Abstract
Restaurants face the challenge of lacking systematic integration pathways in their sustainability transition (ST), struggling to fully incorporate sustainable principles throughout their operational systems. In this context, menu design demonstrates significant potential as a strategic tool to drive comprehensive ST. This study employs Goffman's dramaturgical theory to conceptualize restaurants as "social theaters," examining how menus function as "scripts" to systematically drive ST. Through analysis of eight representative cases, the research: 1) develops an integrated framework comprising three strategic dimensions, including nine key design intervention tactics that provide concrete implementation pathways for restaurant ST; 2) reveals three agency mechanisms of menus, theoretically elucidating the operational alignment logic and core value propositions required to drive ST in restaurants. The study reconstructs discrete menu design elements into an agentic "performance system," providing both theoretical foundation and practical pathways for the catering industry to achieve substantive ST.
Keywords
Menu Design; Sustainability Transition; Restaurant Ecosystem; Dramaturgical Approach
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1443
Citation
Zhang, H., Zhang, K., Jiang, Y., and Siu, K. (2026) From Passive List to Active Script: Menu Design as a Strategic Agent for Restaurant Sustainability Transformation, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1443
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
From Passive List to Active Script: Menu Design as a Strategic Agent for Restaurant Sustainability Transformation
Restaurants face the challenge of lacking systematic integration pathways in their sustainability transition (ST), struggling to fully incorporate sustainable principles throughout their operational systems. In this context, menu design demonstrates significant potential as a strategic tool to drive comprehensive ST. This study employs Goffman's dramaturgical theory to conceptualize restaurants as "social theaters," examining how menus function as "scripts" to systematically drive ST. Through analysis of eight representative cases, the research: 1) develops an integrated framework comprising three strategic dimensions, including nine key design intervention tactics that provide concrete implementation pathways for restaurant ST; 2) reveals three agency mechanisms of menus, theoretically elucidating the operational alignment logic and core value propositions required to drive ST in restaurants. The study reconstructs discrete menu design elements into an agentic "performance system," providing both theoretical foundation and practical pathways for the catering industry to achieve substantive ST.