Mainland restaurants are using Tasmania’s name to sell salmon, but Hobart menus are more likely to showcase the state’s scallops, oysters and cheese.
Tasmania was mentioned on 70 of the 123 (57%) Hobart and southern Tasmanian menus surveyed by restaurant data company MenuTrender.
The sample, taken in early November, extended as far as Oatlands and Port Arthur.
Scallops and oysters were the most common mentions, followed by cheese.
No other Australian capital city named its home state as frequently, with Darwin next at 27% and Adelaide at 22%. Melbourne named Victoria on just 7% of menus.
Tasmania was also the state most frequently named on mainland menus, appearing on 9.4% of them.
But the way restaurants use the state’s name differs considerably between Hobart and the mainland.
On mainland menus, “Tasmanian” appeared alongside salmon on 67 menus, well ahead of oysters (15), scallops (11) and lobster (10).
Salmon featured on 15% of Hobart menus, compared with 31% across the other six capitals.
Ocean trout was also more common on Hobart menus, appearing on 8.9% of them compared with 3.2% across the other capitals.
“On the mainland, ‘Tasmanian’ on a menu usually means salmon,” the team behind MenuTrender told Pulse.
“In Hobart it means oysters, scallops and cheese and salmon is on fewer menus than in any other capital. A count of menus can’t say why. That’s a question for Hobart’s chefs.”
The data also found a typical main course in Hobart was cheaper than in Melbourne, costing $28.90 compared with $35.
MenuTrender estimated a comparable Hobart main was 15.5% cheaper, with the difference widening to 21% among the most expensive dishes.
Pepperberry appeared on 15% of Hobart menus, compared with 2.3% elsewhere.
Sunday surcharges appeared on 17% of Hobart menus, around half the rate recorded in Melbourne.
