, veal jus, bone marrow. REST IN PEACE. Jeremy Louden. PALATE CLEANSER wild bergamot and clover tea. MAN'S FOLLY dungeness crab, fermented yogurt whey, dried sea lettuce, umeboshi, seaweed. PASSARD EGG (a special bite for the last guest to be caught) egg, fresh cream and maple. TYLER'S BULLSHIT undercooked lamb, inedible shallot-leek butter sauce; a complete lack of harmony. EXTRA COURSE: A CHEESEBURGER just a well-made cheeseburger. S'MORE marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker, customers, staff, restaurant.
- #036
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Along with the appeal of Julian's former passion for cooking, allowing Margot to live can be seen as a successful case of Loophole Abuse; all of the various courses are taken seriously by the restaurant staff and evaluated to the end. Margot, wanting to take her food with her, signals that she plans to finish the meal, so the "course" cannot be completed unless she is (literally) allowed to leave.
- #037
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Tyler desperately wants Julian's approval but risks his anger by taking photos of the food despite Julian's explicit prohibition. However, it later emerges that Tyler knew he would be killed at the end of the meal, so he must have known he would never be able to show these photos to anyone, or even look at them again. Tyler is just that delusional.
- #038
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The radio in the cabin used to call the "Coast Guard" is a CB radio, not a VHF Radio set to channel 16. Channel 16 is the correct maritime channel for calling for help but is one unused on CB. Also, given Citizens Band's unreliability and limited transmission range (5 miles), the Coast Guard does not monitor this band, and it is unlikely to be picked up by authorities on the mainland.
- #039
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The washed-up movie star played by John Leguizamo hosts a travel and food show even though he is an expert in neither. This is a parody of the many celebrity-driven food and travel shows hosted by publicly known figures who have very little real connection to the subject. In 2023 he became the host of the MSNBC TV series Leguizamo Does America (2023), in which he traveled across the country to "celebrate the history, culture, food, and other contributions of Latin people shaping America."
- #040
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When the breadless bread plate is served, Margot is the only guest who says Slowik is insulting his guests rather than marveling at his ingenious ideas. She is not only right, but her ability to see what is really happening and act on it, instead of following the rhythm and routine everyone else is used to, may ultimately have saved her life.
- #041
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Anyone who has read about the Jonestown massacre and other cults would be a little suspicious upon seeing the barracks where the staff live. Their days also end at 2:00 a.m. and begin at 6:00 a.m., meaning they sleep four hours a night at best; sleep deprivation is one of the hallmarks of cult indoctrination. There is no private space, and even the toilets and showers are out in the open. Lack of sleep, privacy and any kind of individuality are the perfect conditions for a mass delusion. In the end, it turns out that Chef Slowik's sous-chefs and other staff members are fanatically devoted to their leader and what he represents, and are ready to die for him (or finally with him). The idea of a group of cult members loyal enough to their leader to commit suicide is unfortunately not unknown in real life. In addition to the aforementioned Jonestown massacre, in which cult leader Jim Jones poisoned around a thousand people (including many children) before taking his own life, there were the Heavens Gate suicides, in which Marshall Applewhite convinced 38 of his followers to kill themselves so that their consciousness would be carried to a UFO via the Hale-Bopp comet.
- #042
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At the start of the film, Tyler says that Margot's smoking will dull her palate and that she therefore will not be able to taste the food served at Hawthorn fully. Later, during the "Man's Folly" course, food critic Lillian is seen smoking with Margot. This may indicate, albeit indirectly, that her palate is not "clean" and that she is therefore not a proper food critic, since she would judge other restaurants poorly and unfairly. Another reason for her invitation to "The Menu" is made clear by Tyler and Margot's prominent seating in the first scene, as well as by Lillian's character rhythm.
- #043
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In Slowik's cabin there is an exact replica of the kitchen/dining room where the guests are served, showing how his life has been consumed by the fine dining industry.
- #044
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Slowik states that each guest should think of themselves as "Ingredients in a Degustation Concept." Later, they all become part of the ingredients of the final dish.
- #046
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"Coast Guard" saying that he loved George's and Julian's film, which Julian particularly despises and receives badly, is an early sign that he is another part of the restaurant's team. Julian used him to corner the actor.
- #047
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The Pacojet is mentioned occasionally in the dialogue — Tyler says he owns one, and when Slowik humiliates Tyler by cooking, he asks whether he would like to take the mixture of lamb and shallots and "jam it into the Pacojet." The Pacojet is a professional kitchen appliance, essentially a blender that works like a drill press, that turns deep-frozen foods into micro purées to produce creamy, smooth textures, and it sells for at least $6,000. Pacojets are usually owned by wealthy people who employ personal chefs. Toward the end of the film, during Margot's argument with Elsa, Margot throws a Pacojet at Elsa.
- #049
Another food consultant hired for the film was David Gelb, who was also brought on as a second unit director to recreate the filmmaking style of the Netflix documentary series Chef's Table (2015).
- #052
Director Mark Mylod admitted in interviews that, being English, he preferred fish and chips to the other dishes featured in the film.
- #053
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At the end of the night, Slowik mentions that the gift bags given to the remaining guests contain one of Verrick's fingers. This matches the number of remaining guests (10), given that Tyler is dead and Margot/Erin has left.
- #054
This was Mark Mylod's first theatrical film since What's Your Number? (2011), 12 years earlier. In the intervening years, Mylod directed episodes of some of the biggest TV hits, including The Affair (2014), Game of Thrones (2011) and Succession (2018).
- #055
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Lillian criticizes the "breadless bread plate" for containing a "broken" emulsion. An emulsion is a mixture of substances that do not combine with each other; in cooking it usually means oil and water with an emulsifier, a substance such as egg yolk that makes them combine. A broken emulsion is one in which the oil and water have separated again. It is possible that Slowik deliberately presented it to Lillian as broken to hint at the division between rich and poor that will take place later in the evening.
- #056
The boat on which the guests travel to the island was built by John Trumpy & Sons of Annapolis, MD, as shown by the ornate "T" on the bow. It resembles Angelus (originally Sinbad), built in 1969/70. It was one of the last Trumpy boats ever built; the shipyard closed a few years later when the era of handmade wooden luxury yachts came to an end. The choice of an old, classic boat like this seems to suit the Chef's "experience" culinary presentation.
- #058
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022, and also held its US premiere that month at Fantastic Fest. Its wide premiere took place in the United States on November 18, 2022, in 3,211 theaters, the widest release in Searchlight's history.
- #060
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Slowik's restaurant in the film sits on an isolated island reachable only by boat. This is a reference to the Willows Inn, run by chef Blaine Wetzel. The Willows Inn is located on Lummi Island and can only be reached by ferry.
- #061
The screenplay appeared on the 2019 edition of the Black List.
- #063
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During the Man's Folly course, the sous chef stabs Slowik with kitchen shears, just as Slowik stabbed his father as a child.
- #064
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The chef says he should have stabbed his father in the throat rather than the thigh, which is what later happens to a character in the film.
- #065
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After Margot kills Elsa at Slowik's house and returns to the restaurant, neither Slowik nor any of the staff and patrons notice that she is missing.
- #066
The hamburger served to Iris is presented on a ceramic plate designed to resemble a cheap paper plate.
- #067
Both Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy have appeared in Mad Max films; Hoult played Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and Taylor-Joy played a young Furiosa in the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024).
- #069
John Leguizamo plays a movie star who, as he himself notes, appeared in a film called "The Assault." John Leguizamo had in fact starred in a film called "Assault on Precinct 13" (2005).
- #070
Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult had previously appeared together in Clash of the Titans (2010).
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