Designing a menu: 12 tips for a menu that guests like to read

Less is more

Anyone who wants to design a menu first thinks of colors and fonts. However, the content is more important. A menu with too many dishes overwhelms both guests and the kitchen.

• Tip 1: Remove dishes that are rarely ordered. A shorter menu appears more focused.
• Tip 2: Combine variants, such as "schnitzel from pork or veal" instead of two lines.

Order and categories

• Tip 3: Arrange the menus in the order they are eaten: appetizers, soups, main courses, desserts, then drinks.
• Tip 4: Name categories clearly. "Out of the water" sounds nice, "fish" is found faster.
• Tip 5: Place what you want to sell at the beginning of a category. It will be read first.

Font and contrast

The menu is often read in dim light, by guests of all ages, sometimes without reading glasses.

• Tip 6: Use a highly legible font for dishes and descriptions. Decorative fonts only for headings.
• Tip 7: Pay attention to strong contrast. Light gray text on beige may look elegant, but is barely legible on the table.

With Same-QR's digital menu, you can change the title font, text font, and colors. If you choose a combination with too little contrast, the editor will warn you before the menu is placed on the table.

Display prices

• Tip 8: Set prices uniformly, either all to the right or all directly after the dish.
• Tip 9: Avoid using dotted lines from the dish to the price if you do not want guests to simply compare prices from top to bottom. However, where they fit the style, they are not a mistake.
• Tip 10: Always specify the quantity for drinks, such as 0.3 l or 0.5 l.

Highlight, but sparingly

A box, a symbol, or a photo draws the eye. But this only works if it occurs rarely.

• Tip 11: Highlight at most one or two dishes per page – such as the daily special or a house specialty.

The same applies to symbols such as vegetarian, vegan, or spicy: use them consistently and explain them once.

Think about the mobile phone

More and more guests see your menu first on their mobile phone – at the table via QR code or beforehand via Google. A layout that looks great on A3 does not automatically work on a narrow screen.

• Tip 12: Check every menu on the mobile phone as well. Short texts, clear categories, and a daily offer at the top are particularly helpful there.

Ready-made designs save you a lot of work. Same-QR offers designs for eleven restaurant types from grill to cafe, illustrated or with photo, which are built for narrow screens. You can adjust fonts and colors to your establishment.

Test design

Whether a menu works becomes clear only at the table. A simple test helps before you print in series or release the digital menu:

• Give the menu to someone who does not know your establishment and ask for a vegetarian main course. How long does the search take?
• Read the menu in the light that prevails in the pub in the evening.
• Open the digital menu on a small mobile phone and scroll to the end.
• Check whether the allergen legend is findable.

What fails in this test also fails for your guests. Small changes like a clearer headline or stronger contrast often make a big difference.

Frequently asked questions