The Menu - What Happened to Tyler Ledford?

When chef Julian Slowik invites a group of arrogant guests to his island restaurant, the night quickly turns into a murderous nightmare. Among the victims are an arrogant food critic, an affected Hawthorne regular and three tech bros.

Tyler, so taken with Slowik's work, brings his date Margot along to the dinner despite not being on the carefully curated list of diners. But soon enough he finds himself challenged by Slowik to cook a dish for everyone at the table - something Tyler is determined to achieve.

Slowik

At Hawthorne Restaurant, a group of wealthy individuals are trapped. Despite their fears, they decide to brave it out despite warnings from the chef that no one will leave alive. Unfortunately, one customer, Tyler Ledford, ends up taking his own life.

Slowik's final menu wasn't designed to please his guests; rather, he wanted to punish himself for past wrongdoings by creating the "Memory" course. This course served as a way for all attendees to confront their dark pasts and misdeeds that might embarrass them even with just an inkling of conscience.

Tyler and Margot are both dissatisfied with the food Slowik prepares for them. Tyler finds it expensive and boring, the condiments too small to taste properly (he even spits out some sauce onto the table in disgust!). Margot agrees that Slowik should charge more for such a large spread.

Anne has asserted that Margot looks just like Richard's daughter. The former escort confirms this by explaining she was hired by the wealthy man due to her striking resemblance. It is also reported that Richard and Anne found Margot attractive, which is likely why they paid her.

After this, guests are treated to "Man's Folly," in which sous chef Katherine recounts how Slowik sexually harassed her multiple times and she rejected him each time. Finally, Katherine stabs Slowik in the leg as revenge.

Though this scene appears sinister, it makes sense when we remember that the guests were meant to be treated as hostages. Given their wealth, it's likely they wouldn't consider fleeing from the restaurant. Furthermore, Tyler is known for his appetite so he likely wasn't eager to leave when he realized he couldn't leave.

Slowik is a sociopath with an intense hatred of his guests. This hatred can be seen through his self-destructive tendencies and obsession with food; coupled with the lack of other opportunities in life, Slowik feels driven to commit crimes. Additionally, Slowik tends to overvalue his career which may explain why such demented acts are possible.

Margot

The film begins with Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) agreeing to go on an unusual sort of date. They're going to a restaurant that's super prestigious, super exclusive, and super expensive - situated on a private island where only the wealthy can dine. While everything appears nice enough at first sight, unfortunately the food is borderline inedible.

After tasting several appetizers, Margot decides she doesn't like the menu and challenges Chef Julian with a challenge: create an American classic meal for her. Though she's uncertain if she can stomach it, Chef Julian quickly reminds her of his days flipping burgers, which was one of the reasons he fell in love with cooking.

At the end of her meal, she asks for a "to go" bag and receives one. She opens it and takes out a copy of their menu from that night and uses it to wipe her mouth before eating the remaining hamburger.

Slowik and his staff are now ready to serve dessert - a modified take on s'mores that involves everyone wearing chocolate and marshmallow masks. When served, the food is set ablaze!

While everyone else is succumbing, Margot finds a way out. She learns that she and the staff aren't the only ones struggling, so she uses her working class roots to her advantage and escape with their lives.

She makes an insightful decision by trying to escape the island before she gets trapped. To test her theory, she visits Chef's room and looks at a photo of him flipping burgers - which she interprets as a joyful moment in his life.

Unbeknownst to Dale, one of the island's cooks, his secret room is filled with cookbooks and old photos documenting his career.

In the end, she discovers she's actually Erin - a sex worker hired by Tyler for an extravagant death party. When Tyler refuses to believe all the hype surrounding her, Tyler finally accepts she's neither wealthy nor pretentious.

Elsa

Ralph Fiennes stars in "Hawthorne", a black comedy horror movie that follows celebrity Chef Julian Slowik (Fiennes) and his terrifying maitre d', Elsa, as they invite an elite group of guests -- including Tyler and Margot, three investors Richard and Anne, Lilian Bloom and her editor Janet McTeer -- to an island for the ultimate dining experience. However, as the evening progresses they discover that all is not as it seems at Hawthorne.

The night of horrors begins with an unexpected arrival at the restaurant. A boat floats past dockside, greeting everyone warmly by servers and house staff as everyone checks in - some of whom seem suspiciously intent on Margot.

As they enter, there's an open kitchen behind each table. Chefs work diligently at their stations while guests are given glasses of wine to relax before dinner. Unfortunately, photos of guests' dishes are prohibited by Elsa; she believes part of their beauty lies in their transiency.

After they finish their meal, Chef requests Margot to go to the smokehouse and fetch a barrel that should be in one corner. She is surprised when she arrives, but Chef insists she does it as proof of her loyalty and to show which side she stands on.

Elsa's jealousy continues to flare; she discovers a picture of Julian as a burger cook hidden away in an underground vault and attempts to pressure her into giving them bread. Additionally, Elsa manages to take Julian's radio out of its case, just what she needs in order to call for assistance from the coast guard.

Once Margot enters the restaurant, she finds a silver door in an exact replica of Hawthorne's kitchen. Before she can enter however, Elsa appears and tells her her job is making things harder than they need to be; Margot tries to fight Elsa but ends up stabbing herself with the knife she found.

Tyler watches as his restaurant burns to the ground, and shortly thereafter, Tyler hangs himself out of shame. Though he had paid Margot to accompany him, he had been warned beforehand that no one would survive the ordeal.

Tyler

Disney+'s 2022 film The Menu has generated much anticipation. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes, this comedy-thriller offers plenty of meme-able moments.

The film follows the tale of a couple who visits Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant on a private island. However, things take an unsettling turn when head chef Julian Slowik plans to murder his diners, kitchen staff and even himself by using lethal ingredients in his final dishes.

Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is a wealthy young man aspiring to join Slowik's exclusive clientele. However, when he attempts to impress the chef by learning about ingredients used in his dishes, it enrages him. Ultimately, Tyler decides to join the dinner despite knowing that both he and other guests would die as a result.

He brings Margot Mills/Erin without divulging about the murder plot, making him appear as an indifferent rich jerk who doesn't care who gets hurt as long as he gets his way.

Tyler is not only wealthy and arrogant, but a sexist who desires to feel in control of everything. He refuses to acknowledge that he's a selfish arrogant who only cares about how others perceive him.

His wife Anne, however, struggles to comprehend his apathy. It's evident that they have an intensely strained relationship and she doesn't appreciate the way he treats her.

Furthermore, it appears he doesn't have much of a connection with Margot; indeed, it's only at the end of the movie that we learn she isn't actually his girlfriend but simply an escort he hired for some purpose.

That explains why Slowik gets away with some of what he does, and why Tyler's death is so shocking for everyone involved. Combining all these major revelations in the film, it becomes evident that whatever it was she whispered into Tyler's ear was enough to cause him to snap.