86% of Gen Z and Millennials have 'menu anxiety'

[mike carey]

9 hours ago, Lotus-eater said:

In this American's mind, a "phone torch" looks something like this:

Haha, this Australian read it without a second thought. Torch is THE word for what some call a flashlight. 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 4/17/2025 at 4:05 PM, samhexum said:

I took my first-ever Uber last month. The entrance to the highway is around the corner from me.  The driver followed his GPS to take the streets to the next entrance.  It took about ten minutes to get on a couple of hundred feet further along the way.

I've had similar Uber experiences, where the driver blindly follows Uber's route and takes me on side streets for 10 miles instead of the interstate at 3 AM when there is no traffic or construction.  Since reading your post, I searched how to communicate route preferences for Uber drivers.  The result:  Simply tell your driver (verbally) the directions you want him to take while you're in the automobile.

I noticed in the past that Uber drivers in my area never used the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to avoid congestion.  Now, I tell them up front "Please use the HOV lanes if it's faster".  Most of them have never used the express lanes before, because their app never told them to.   So, I have to tell them where to enter and where to exit for the quickest route to the airport. 

To the topic of menu anxiety:  I guess it would be too much information if customers were given the option to select from a choice of routes when also choosing a driver.  Some things are best handled the old-fashioned way, like giving directions from the backseat.

[+ Gar1eth]

On 12/19/2023 at 2:29 AM, Jamie21 said:

Best to be vegetarian. 90% of the choices are off the menu for you. Much simpler. 

 

On 12/19/2023 at 3:10 AM, mike carey said:

Better yet, be a vegan. That way there's no menu anxiety, AND you have something you can talk about loudly in the restaurant! (sniggers to oneself)

On 12/19/2023 at 7:00 AM, maninsoma said:

Apparently anxiety is the "in" condition, and it certainly isn't limited to Gen Z and Millennials.  Just look at the normalization of "emotional support animals."  It must be terrible to be so emotionally fragile that you cannot shop for groceries without your dog.

I was at a Neighborhood Walmart just the other day.  Woman had a dog in the cart in the area where a child would sit. There was no blanket or anything covering the cart. And the animal did not have any emotional 'signage' on him indicating that he was an emotional support animal. It just infuriates. For one thing it's not sanitary. For another thing it's against the law. I actually told the woman she shouldn't be doing it for health reasons and that it was illegal. She said something like 'ok'. But  for some reason that I can't fathom, she didn't look too pleased with me. 🤷🏻 

[+ FrankR]

7 hours ago, Gar1eth said:

 

I was at a Neighborhood Walmart just the other day.  Woman had a dog in the cart in the area where a child would sit. There was no blanket or anything covering the cart. And the animal did not have any emotional 'signage' on him indicating that he was an emotional support animal. It just infuriates. For one thing it's not sanitary. For another thing it's against the law. I actually told the woman she shouldn't be doing it for health reasons and that it was illegal. She said something like 'ok'. But  for some reason that I can't fathom, she didn't look too pleased with me. 🤷🏻 

I see this quite often in my own neighborhood. Almost always women and they are older, not Milennials or Gen Z. I’m a dog person, but cant think of a reason why I would do this…subjecting poor Fido to the Walmart odor must be torture! 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

13 hours ago, Gar1eth said:

 

I was at a Neighborhood Walmart just the other day.  Woman had a dog in the cart in the area where a child would sit. There was no blanket or anything covering the cart. And the animal did not have any emotional 'signage' on him indicating that he was an emotional support animal. It just infuriates. For one thing it's not sanitary. For another thing it's against the law. I actually told the woman she shouldn't be doing it for health reasons and that it was illegal. She said something like 'ok'. But  for some reason that I can't fathom, she didn't look too pleased with me. 🤷🏻 

There is no "law" for emotional support animals, only trained guide dogs and horses.  Businesses can and should be not allowing these animals when health codes require it. 

I occasionally see managers/owners of businesses require guests with animals to leave.  I am sure to thank them afterwards, because they are going against loud social pressure.