On the way to see Death Cab for Cutie in Montreal last night we made the customary stop at Harvey’s in Hudson for some much-needed pre-show eats. As I entered the establishment to order my usual Steve burger (that’s a regular hamburger with everything… but just a couple hot peppers) I was pleasantly greeted by the new in-store menu:

Apart from including prices and French translations, it was pretty much identical to this. I’m not sure how new it is, but it was new to me. Overall, I’m quite impressed by the clean, open design. Nothing but Helvetica bold and straight-ahead shots of their burgers against a white backdrop. Not exactly the typical fast food restaurant approach to visual communication. Much more reminiscent of something you’d see on a line of beauty products where design is a bit more mature and sophisticated. I think it’s a great move for Harvey’s – different categories of food were clearly organized by colour and just about every item on the menu had the same treatment you see above (name and large photo). In contrast to McDonalds’ way-too-jam-packed approach to their menu design, this is certainly a breath of fresh air… a warm onion-y breath, but a fresh one.