5 Golden Tips to Make Your Menu Stand Out from the Rest! 🍔
You built your restaurant from the ground up, and now it’s finally ready for launch. You put in all those long hours to get everything in place – from hiring staff to managing overhead costs and everything in between.
Now that you’ve handled all the tough stuff, it’s time to take care of a detail that’s actually a lot of fun: designing your restaurant menu. This is often an overlooked part of restaurant management, but your menu design will definitely leave a lasting impression on the guests who dine at your place.
They want a menu that looks appealing and professional at the same time – and yeah, that’s a tough balance to get just right. In this article, we’ll go over 5 golden tips to make your menu truly stand out from the rest. 🤝
Tip #1: Choose Your Typography Carefully
The font you pick for your menu will depend on a few things – like your target audience and your overall brand voice. But the main thing is to make sure it’s not too confusing to read and that it totally matches your restaurant's vibe. A couple of suggestions to think about: try using a couple of different fonts to help distinguish key sections from each other, or simply use the same fonts you have on your website, logo, or other branding materials.
Tip #2: Choose the Right Colors
This one naturally follows the previous tip, because you definitely want your typography and colors to go hand in hand. The colors also depend on your restaurant’s overall branding, and they should instantly make your guests feel comfortable. For example, Mexican restaurants might use more vibrant colors to match the upbeat nature of their music and environment, but high-end steakhouses usually go for more subdued colors to better fit their tone.
Tip #3: Use Logic to Divide the Menu
One of the main menu and brand problems you really want to avoid is confusing your customers. If a customer struggles to figure out what to order because the menu isn’t organized, that can create a pretty bad experience for them. This could end up with food being sent back to the kitchen, customers not coming back, or even bad reviews. To help avoid this, lay out each section of your menu in a logical dining order, with different categories of food separated from others (appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts, drinks, etc.) so your guests can quickly grasp all their options. Another recommendation is to use boxes, headlines, or other visual effects that clearly separate sections. Even a subtle differentiator will enhance your menu design and immediately clarify the ordering options for customers.
Tip #4: Consider Eliminating
the Dollar Sign (or Currency Symbol) A number of studies show that getting rid of the currency symbol (like the Riyal sign, for example) actually leads to higher sales and happier customers who are willing to pay more. Nobody really likes to be reminded exactly how much money they’re spending, even if it’s for a wonderful occasion like a night out at a restaurant. Currency signs tend to trigger negative associations, so a smart strategy to consider is removing them altogether. That’s not to say you shouldn’t list your prices. By using simple numbers without a currency symbol, you can let your customers know what to expect with a bit of a gentler touch.
Tip #5: Use Words to Your Advantage
People make buying decisions based on emotion first, and then they justify them with logic. What this means is that descriptive words like "savory," "crisp," "fruity," and "creamy" are fantastic buying words to include on your menu. Any word that sparks powerful, mouth-watering emotions from consumers will make your menu truly pop.
