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    • .menu

    Generic top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    .menu is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) targeted at the food and restaurant sector. The string was applied for in ICANN's New gTLD Program by WhatBox? (Wedding TLD2, LLC). The TLD is positioned for use by restaurants, menus and food-related services and is categorized under Food & Drink gTLDs.

    History

    • Applicant / registry operator: WhatBox? (Wedding TLD2, LLC).
    • Registry services listed in the TLD template: ARI Registry Services.
    • ICANN contract signed: 11 September 2013 (Registry Agreement after Initial Evaluation).
    • Delegation to the DNS root zone: 30 November 2013, completing the application's successful delegation.
    • Early March 2013: WhatBox? announced use of Afternic and NameJet for sunrise/landrush auctions and premium name distribution.
    • Sunrise period announced: 09 December 2013 to 06 February 2014.

    Usage and Audience

    • Primary audience: restaurants, chefs, food businesses, reviewers, and directory services in the food & drink sector.
    • Intended uses described in the applicant materials:
      • Traditional domain registrations for businesses and individuals.
      • Registry-owned, category-focused domains/websites (examples given: Italian, French, Sushi, German, Ethiopian, Mexican, Indian) to serve as information, pricing, reviews and communication hubs.
      • Directories to help enterprises gain exposure to site users.

    Registration Rules

    • Launch model described by the registry:
      • Sunrise and Landrush periods to protect rights holders and handle priority allocations.
      • After those phases, domains intended to be available to anyone who completes the registry's application process and complies with registry policies and ICANN requirements.
      • Registration allocation via accredited registrars on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to registry policies and ICANN rules.
      • The registry planned to collect limited demographic information from registrants to streamline searches and target communications.
      • The registry intended to establish and enforce dispute resolution procedures concerning compliance with TLD registration policies.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Registry declared an explicit strategy to develop registry-owned, content-rich category sites to drive search engine optimization (SEO) and viewership.
    • Those category sites were intended to act as information and directory hubs, increasing visibility for participating businesses and supporting brand positioning for registrants within food verticals.
    • The registry also planned to use sunrise/landrush auctions and premium name distribution to manage high-value names and marketplace positioning.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • The applicant planned registry-owned category domains for cuisine types (Italian, French, Sushi, German, Ethiopian, Mexican, Indian) as flagship examples of how the TLD would be used.
    • .menu was among the early generic (non-IDN, non-brand) gTLDs to progress toward launch during the New gTLD Program timeline, with delegated status achieved in late 2013.

    Operator

    Dot Menu Registry LLC

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       MENU

organisation: Dot Menu Registry LLC
address:      9440 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 301
address:      Beverly Hills CA 90210
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Kenwei Chong
organisation: Dot Menu Registry LLC
address:      9440 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 301
address:      Beverly Hills CA 90210
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 808 3721988
fax-no:       +1 323 4886285
e-mail:       kenwei@nic.menu

contact:      technical
name:         Erik Ludwick
organisation: Dot Menu Registry LLC
address:      9440 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 301
address:      Beverly Hills CA 90210
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 424 3462122
fax-no:       +1 323 4886285
e-mail:       erik@nic.menu

nserver:      A.NIC.MENU 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.192.10
nserver:      B.NIC.MENU 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.194.10
nserver:      C.NIC.MENU 2001:dcd:3:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.196.10
nserver:      X.NIC.MENU 156.154.172.82 2610:a1:1074:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Y.NIC.MENU 156.154.173.82 2610:a1:1075:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Z.NIC.MENU 156.154.174.82 2610:a1:1076:0:0:0:1:82
ds-rdata:     34801 8 2 9f75480edae26137d71c72574244ef65943199e92c89364035e6ba7b1f1bab32

whois:        whois.nic.menu

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.menu

created:      2013-11-13
changed:      2024-07-05
source:       IANA

    Registrars