A restaurant’s menu is not just a list of dishes and prices. Think of it as another way to market your restaurant!

Just as with any marketing strategy, the process of menu creation should be a thoughtful one. Menus need to be visually exciting and readable, but they also need to encourage customers to spend as much as possible. The same is true for your online ordering menu.

If an online menu is not descriptive, is missing photos, or lacks organization, it will distract from a customer’s ordering experience. Diners will be less inclined to order more items if they struggle to navigate your menu.

Menufy has an experienced team of designers who offer print menu services and work with restaurants to help build optimal online menus. We assembled a few tips to improve your online and print menus so they will motivate diners to order more of your delicious dishes. 

Photos

A restaurant’s online and print menus are a great way to feature photos of your most delectable dishes. “A picture is worth a thousand words, especially for cuisines that customers may be less familiar with,” explained Rumil Bautista, a Menufy graphic designer. 

Online menu

Using high-quality photos in your online menu alongside item descriptions will entice hungry customers to click the add-to-cart button. “People eat with their eyes first. An appealing food photo is like a visual feast,” suggests Menufy digital marketing and client service lead Marcus Walker. 

“Make sure those photos are well lit and in focus,” advised Bautista. If your restaurant doesn’t have menu-worthy images of your dishes, it is best to forgo including subpar photos. A pixelated, out of focus, or messy photo can be distracting or unappetizing to customers. Bad food pictures can clash with an otherwise well-organized and descriptive menu.

Print Menu

High-quality photos are likewise crucial if you are considering adding pictures to your restaurant’s printed menu. But unlike with an online menu, it is not necessary to include a photo of every dish. According to an Iowa State University study, too many images on a printed menu can lead to information and visual overload for your customers. 

Photo Tips

For photography novices, capturing mouthwatering food photos does not have to be a source of frustration. Consider following a few simple photography guidelines recommended by Menufy experts before you begin snapping pictures. 

Once you’ve collected quality dish pictures, our dedicated team will do the rest, adding images to your online menu.

Descriptions

Whether it’s for your restaurant’s online or printed menu, writing compelling item descriptions can make or break your customer's ordering experience. A well-written description helps customers understand the meal they are choosing, especially if your restaurant’s cuisine is unique. 

To help you start painting a delicious image of your dish, consider the taste, texture, or cooking style. Are your pizzas wood fired and particularly cheesy? Are your burgers known for being the juiciest in town? These tantalizing details tap into a customer’s most powerful emotion, hunger. 

Diners are curious about what makes each dish special, so your descriptions should be short but informative. “Use specific adjectives that are descriptive and helpful, rather than generic or redundant filler words,” explained Bautista. Be sure to include important information about the dish, such as its major ingredients and cooking style.

If your customers are dining in, include details such as the plating style. They will want to know if their meal will arrive in a mini-skillet versus a plate.

Organization

Every restaurant has a few top-performing menu items that earn a majority of the profits. Why not highlight these items on your menu? 

Online Menu

Start by identifying your most popular and profitable items. Menufy restaurant partners can view their high-performing categories and menu items under the report section on their Manager account. Once you have a list, our dedicated Menu Team, available via email or fax (866-347-8859), will arrange your online menu to your exact specifications. 

If you place your most popular and profitable items at the top of your online menu, they will be viewed first by your customers and will be ordered more often. This strategy is a simple way to increase your ticket totals!

This technique can also be used to push daily specials or seasonal promotions. “Any deals like Daily Specials or Featured Items that you want to push, put them first,” suggested Bautista. 

Be sure to group menu items in categories that make sense to the menu reader. Customers are accustomed to navigating menus by food type or courses. A restaurant’s online and printed menus should make it easy for customers to find the item they have in mind.

Also, remember that each category should list the most profitable item first, followed by lesser performing dishes. 

Print Menu

As more restaurants reopen dining floors, operators are looking to optimize their in-store printed menus. 

Just as with an online menu, your physical menu should be organized thoughtfully. Customers spend, on average, less than two minutes reading a restaurant menu. To cater to your diner’s short attention span, emphasize important dishes through the use of design. 

Emphasize high-performing dishes with bold text, contrasting colors, or different typography. To draw more attention to specific menu items, consider using boxes or other graphic elements to make them stand out.

Add-Ons

Offering add-ons to regular menu items is the simplest way to increase ticket totals. Diners will be more willing to add grilled chicken, extra cheese, or tots if you give them the option to do so! 

ONLINE MENU

With Menufy’s online ordering, it is easy to provide diners with multiple add-on options without overwhelming them. Your online customers can select extra sides, sauces, or additional ingredients in a well-organized format.

PRINT MENU

However, be cautious about listing too many add-on options to every item on your printed menus. “Overwhelming customers by listing every possible combination of options rather than presenting the choices and letting them pick” is a common mistake Rumil Bautista encounters. Instead, train servers to prompt diners with additional options once they have placed their order.

Final Thoughts

A well-organized menu is a balance. It must be creative and yet easy to follow for customers from various backgrounds. 

It is also a crucial component in increasing the spending of your customers. 

By following the guidance of Menufy experts, your restaurant will improve the user experience and grow its profits.

For help updating your online menu, visit Menufy’s Help Center. If your restaurant is interested in printed menus, managers can order high-quality custom menus through the Menufy Store within Menufy Manager.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Dimmitt, Marketing Communications Coordinator

Melissa began her digital marketing career nearly a decade ago at a restaurant group. She worked with restaurant managers and executive chefs while coordinating seasonal menu releases, executing photoshoots, and creating fresh digital content.