Why Do Some Restaurants Deliberately Remove Their Most Popular Dish?

A popular dish sounds like the safest thing on a menu.

• People know it.

• People order it.

• It sells.

So removing it can seem completely irrational but sometimes a dish becomes too successful.

• It can dominate the kitchen.

• It can require ingredients that are difficult to source.

• It can slow down service.

• It can stop customers from trying anything else.

And sometimes the restaurant simply wants to change what it is known for.

The strange part is that removing the thing people came for can actually make people more curious about what replaced it.