Why Chef Slowik Asked Margot to Get the Barrel in The Menu, Explained

Mark Mylod’s high-concept culinary horror-thriller, The Menu, is filled with delicious courses and unsavory characters. While the bulk of the plotlines are tied up neatly, a few questions still remain on many viewers’ lips, namely: Why did Chef Slowik ask Margot to fetch the barrel in The Menu? If you’re curious about this specific question, then read on.

***Spoilers for The Menu follow***

Why Did Chef Slowik Ask Margot to Get the Barrel in The Menu, Explained

Soon after Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is humiliated by Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) is tasked with getting a barrel from the smokehouse. The barrel was supposed to be in the corner of the kitchen before the preparation of the dessert, but the maître d’, Elsa (Hong Chau), has forgotten to assign someone to go and fetch it. Clearly, Chef Slowik is not too pleased by her mistake, even going as far as calling Elsa “negligent.”

When Chef Slowik asks Margot to fetch the barrel in the smokehouse, Margot looks a little confused, and Elsa offers to assign someone on the kitchen staff to go out and get it instead. To this, Chef Slowik replies, “Margot is now one of us.”

This is very important as Chef Slowik now considers Margot as one of the kitchen staff rather than one of the regular patrons, largely thanks to the serendipitous nature of her attendance at the titular meal; essentially, Margot wasn’t supposed to be a part of the menu and was a last-minute change to the guest list.

Once Margot arrives at the smokehouse to fetch the barrel, she takes a detour via Chef Slowik’s house, and it’s here where she bumps into Elsa, the maître d’, once again. Crucially, we find out what is motivating Elsa, as she says: “You will not replace me,” while brandishing a knife. It’s at this point where Elsa attempts to murder Margot in a fit of rage, but it’s clear that what is truly motivating Elsa is jealousy of her being replaced by Margot.

In the midst of the scuffle, while they’re both on the floor, another key piece of information is revealed when Elsa tells Margot: “He didn’t tell me about the barrel.” Furthermore, she also adds: “I didn’t forget.”

In other words, Chef Slowik lied about the barrel and only sent Margot to go and get it in a bid to bring out the worst in his maître d’, Elsa, which is something that Chef Slowik is very good at doing to the people around him.

So, there you have it. We hope this helped to answer your query: Why did Chef Slowik ask Margot to fetch the barrel in The Menu? For more The Menu-related content, we have guides on what Tyler whispers to Chef Slowik, what happened to Tyler, and how scary is it. Alternatively, feel free to browse the links below.