Continuing the conversation on how to design a great menu (Part 1: How to Design A Restaurant Menu Layout | Part 2: How to Style Your Restaurant Menu), the last thing we need to talk about is how to go about printing and displaying your restaurant menus.
Displaying and Presenting your Restaurant Menus
Before you send it off to your menu printers, you need to figure out what size you want your menu to be. In order to find the best size for your restaurant menu, you should consider how it is laid out, the number of items, as well as the type and size of the font used.
Some common restaurant menu sizes restaurant owners use are:
Lunch Menu – 8.5″ x 14 single sheet or multiple 8.5”’ x 11” sheets in some type of holder/cover
Dinner Menu – Multiple 8.5″ x 11″, or 8.5″ x 14″, or 12″ x 18″ single or folded
Dessert & Drink Menus* – 4.25″x11″ or 5.5″x8.5″ in a table stand
*If you don’t want to hand out your drink or dessert menu, you could use things such as table tents to display the menu items
Tip: Have a digital copy of your menu – Having your menu only at your physical restaurant does not help you get more business. That is why you should have a digital version of your menu. With the digital version you can put it on your website and use it for social media exposure. If you have a mobile optimized site, it may also be smart to have a mobile-optimized version of the menu too.
If you are looking to present your menus in a more elegant manner, (such as if you are a white table cloth restaurant) you can use menu jackets/covers to present and protect your menus. These jackets come in different types of page variations with options for binding and corners. If you are really trying to make a statement with your menu, these will do the trick.
Types of Restaurant Menu Paper
Another thing to consider when printing your restaurant menu is the type of paper you want to use. Here are a few different options available.
Heavyweight Card Stock – This type of paper is similar to the thickness of a credit card. It is easier to slip into sewn edge menu jackets while adding some rigidity and won’t fall out of corner catch style menu holders
Waterproof Menu Paper – This type of paper, when you are expecting to leave your menu on the floor for several months will be more durable and maintain a fresh look much longer than any other product.
Border Menu Paper – This type of decorative paper has borders for a more stylized look and feel and certainly should be used instead of a plain white sheet
Theme Menu Paper – This type of restaurant menu paper is good for restaurants that have a specific theme — Mexican, Diner, Seafood etc. There are many different styles and options to choose from
Use our Restaurant Menu Printing Service – Complete from set up, proofs, printing and delivered ready to serve.
Quantity of Menus to Print
Nothing is worse than not having enough menus for all your guests, that is why it is important to make sure you print enough. Below is a table that follows a good rule of thumb:
| Menu Type | Menus Per Person / Table | Menus per Restaurant |
| Breakfast | 1 | 75% of Seating Capacity |
| Lunch | 1 | 75% of Seating Capacity |
| Dinner | 1 | 75% of Your Seating Capacity |
| Dessert | 1-2 | 50% of Seating Capacity |
| Wine | 1 | 20% of Seating Capacity |
Want more tips and advice? Check out our sister site which deals about the restaurant industry.