“I think it’s change or die,” Jonathan Bennett, chef-partner at Moxie in Beachwood, told me.

And, true to his word, the chef just unveiled the 18-year-old East Side restaurant’s first major menu overhaul in years. Starting now, diners at Moxie will notice a considerable transformation that has taken place on the pages of the menu.

Gone is the small-, medium- and large-plate format that “confused diners” and attempted to coerce them into eating more than they wanted, Bennett explained. It has been replaced by a more straightforward roster loaded with salads, sandwiches and entrees built around smaller portions of protein that allow the restaurant to reduce prices. Diners will also see that some of the popular entrees can be ordered in half portions.

“The thought process behind it is that five to 10 years ago we ate out maybe two or three times a week as a general population,” Bennett says. “Today, we eat out six, seven or eight times a week, but our budget for eating out has not doubled or tripled along with it. You have to accept that you just can’t have the menu price point that we used to have and expect to do 200 covers on a Wednesday night.”

Take a look. 


This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2016.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

5 replies on “Moxie Unveils New Menu with Significant Changes in Format”

  1. Since when was a grilled cheese a bargain at $15.50? Is that the reduced price?!?! A cheeseburger shouldn’t cost $16.50! $6.00 french fries? You can buy ten pounds of potatoes for that price! This menu is ridiculous.

  2. I have to agree with the above poster. Those prices are silly. I’m in LA and a grilled cheese doesn’t even cost $15 here. $10-11 is the usual price point. Of course, a grilled cheese shouldn’t cost more than $8…

  3. I have to agree with the above poster. I’m in LA and a grilled cheese doesn’t even cost $15 here. $10-11 is the usual price point. Of course, a grilled cheese should never cost more than $8 no matter where you live.

  4. I have to agree with the above poster. I’m in LA and a grilled cheese doesn’t even cost $15 here. $10-11 is the usual price point. Of course, a grilled cheese should never cost more than $8 no matter where you live.

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