What Are Off-Menu Requests?
Off-menu requests are customer orders for items, modifications, or combinations not officially on the menu. This includes discontinued items customers remember, secret menu items from social media, unusual modification combinations, and items from other restaurants.
Why Off-Menu Handling Matters
customer experience
How off-menu is handled affects:
- Customer feeling heard and respected
- Frustration vs. accommodation
- Perception of flexibility
- Likelihood to return
How Voice AI Handles Off-Menu
Response Strategies
1. Fulfill if possible: Some requests are operationally doable
2. Offer alternative: “We don’t have that, but we do have…”
3. Clarify: “I’m not familiar with that—can you describe it?”
4. Escalate: Transfer to human staff seamlessly