In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is probably reasonable to say that the world, in general, is terrified to see how the novel coronavirus has changed the way people used to live. Though the risk of spreading this virus is high in public areas like restaurants, theaters, and malls, the most effective way to reduce the risk of getting infected is to ensure that you avoid coming in contact with infected people or contaminated objects and surfaces. They need to be a lot more attentive to infection that it was before – especially with respect to restaurants, cafes, and bars.

What Is CDC’s Take On This?

“Avoid using or sharing items that are reusable, such as menus. Instead, use disposable or digital menus” – Center for Disease Control (CDC) for restaurants and bars

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has issued certain safety guidelines for restaurants and cafes post-lockdown. According to them, these businesses have to be extra careful while greeting and serving their customers. The CDC guidelines for restaurants call for an extensive change in business conduct and practices of restaurants. These guidelines naturally insist on social distancing and hygiene norms that restaurants will have to comply with.

Apart from scanter seating arrangement, repeated sanitizing requirements, and appointing COVID-19 contact personnel, CDC guidelines discourage the use of reusable menu cards, as they consider them the potential carriers of coronavirus. This has made the restaurateurs to quickly think of alternatives that not only maintain the aesthetic appeal of restaurant menu cards but are also cost-effective.

Let’s have a quick look at some of the alternatives, their benefits, and cost-effectiveness as per business needs.  

SINGLE-USE MENUS OR DISPOSABLE MENUS

Disposable menus or single-use menus are an excellent replacement to re-usable menus as they can be discarded after a customer touches them. They are usually printed on thin paper sheets and can be placed at the restaurant entry, order counter, or the table. They are the safest option for restaurants because they can be bought in bulk and cast-off after each use, making sure that there is no point of contact between customers.

With the increasing demand for single-use menu printing, many printing companies or brands have come forward with unique ideas and concepts with printing disposable menus. They offer menus printing services that are tailored precisely to the growing need among various businesses. They are doing so to avoid the arduous logistical problem of sanitising menus again and again, as a result of alterations in the statute, and modifications in customer demand, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many printing companies do understand that different businesses will have different requirements in terms of presentation and variety in their menu, that’s why they put forward a variety of options in disposable/single-use menus and allow you to customise it in a variety of ways.

Sizes Available In Disposable Menus

These menus can be printed in different sizes which comprise of either a selection of specialty items available on the day or menus which include a wide variety of items and meal courses:

• A4 Portrait – Flat Size
• A4 Landscape – Flat Size
• A3 Portrait – Flat Size
• A3 Landscape – Flat Size

Make Bulk Orders

Any restaurant, cafe, or similar business – regardless of size – will profit from utilizing disposable menus. For this reason, customers can tailor the number of disposable menus in their order from a handful, to a huge quantity, depending on the number of customers generally come to your place or you expect to receive at your restaurant on any given day, or week. Here are the quantities that printing companies usually offer:

• 50
• 100
• 250
• 500
• 1000

Concluded Benefits Of Disposable Menu

• Thousands of templates available for menu design, or design your own!
• Single or double-sided
• 3 paper sizes — letter, legal, tabloid
• Full-color printing
• Professional quality
• Quick shipping
• Bulk print discount

These are the most common menu options that you would have already seen in big eating joints like McDonald’s, KFCs, etc. they are absolutely no-touch menu options that have several advantages over the traditional paper or cardboard menus. The biggest benefits of these menus are that they can be read collectively by all the buyers resent in the restaurant at the same time. They are unambiguously visible to all and tend to be more attractive. These menu options are easy to update as compared to non-digital menu cards. It is important to understand that the much-loved and interactive touch-screen menus cannot be used in the COVID times. That’s why these static display boards are the only and the best option businesses are left with, in terms of digital menus.

QR CODE-BASED MENU CARDS

Those businesses that are looking for a quick, economical, and effective way to update their menus, QR-Codes give them the flexibility to access the menu cards of hotels and restaurants. The Restaurant owner creates a QR code and displays it in their establishment at numerous places. Customers can use their phone camera or Google lens to scan the QR Code and access the menu on their phones.

SO, WHAT YOU SHOULD CHOOSE?

All the options we have listed in this blog might be suitable for different restaurants and diners. Digital boards are a sophisticated menu option for bigger establishments as it is a bit costly as compared to other menu options.  So, those who can afford to buy and to install them must choose digital boards as they are highly effective.

On the other hand, disposable menu cards are ideal for fast-food chains with fixed menus and hundreds of customers. If you are re-opening your restaurant after so long due to COVID, you can also try them out.

QR codes are economical, accessible, and eco-friendly tools to help restaurants adhere to the changing world, but it is going to be a big problem for people with minimal technical know-how.