There are a couple of major functions of the restaurant menu.  First, the menu informs your guests what food is available to them.  The second function would be to get your guests hungry!  A well designed and laid out menu will do just that.  In addition, the restaurant menu reinforces your branding.  As the proprietor of a restaurant you have put an immense amount of thought and effort into every element of your business.  The menu, along with the restaurant layout and décor have been laboured over to ensure you feel everything is just perfect.  Therefore, the same consideration and effort should be put into your printed menu.  Otherwise all other efforts are for naught.

Restaurant Menu Sizes & Layout Tips

Are you unsure of which restaurant menu size and layout is best for your establishment?  If you need some tips on how to proceed we’ve come up with some helpful hints to keep in mind to create the perfect printed menu to perfectly suit your business.

At first glance, creating a menu might seem like a simple task.  However, in reality there is so much to consider on the road to a final printed product.  Your menu has the power to be a highly strategic and persuasive marketing tool.  A menu that is designed right is capable of enticing customers, creating best sellers and maximising your profits.  So let’s share some top menu design strategies.

The Single Page Menu

The Single Page Menu is the go to choice for both fine dining and casual style restaurants.   There is good reason for this.  The single page menu’s popularity is down to its modern and curated feel.  Instead of offering a wide range of dish options, a restaurant will hand select 3 – 5 dish options per course and change them seasonally.  The result is that the dining experience for your customers is designed for maximum effect.

The single page menu is ideal to achieve a high-end experience.  In addition you benefit from a streamlined demand on your kitchen.  Therefore you can save money on costs from food purchasing and waste.  The menu can be printed single or double sided and laid out vertically or horizontally with minimal styling.  In addition there can be simple to no embellishment.

A good tip to keep in mind when laying out meal placement is customer behaviour.  Customers spend the most time looking at the first and last items of each section.  These areas are considered the prime real estate of your menu.  You should save these spots for your biggest sellers.

The Oversize Menu

The oversize menu usually comes in A3 or a custom size.  It is designed to be held by two people to share and read together in a casual dining setting.

This style of menu accommodates a range of dishes.  Therefore, oversize menus are ideal for restaurants that offer a variety of experiences.  You can feature a share plate style to bar snacks and even full course dining.  This type of menu really showcases it all.  Therefore, this menu printing is ideal for a pub or family style restaurant.

Due to the volume of writing, a strong panel layout is a must to help your customer find what they want.  Illustrations, photographs and font sizes are brilliant to add visual character and promote key items.  However, ensure you don’t go overboard and overwhelm your customer.

Keep in mind that you should ensure photos are professionally taken and high quality.  Consider that food photography doesn’t appeal to everyone.  It may be best to focus on crafting your item descriptions and embellishing with some great illustrations instead.

The Menu Card

Menu Cards are most commonly printed in A5 size or the tall and slim DL size.  The menu card is ideal as a secondary or supplemental menu when your standard menu isn’t suitable.  This card style is highly cost-effective due to their smaller size.  In addition, they are the perfect choice for a Sunday lunch menu, weekend cocktails or for a special occasion menu.

These menus typically list a smaller set menu with a fixed price.  This can help you manage busy occasions and shake things up with a specific promotion.  However, as these menus feature less written content you can play with the design and colour to tempt customers with a dessert or entice them back for a new dining experience.

However, you may be unsure of how many menus to print.  For Cocktails and Drinks, roughly calculate 25% of your restaurant seating capacity.  For lunch or dinner, calculate 75% of your capacity and for desserts roughly 50%.

Restaurant Menus at Kaizen Print

The right style of menu for your restaurant depends on your business offering and your brand!  At Kaizen Print, we have been helping pubs and restaurants with their printing for over ten years.  We have been helping restaurants and bars in Belfast and all across Northern Ireland.  In addition, we have a team of designers that can assist you with your menu design.  Take your restaurant menu printing to the next level.  Compliment your menu with high quality menu printing.  Get in touch by email via our contact form or by calling 028 9002 2474.