If you’ve got the appetite for it, here’s the wild ending of The Menu fully explained

Last year’s horror-thriller The Menu was, in my opinion, a mess – but the wild food and extravagant cooking and chaos that ensues has got everyone online talking about it. Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes are great actors and do a good job, but the film is a mixed bag to say the least. Anyway, that aside – you might want to know what exactly this film is, what happens and how it ends if you haven’t got the time or patience to force yourself to a cinema to watch it. I’ve got you covered – here’s the full ending explained of The Menu.

What’s it actually about?

The Menu is a satirical horror thriller about an EXTREMELY boujie restaurant ran by a celeb chef, and stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult amongst other names as guests to an exclusive dinner. Of course, it’s not all they signed up for – and the guests end up fighting for survival.

Taylor-Joy plays Margot and Hoult plays Tyler, and the film starts with them on their yacht to Julian Slowik’s exclusive Hawthorne restaurant on a private island. They’re joined by a wealthy businessman and his wife, a food critic and her editor, a failing movie star and his girlfriend, three rowdy business men and Slowik’s alcoholic mother.

The film takes a turn when the meal starts – and Slowik’s plan starts to unfold even more and more deranged. At one point, one of his sous chef’s shoots himself before the course. There feels like there’s no way out for the guests, but Margot – who is actually a sex worker called Erin hired by Tyler to be his date – hatches a plan.

The Menu ending explained

Because Erin/Margot isn’t actually part of Slowik’s plan, he gives her the choice to join the staff or the guests. With Erin officially on the side of the staff, Slowik gives her the task of going fetching a barrel from the outside. When Erin goes, she starts snooping to find out what she can about Slowik – and his maitre’d Elsa tries to kill her for it. Erin kills Elsa in self defence.

Erin finds out that Slowik used to work in a fast food restaurant – and she finds a radio. She calls for the coast guard, who shows up but reveals himself to work for Slowik and refuses to help. This is when Erin has a brainwave on how to get out of there – she decides she’s going to mock Slowik’s food.

Erin starts to say she’s still hungry and basically rips Slowik’s ridiculous meals for being style over substance, and orders him to make her a cheeseburger and fries.

WHAT DOES THE CHEESEBURGER MEAN???

The humble cheeseburger and fries is the perfect denouement to The Menu ending explained story, because it’s symbolic – and the highlight of the whole film. And I’m saying that as someone who overall hated this movie. Slowik had fallen out of love with his profession, and his murder of his guests and planned suicide was a reflection of how unsatisfied he’s become.

Erin tapped into the origin of his career, where it all began. She ordered something simple that he likely NEVER made, and Slowik took up the chance with glee. When he serves it perfectly to order for Erin, she asks for it to go. Slowik is thrilled by her wit and intelligence, and lets her leave. Erin then watches Hawthorne burn to the ground as the rest of the guests and staff are made into stores via the fire and marshmallow hats.

The cheeseburger acts as the final deconstruction of fancy foodie culture and how we lose ourselves in money and status, when simplicity and no frills can ignite passion and heart.

The Menu is streaming now on Disney+.

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