Mitchell Kim

1/21/15
Writing 2
De Piero
Writing Project 1: The Pancake Menus Inside Scoop
Many people do not realize that different types of literary genre are present in almost any
form of writing. When people are asked to list a few of these genres, the most typical answers
are romantic, comedy, action, horror, etc. Although those are very legitimate and correct
examples, genres are not limited to only books and movies. Resumes, college acceptance letters,
receipts, advertisements, and even tweets are all forms of literary genre. It is far more complex
than just a simple discussion of types (Dirk 250). A strong grasp on the full meaning and
function of genre can lead to a better understanding of the rhetorical purposes of a writer. By
observing the presence/absence of specific conventions in menus of three popular breakfast
joints, one can observe that the awareness of genre not only helps the reader interpret the
writers intentions beyond what is written, but it also helps a writer achieve creativity in a certain
genre.
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP), Original House of Pancakes (OHOP), and
Dennys are all popular chains of restaurants that sell pancakes. To narrow the spectrum of
menus, these three restaurants were chosen so that only the Pancakes section of the menu
would be scrutinized. As one will soon see, although these three menus are very similar, there
are also very subtle differences. However, each will share enough conventions, or established
patterns, in terms of rhetorical features so that these genres can all be categorized as menus.
At first glance, IHOPs menu seems no different than any other typical menu. It lists the
different types of pancakes as well as a short description of the meal and a price. Along with the

name, there is a corresponding picture to give the customer an image of what to expect. Nothing
out of the ordinary. With a closer inspection, one can see that two of the newer, featured
pancakes (the Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes and the Red Velvet Pancakes (IHOP)) are noticeably
larger than the other selections. Furthermore, the background of the menu is a very light green,
which accentuates the images of the pancakes. The descriptions are no more than three
sentences, including adjectives such as sky-high and legendary award-winning (IHOP). There
is a short message that points to the Original Buttermilk Pancakes that says, What made us
famous! (IHOP). Maybe something to notice is that the images of delicious pancakes appears
before the name, though it could be just a coincidence. Anyways, those are just some surfacelevel features present on this portion of the menu. It seems like the author of this menu aimed
to manipulate the imagination of the customer, but more on that later.
The next menu to examine is that of OHOPs. After viewing the more exaggerated
descriptions of IHOP, in comparison, OHOPs menu is distinguishably dull. For example, it is noted
that the buttermilk pancakes are simply served with whipped butter and maple syrup (OHOP).
The descriptions are very straight-forward, and they dont entice the customers lust for
pancakes. It seems that the restaurant doesnt sugar-coat or exaggerate the dishes, contrary
to the components of IHOPs menu. Furthermore, although the names of dishes, descriptions,
and prices are all present, there are no pictures of each type of pancake. Not a single picture, in
fact, which was a huge component in IHOPs menu. In addition, there is a short motto about the
menu that says, The Worlds Most Copied Menu (OHOP). Overall, OHOPs menu is very simple
and succinct, appealing to the theme of originality in fundamentals over flashiness.

Lastly, Dennys menu offers a Build Your Own Pancakes feature that may appeal to the
customer. It has instructions on what to include in the creation, such as what size, batter,
toppings, etc. In each of those categories, the choices are listed in bullet points. Just like the other
two menus, the price is still present. However, similarly to IHOPs but different from OHOPs,
Dennys menu does have pictures of pancakes, though the images are very imaginative
combinations of different components to create obnoxious, yet appetizing and appealing,
pancakes. Building ones own pancakes seems to be a very popular choice when dining at
Dennys, and the author made sure to advertise it to its fullest potential.
After investigating the features of each literary piece, one can see although they differ in
some ways, these three literary genres are all qualified to belong in the genre of menus. Some
rhetorical features that they share are the audience and purpose. Obviously, each menu is
intended to persuade the customer to buy and eat the dish. In addition, similar conventions are
also apparent in each menu, such as the topic of pancakes and the different toppings including
the price. Though not entirely the same style, everyone can agree that the genre of these three
examples is menus. So now that the genre is proven and confirmed, one should consider a more
in-depth understanding of genre. Yes, they are all similar, but why are they different?
IHOPs menu included certain features that were subtly absent in the other two examples.
For example, the color and organization forced the eyes of the customer to focus on the pictures,
because the light background allowed the HD pancakes to pop out. As mentioned earlier, the
images of pancakes appears before the name of the dish. It seems the creator of this menu was
trying to intrigue the customer by first appealing to his or her visuals. Furthermore, the diction
used also attempts to persuade by exaggerating the features of the pancakes. Altogether, visuals

