What is a menu design?
A menu design is the layout you use to create your restaurant’s menu. Elements like food item descriptions, pictures, fonts and color schemes all make up your overall menu design. An effective menu design contains plenty of negative space, brief and informative descriptions and appropriate meal pricing. Your menu must be attractive and easy to read.
Why a good menu design is important for your business
Your restaurant’s menu is a first impression of your business. Easily scanning your menu and locating appetizing items contributes to a relaxed dining experience. If your meals contain clear, brief and appetizing descriptions, customers will be eager to continuously return to your restaurant to taste more of your unique and enticing dishes. This results in higher customer volume and an increase in profits.
Sections of a menu to include
Menus are easier to read when items are sorted into logical categories that are simple to locate. Sections to include on your menu are:
- Desserts: Place these either in their own section or on a separate menu to leave on the table for guests to peruse and think about throughout their meal. They may feel enticed to order a dessert item after their entree.
- Vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free: Sort all of these items into one section or into separate sections if you have enough room. This shows customers your willingness to accommodate their dietary needs.
- Entrees: Split your entree dishes into beef, poultry and fish sections if you have several meat options available. Another way to break down entree sections is to sort them by food genre, like Italian or Mexican foods if you offer a wide variety.
- Appetizers: List your starters or appetizers at the beginning of your menu, since they’re usually the first food items customers order.
- Beverages: Mention beverages in their own section or their own menu if your restaurant has a bartender or several specialty drinks available.
- Specials or seasonal items: Make your specials stand out by placing them in their own section on your menu. This is a great spot to feature items that are limited time only or for a seasonal period.
Other elements to consider
Here are some common elements to consider when designing your menu:
Style
The layout and style of your menu should best represent your restaurant’s brand and theme. Common menu styles to consider include:
- Modern: These are great styles for restaurants that have a contemporary concept and look. Most modern-style menus match the restaurant’s sleek and elegant feel, with unique and custom images and designs to complement the trendy fonts within the menu.
- Family-friendly: For restaurants that cater to families, make your menus vibrant and bright to capture youngster’s interests.Include pictures of food for kids to point at when picking what they want to eat.
- Upscale: When using this menu style, make the design match your restaurant’s ambiance as an upscale eatery by providing little to no images, limited menu items and detailed descriptions of your unique menu items.
Food descriptions
Make your meals appetizing to customers by providing descriptions that describe the qualities of your food in detail. Include dishes that are unique or ethnic to make them more interesting and appealing to customers. These menu items must have detailed descriptions, so customers clearly understand what’s in each dish.
Color scheme and layout
Your menu must look attractive to customers. Make sure the color scheme matches your branding. Include two or three colors on your menu to keep your customers from feeling overwhelmed by excess colors. Stick to one or two key fonts that are simple for your customers to read. The layout should easily guide them along the pages and contain plenty of negative space so it’s not too cluttered.
Who you can hire to help design your menu
Creating a great menu can be difficult if you lack the time or skills needed to successfully conquer this task. Employees who can help create an impressive menu include:
- Graphic designer: Hire a graphic designerto build custom images unique to your menu and restaurant and layouts that are visually appealing and easy to navigate.
- Content writer: Consider hiring a content writer to craft descriptions of your menu items that present each dish in an appetizing and easily understandable manner.
