Creating a great restaurant menu means more than just choosing the amazing dishes you are going to serve customers. After you have your restaurant mission statement and have your branding in place, you’ll want to translate the preparedness into a great looking menu. Menus that look good are more well received and successful than menus with a poor aesthetic design. Here are some simple steps to ensure you are printing restaurant menus the best way.
1. Get Professional When Printing Restaurant Menus
While loose leaf paper may seem cost effective, it will give the aura of cheapness instead of quality. When you take the time and spend the investment into professionally printing restaurant menu’s, your customers see that every aspect of your business has been give care. Quality paper with clear fonts and proper spacing are some things that psychologically have an impact on your patrons and how they feel about your place. So be sure to get this done professionally.
2. Clean and Clear Look
Use a clear white or slightly off white paper base. This way lettering jumps off the page and any other additional images or colors as well. When you use color paper, it can distract users from what is important, the food on the menu.
3. Fortify Your Upsells
Getting more out of your sales each month is something every restaurant owner shoots for. That means using restaurant menu psychology to your advantage. When you have your top sellers or higher ticket items on a separate menu it gives them more attention and value. This is commonly used for drink menus offering specialty cocktails. Keep it separate from your food menu so there is a distinction. Don’t put too many choices though, between 5-8 is typically the best. This should be used for your specials of the day or week as well. When printing restaurant menus, have a separate sheet that lists the special upsell dishes.
4. Match Your Menu To Your Restaurant
If you operate a chic French restaurant you don’t want your menu looking like it was printed for Applebee’s. Match the decor and aesthetic of your restaurant and food with your menu. Find dining should have font and menu layouts to match, even consider leather or fake leather menu sleeves. If you run a family friendly sports bar, printing restaurant menus on waterproof restaurant menu paper is a great way to protect them from spills and constant handling. Match your menu to your decor.
5. Look At Successful Restaurants For Inspiration
We’ve all eaten out many different times and in many different establishments. It is always a good idea to see what other successful restaurants are doing with their menus. How can their good ideas in menu choice be reflected in the design of your own menu?
It never hurts to see what is working for someone else and see how you can utilize that knowledge to bolster your own success when printing restaurant menus. Be sure to take note of successful places you’ve been to and how they portrayed their menu. Use what feels right for your own business.
Having a good looking and successful restaurant menu can really add to the bottom line of your business. Don’t overly think things either. Typically clean and clear is the way to go when it comes to printing restaurant menus. Remember that menus may change over time, so don’t have your heart set or spend too much on a single menu as certain items you offer may change down the road and so to may prices. Take your time and put out a great looking menu that people can come to remember.