Menu design for a restaurant, what to prepare before layout

Menu design for a restaurant is not just a nice list of dishes. A good menu helps people make quick choices, understand prices, spot highlights and get a feel for the restaurant. If the menu is chaotic, even good dishes can look weaker. That's just the way it is. The eyes get tired faster than the appetite.

The first thing you need is orderly content

Before starting the design, you need to have a clear list of dishes. Names, descriptions, prices, allergy information, categories and additional choices. If this information changes every five minutes, the layout will take longer.

Creating menus is much smoother when texts are presented in one document instead of several letters, photos or messages. Simple, but very important.

• names of dishes
• short descriptions
• prices
• allergens or special labels
• structure of drinks, desserts and daily offers

Menus must be easy to read

Print design sometimes ruins good content just because the font is too small. In a restaurant, people read menus in different lighting, sometimes in a hurry, sometimes in a group. Font, spacing and contrast are therefore very important here.

A nice but hard-to-read menu is not a good menu. Especially if the customer has to ask the waiter where to find the main courses or what's included in the daily lunch.

Structure helps sell

Restaurant menu design can help you focus on what matters most. This can include popular dishes, seasonal specials, sets or desserts. There is no need to highlight everything in the same way. If everything is important, nothing else matters.

The same logic as for websites is useful here. A clear user path, neat blocks, good contrast and a clear call to action. The only difference is that instead of a button, there is often an accentuated dish or special offer.

What to prepare for the designer

Before the layout, it's a good idea to prepare the logo, the brand colours, the photos if they will be used, the menu format and the printing requirements. Will the menu be A4. Or a leaflet. Or a table card. Or a digital PDF. Layout decisions depend on this.

If the menu is to be printed, it is also important to know the requirements of the printer. Overlaps, colour mode, paper, folding. The print layout must be prepared in such a way that it does not have to be corrected at the last minute.

Menu design must reflect the character of the place

One rhythm suits a fast food place, another for a cosy restaurant and another for a café. Menu design needs to be consistent with the décor, the price level and how the place wants to look to the customer. If the restaurant is calm and subtle, the menu should not scream with colour. If the venue is lively, a design that is too restrained can look boring.

If you need other print formats in addition to the menu, it is useful to see the article on layout for business publications. There's more about catalogues, PDFs and organising information.

What saves the most time during layout

Layout goes much more smoothly when the information is in one place. It is best to have a document that clearly organises categories, names of dishes, prices, descriptions and special markings. If some of the information is sent in photos, some in text messages, and prices change over the phone, the risk of mistakes increases.

If the menu is to be printed, it is important to know in advance the format, paper, folding and how often the menu will be updated. This topic relates to the preparation of print files, so it is worth taking a look at the article how to prepare design files for print.

• one final text document
• clear categories of dishes
• Approved prices
• list of allergens or special markings
• format and printing requirements before the start of design

If the menu needs to be updated or a new venue is in the pipeline, please get in touch. You can preview the content, format and printing requirements in advance to make the layout run more smoothly.