appears to be the main focus of this menu. Next, the objective of the writer of the OHOPs menu
is almost too obvious, so much so that the answer appears in the name of the restaurant. The
writer aimed to preserve the meaning of original by applying it to the menu, believing that the
long-lasting reputation would be able to sell pancakes. There is no need for delicious pictures or
flamboyant descriptions because these pancakes are just that amazing. The pancakes have been
able to survive since the restaurants opening as the original pancake because of its reputation
as a true, simple pancake, which is reflected in the menu design. The independence and free
choice is what is so compelling about the Dennys menu. The writer of the Dennys menu chose
to focus on the freedom of the customer to sell pancakes, which is shown in the example images
of created pancakes. In addition, the inclusion of the bullet points allow the customer to imagine
the infinite amount of combinations possible. Therefore, although each menu has the same
purpose to sell pancakes, each writer aimed to incorporate his or her own ingenious way of
attracting customers. This distinction was only made possible by understanding the conventions
that make up a genre. By first separating the characteristics of each menu by similarities and
differences, then understanding which conventions can be broken to enhance certain aspects of
genres, one can have a clearer idea of why authors choose to format pieces with specific
approaches.
Each author was successfully able to convey their theme or purpose in their respective
menus because each of them had a full understanding of the conventions and rhetorical features
of menus. For instance, choosing to simplify the menu by dismissing the use of pictures and
shortening its descriptions in the OHOP menu can only be determined if the author believes that
manipulating those features will enhance the menu. In a sense, exploiting those factors to his

benefit is a form of creativity in itself. Another example of such creativity is the authors handling
of visuals in the IHOP menu. Believing that the restaurant has to sell the customer on the
product, the author chose to add numerous images of pancakes and to exaggerate the diction to
hopefully entice the customer. If someone has a strong grasp on genre awareness and the
conventions that make up said genre, one can manipulate the facets to his or her own benefit.
Therefore, enhancing and stressing these conventions allowed the authors to achieve their own
form of inventiveness in their respective menus.
After finding what components make up a certain genre with the use of several examples,
one may wonder why some conventions remain constant and fixed, while others are absent. As
a writer, understanding genre can help determine which conventions can be broken so that the
writing can be innovative and creative, yet still considered in the same genre. It can help
people accomplish goals, whether that goal be getting a job by knowing how to write a stellar
resume, winning a persons heart by writing a romantic love letter, or getting into college by
writing an effective personal statement (Dirk 253). If one were assigned the task of writing a
menu, one may struggle because he/she most likely wasnt taught how to make one. Therefore,
the value of teaching genre awareness rather than acquisition of particular genres will benefit
the writer (Dirk 259). As a reader, understanding genre can allow oneself to further perceive the
intentions of the writer. As shown in the pancake menus, each author was able to be creative by
manipulating certain conventions while still remaining in the menus genre. In addition, by
inspecting the reasoning of the absence and additions of certain conventions, the reader was
able to fully understand the writers ambitions.

Works Cited
Kerry Dirk, Pavel Zemliansky, and Charles Lowe. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. West
Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2010. Web.
"The Original Pancake House." The Original Pancake House. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
"Welcome to America's Diner." Denny's Restaurants. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
"Welcome to IHOP." Welcome to IHOP. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.