New research by OpenTable, the world’s leading restaurant booking service, reveals that almost 8 out of 10 (79%) diners feel restaurant menus can be overly confusing, and over half (51%) the UK have had to ask a waiter/waitress to explain an item on a restaurant menu. As a nation it appears Brits aren’t embarrassed by their confusion with three quarters (76%) of the UK admitting they’ll happily ask a waiter/waitress to explain an item on the menu. Additionally, it seems women are more inquisitive than men, with 54% of female diners admitting they have asked for an item to be explained, compared to 49% of men. Though, when analysing the data by age, it was revealed that the younger generation are more reluctant to ask for assistance, with 40% of 18-24 year olds admitting they have felt too embarrassed to enquire about a confusing dish, compared to just 13% of over 55’s. Diners in Wolverhampton are the most discerning when it comes to understanding dishes on UK menus, with just 32% having asked their server for an item’s description. Coventry diners are the least knowledgeable, with almost two thirds (63%) admitting they need some assistance on occasion. The study also discovered the top ten most confusing words on British menus, with Salmagundi - a salad dish with 17th century origin which has come back in to popularity on gourmet menus - coming out on top as the most confusing word on UK menus. For the full top ten, please go to Sectors at the top, then Restaurants and then go to the Restaurant News tab in the right hand panel. (source: Open Table)