If I'm going somewhere new, I have to know what I'm going to pick beforehand if possible.

If i'm going somewhere i've never been it is really important. I need to know if it's in my price range for the occassion and see if there are things on the menu that cater to everyone's taste.
I don't decide what I'm going to have I just have to make sure there's something the picky eaters will enjoy, or I guess what I'm in the mood for too!
But the $$ is the most important reason i want to see it!

It's nice to know a price range.

on occasion this has totally annoyed me, and it also bugs me when they have the menu but with no prices

sometimes it's nice to be able to check for when you're planning a dinner and you're inviting others...sometimes picky or cheap others...

Seeing the menu beforehand gives you a kind of feel for the restaurant . . . prices, genre of foods, appeal, etc. And the menu can kind of give you an idea of how casual a place you're looking at, so you can get a cue about what to wear, if you've never been there . . . it's just nice to have an idea of what to expect!

I'm kind of obsessed with looking at restaurant menus online... not only for the prices but when trying to decide between two places I like to know what they offer.

I like to know the calorie counts before I order something. Even if I just order the least healthy thing anyway, at least I know going in.

It depends on the place; I'm old enough to remember actually trying a place without knowledge of its menu beforehand. Frankly, I find that more exciting.

Totally

I hate when they have the menu but no prices!

It's not totally annoying. I don't think I would get bent out of shape about it, but putting a menu online feels like common practice these days. Most of the restaurants I eat at have their menu online and if they don't, then I'll go to MenuPages.com or some other restaurant review site to get a feel for the price range and see what people recommend eating. Or I just won't eat there.

I don't get out as often as I wish now that I have kids so when I do go out I want it to be enjoyable. I have a restricted diet so if I don't go prepared I could find myself not able to order anything. I love when the menus (even better nutritional info) is posted online.

I find it totally annoying and last night I was making reservations for a group that includes a vegetarian and me (very allergic to all seafood) and in Baltimore where there is a lot of seafood. I can't make reservations at restaurants without knowing that there will be food for both of us.

I prefer to look ahead because I'm really slow to make a choice of what to order.

I love looking at menus online, but some of the better restaurants don't have menus online because the selection changes so often.

Yes, but it annoys me even more when they don't list prices!

Yes, it annoys me. I always feel like those restaurants are behind the times.

I look for the menu items more than the prices. Yesterday I read about steaks at an Argentine place in SF. I checked out the menu and based on what I saw I will be going there soon....El Raigon is the name by the way.

Yes. It's totally annoying. What's more annoying is having an online menu with no detailed images of each dish, because a detailed,literary description of a meal does not do it for me. When it comes to food, I would LOVE to see an example of the dish. Another detail that is annoying are online menue with no prices. I don't, so much care for the dollar signs indicating how pricey a meal is (such as: $=inexpensive, $$=moderate, $$$=bring the Amex card for it holds an unlimited credit limit). Instead, give me an exact price for a dish or a pricing "range", so I'll know what to expect comes "check" time. I'm not one for surprises.

Detailed images? really? I think that's a bit much...although Alinea has the BEST online gallery of food.

Usually pictures of food on a menu is a downgrade for me; makes me think of eating at Chilis or TGIFridays or some chain restaurant.

I believe every restaurant should have their menu online. In fact, I have a website that does it for restaurants - if they have a website or not. People like a one-stop shop for menus but it's so hard to convince restaurant owners that they need to be there.

it really does not matter to me, if there is a menu online then great.

Hate it. And even worse: When it is online, but then a totally different menu once you get there. (I'm not talking about daily/seasonal menu-type places either.)

i always check menus before going to a restaurant and when they're not online, its such a pain. plus, i'm vegan so i need to know if i should bring in a granola bar to go along with my 'side salad'

I like it when the menu is online, but it's not absolutely critical to me. I do like to know what I'm going to order before I get there, though. And my husband likes to know the prices beforehand so he can anticipate what the bill will be.

completely
especially when I'm trying to scope out the menu to decide what's the healthiest yet yummy thing I can order

Eh not so much...

Super annoying. If they won't have it, I call and ask them to fax me one.

I need to know the prices before I pick it. So that is my main reason for checking. But I look at the food too because I am a pretty picky eater.

Oh, and I always check what kind of beer they have since that is what my boyfriend likes.

I run a website called iGotMunchies.co.uk. My aim is to create a single website where people can access menus for restaurants and takeaways as well as include all the links to the buy online places etc. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

im big on looking up a menu online of a place i havent been to before. i hate it when its not online!! b/c i try to see if a place has seafood/vegan/ kosher options for me, or else its pointless to go there at all if i cant eat anything

I don't necessarily mind if a restaurant doesn't have their menu up. It might just mean that their menu rotates and they don't update their website everytime it does, so they might as well not have it up.

What does annoy me is when the menu is up, but the prices are not listed.

Yes, it does annoy me. I'm a picky eater, and I would like to know beforehand if there's something I can eat. Also, knowing the price point is good, too.

I'm a foodie that loves to try new places. My boyfriend is a vegetarian. We can't very easily just pull up at any restaurant and expect them to have vegetarian options. If a place doesn't have the menu posted, I won't eat there, because I don't know if there are any options for the boyfriend.

I do like to see a menu beforehand. I live in the country and will quite often take the chance to have a meal out when visiting friends that are quite a distance from home. Being able to look at the menu beforehand is always a deciding factor.

yes - i really hate that. i'm a vegetarian and when i go out with a group of people to a new place, i'm always wary that i'm not going to be able to find something to eat. when there's a menu online that makes things SO much easier.

yesss i love to stalk restaurant menus before i go so i have an idea of what i want. i'm very indecisive, so it shortens time.

If we're traveling, and only in town for one night, I like to see restaurant menus online. But really, we rely more on Google Maps and the reviews it links to to make decisions about where to go. Also, when restaurants put their menus online, I'd prefer a flash menu instead of a PDF.