How to make a restaurant’s menu

How to make a Restaurant’s Menu

If you have a restaurant, cafe or bar, surely you have already asked yourself about how to make a menu. Knowing that the restaurant’s menu represents, often, the first contact of potential consumers with your establishment, the decision on the type of information that should be included, the menus design, among others, is very important.

A good menu can be decisive in the success of your establishment. Learn how to make a custom menu to your restaurant and check out a few examples of restaurant menus and get inspired! 

The menu is a fundamental element of your restaurant, so dedicate time in its elaboration. Before you start creating your menu, take into consideration some important aspects, such as: the dishes and drinks that you want to include in the menu, the order of the elements, the font, the colors, among others. Also remember that you can have two types of menus for the restaurant – one with the standard restaurant offer and another with the specific menu for a few days or week.

Define the target audience that you intend to reach

This is an extremely important decision, since from it you can decide on various elements of the menu, such as: the design and the information to be presented. If you have, for example, any special offer for children, consider creating a special menu for them, with the dishes, drinks and design suited to their taste.

Present the information with clarity

The dishes and drinks on the menu must have a defined price and have a complete description of their ingredients. Also mention any allergens that may be contained in some food.

Choose a good information structure

A good way to structure the information to be included in the restaurant’s menu is to group the elements:

In the first group add foods that stimulate the appetite of your customers, such as starters, snacks and soups.

In the second group add light dishes and foods, such as salads, toasts and sandwiches.

In the third group add the meat and fish dishes.

In the fourth group add the drinks.

And, finally, add the dessert part.

The structure that we present is the most suitable, because it accompanies the entire stay of the customer in your restaurant, since his arrival, in which the customer will “open his appetite”, until the final part of the meals, which is to eat dessert and drink coffee.

Clarify if any service has a time limit 

If your restaurant serves breakfast, but only until a certain hour, a good practice is to separate that part of the menu from the rest and to draw attention to the fact that the service is time limited.

Include relevant information of your restaurant

When doing your restaurant’s menu, include all elements and information that help the customer remember you, such as: the restaurant’s name, logo, address, phone number, email and don’t forget to add the social networks you are active on.

Keep your restaurant’s menu updated

As the business progresses, it’s normal that the offer suffers some changes, for example: in the price, dishes or drinks that you start serving or you no longer serve. It’s important that you update your restaurant’s menu, so that all the information on it is consistent with the current practice of the establishment.