At €14.70, Aguirre: Spain’s menú del día is part of history; can it survive changing eating habits?

A lunch with political roots

The menú del día is a familiar lunchtime fixture across Spain, often advertised on a board shortly before midday. Its origins, however, are less widely known: it began as a tourist menu conceived in the mid-1960s by Manuel Fraga, Franco’s information and tourism minister.

The original price ranged from 50 to 250 pesetas. Rules also specified the quarter-litre of wine served with the meal, requiring it to be Spanish, clean and pleasant, with alcohol content of at least 12%. Ferran Adrià declared the tradition dead in 2009, blaming changing tastes, economic downturns and restaurants charging €20-€30 for a meal intended to be simple.

A custom that keeps changing

The typical menu offers a starter, a main course and pudding or coffee, with bread and a drink included. Today, its average price is €14.70, but the format faces pressure from higher food and energy costs.

Many Spaniards, increasingly short on time, now bring food to work or buy ready meals from supermarkets. These shifts make it harder for family-run restaurants to provide a changing selection of daily dishes.

Aguirre argues the menu should reflect its diners. Spain is more diverse and pluralistic than it was in the 1980s, she said, and the tradition serves people from many backgrounds.

More than a meal

She also values the informal atmosphere: a menu written on a chalkboard, perhaps while an owner’s child does homework nearby. These details are part of what gives the restaurant its character.

Aguirre said the loss is a place where people with limited means can eat out and those living alone can share a meal with others. The privilege, she added, includes having enough time to enjoy lunch.