One deleted scene from The Menu actually explains the mystery behind what made Chef Julian Slowik such a villain. The Menu detailed the story of a select group of guests invited to an extra-special evening of dining at the exclusive restaurant of world-renowned celebrity chef, Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). Slowik's esteemed guests are comprised of the likes of food lover Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), his unexpected guest Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), the "movie-star" (John Leguizamo), and food critic Lillian (Janet McTeer), each of whom had a hand in Slowik's rise to stardom, and contributed to his growing apathy for the culinary industry.
While glimpses of Slowik's backstory are revealed throughout The Menu, culminating in him relishing in making one final traditional cheeseburger for Margot, one of The Menu's deleted scenes shared by Comingsoon.net uncovers more about the birth of his world-class restaurant, Hawthorne. The scene takes place on the boat ride to Slowik's private island, and features Lillian revealing to the other guests that, when Slowik was at the top of his game, he disappeared from the public eye, only to be hunted down to a Korean Taco food truck. After Lillian penned an article, Slowik was thrust back into the spotlight, which helps to explain his twisted actions during the fateful night in The Menu.
How Chef Slowik's Deleted Scene In The Menu Explains His Villain Plan
Over the course of The Menu, it's explained to viewers that each of Slowik's guests had a hand in exacerbating his hatred of the food industry. The Menu's deleted scene reveals more of Slowik's backstory, and shows that it was because of Lillian that his restaurant exists. Many were left wondering why Slowik couldn't simply go back to his roots after growing weary of his joyless work, but the deleted scene reveals that this was simply impossible, since he would always be tracked down and thrown back into the limelight. If Lillian hadn't found him, someone else would have, so the only way out was his theatrical murder-suicide dining experience.
How The Menu's Deleted Scene Changes The Movie
Aside from revealing the fact that Slowik used to flip burgers, uncovered during Margot's snooping in his cottage, not much information is given about Slowik's backstory. This air of mystery keeps everybody guessing all the way through The Menu, so it's possible that the inclusion of this deleted scene would have taken away from the true impact of the film by explaining Chef Slowik's plan too early. Even so, adding this scene into the early part of The Menu creates more of a connection between Slowik and his guests, particularly Lillian, which would have perhaps made clear that they had all been invited to Hawthorne for a very specific reason.
Slowik's dark motivations were announced at the perfect times during The Menu, with each dish further revealing his devious plan, culminating in the dramatic final moments. In Lillian's story about finding Slowik at a Korean Taco truck, the chef seems to have never been happier, and the fact that this was glimpsed before the tragic end of The Menu in Slowik cooking a traditional cheeseburger for Margot meant that the story was completed perfectly, and no more information needed to be revealed. It was this sense of mystery that kept Slowik, his guests, and his dark plan in The Menu so entertaining.
