How to make a menu for restaurants?

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A well made and printed menu is the bread and butter of any restaurant. It functions as a product to display the dishes at the restaurant, order for delivery, as well as create brand awareness with a well-printed marketing product that is easy to distribute. Whether you want to design menus to use at your restaurant or to send in delivery food packages, custom menus are a great way to let customers know what you have to offer. But how to make a menu?

Display your signature dishes and let your menu act like your ambassador, reflecting your restaurant and cuisine. No matter if you are creating a completely new menu or revamping an old one, a well thought out menu is the key to reaching customers and increasing your orders. Put your best foot forward by making menus that enhance your customers’ overall guest experience and show your restaurant’s personality and concept.

Here are some very helpful tips on how to make a menu for restaurants that can help you create the perfect product for you!

How to make a menu – Design

Design elements of a menu are very important as that is what is noticed when the customer sees the menu for the first time. Taking into account color, layout, imagery, and fonts, they can greatly help with how to create a menu.

Color Schemes That Stands Out

Choose colors that match the theme of your restaurant to keep all your advertising recognizable. Your overall color scheme should represent the mood of your restaurant, the cuisine you offer, and the decor at your restaurant. Instead of trying to mix and match too much, stick to simple color palettes and let the food images and dish names do the talking!

Food Images For A Positive First Impression

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One of the most important aspects of how to create a menu is how the dishes served are depicted. Adding shabby, low-quality images that don’t do justice to how good the food tastes aren’t going to help. Instead, hire a professional photographer and take pictures that truly show off how delicious your food is – after all, the menu is the only way customers know what to order. Make sure to also avoid stock images that are generic because when the food doesn’t come out looking like the images, customers are most likely to be disappointed.

The Right Layout, Spacing, And Composition

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Pick a style that suits you depending on how many dishes you offer at your restaurant and the purpose of the menu. Do you want a Pocket Menu that is small and very easy to distribute, a Dine-In Menu that is detailed, or a Take Out Menu that shows only certain dishes for ordering?

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Once the kind of menu and the number of folds it will have is decided, the question of how to create a restaurant menu is resolved. You can easily figure out a layout depending on the space available. Make sure to not stuff it and maintain a certain spacing for better readability.

Fonts And The Correct Size To Choose

Always avoid hard to read fonts that are fancy or cursive as they make it difficult to read the menu. Most people like glancing over the whole menu to decide what they want to eat, so choose a font that is instantly understandable. Keep a check on the size of the font as well because you don’t want people squinting over a tiny font, nor do you want to create a menu with a clumsily large one.

How to create a menu – Content

When it comes to how to make a restaurant menu for your culinary venture, content plays a very important role. The way you present your dishes is important to entice patrons into ordering.

Segregate Your Dishes Into Different Categories

Before you start writing anything on your menu, first write down and segregate all the dishes you will be offering at your restaurant. Divide them into appetizers, main course, desserts, different cuisines, or other custom categories as you need to. This will also help you place the food items in a systematic way and present them properly.

Pricing With Clear Display

Add pricing to each dish as per the industry standards and display it on the menu in a way that it’s easily visible along with its corresponding dish. While some believe that customers like seeing a whole number as the price, such as $10, while others say using $9.99 tricks the mind into believing the price is lower. No matter what you choose for how to create a menu, just make sure to add the pricing clearly, making it easier for patrons to decide the dishes they want.

Enticing Dish Description and Name

Adding a strong name and description for each dish can be a great selling point for customers, especially ones who are coming to your restaurant for the first time. Creating custom dish titles is always a great way to add your personality to the menu and adding a short but descriptive line about the dish under it can do wonders for your restaurant!

Keep in mind that using over the top descriptive language can get confusing, so stick to the point and use words that entice the reader into ordering the dish. Enhance your language and use more appealing words to write dish descriptions that are irresistible!

How to make a menu – Printing

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The final aspect of how to make a restaurant menu is printing it. Once the design, content, and layout are finalized, you can send your menus for printing to a company that offers several customizable options. Look for specifications like paper stock, sizes, coatings, folds, and more when choosing a printing company. No menu will stand out without great quality printing, no matter what you choose to add to it.

If you need help with how to create a restaurant menu, PrintMagic offers stellar services with advanced printing processes and high-quality finishes. Personalize your menu with various options and ensure the final product looks just as you imagined. Apart from standard menu options, we also have specialty menu products such as Waterproof Synthetic Menus, Eco-friendly Natural Menus, and Recycled Paper Brown Kraft Menus. If you’re having trouble designing the menu, we offer Design Services as well and can help you with how to make a menu from scratch!

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