You’re a small to medium restaurant/business owner--so you know when it’s time to ditch those old restaurant menus for some crisp, shiny, new ones. Do you? If you’re unsure here are some tells that you need to redesign your menus and ways to revamp their look. They will look so good people will come in just to read them.
- It's falling apart - Torn corners? Food stains? Sticky, smudged surfaces from that party of 20 nine-year-olds who all for some reason don’t know how to eat ice cream without getting it everywhere? Plastic menus are easier to maintain than paper cardstock. They last longer too! Don’t present a sloppy looking menu and be prepared for sloppy customers with a durable, easy to clean one.
- Overcrowded Designs - Keep it simple. We all know you offer everything but don’t overwhelm your customers. Use spacing wisely.
- Sizing - You don’t want the restaurant menu to take up more space on the table than the food itself. If you can’t fit a monkey dish on the table while the menus are out, you need to scale it down. Consider adding more pages to your menu. In this case, a small booklet size of about 5.5 x 8.5" would work perfectly for you.
- Font - Your menu font can say a lot about your business. Think of Applebees or Outback Steakhouse. These are big chain restaurants but they have an established and recognizable brand. Everything you display to the customer should be an extension of your brand. Choosing a smart and simple typography theme looks great and is a subtle way to get positive attention.
- Think change once again! - You don’t want to upheave your look too much or it might disrupt the loyalty you’ve built already. But it never hurts to think more economically AND ecologically when making restaurant menu and branding decisions. Think outside the box-- for instance, a specials/events flap on the inside of the menu is a simple way to save space.
Post Written By: Nadia Merhai & Angela Creed. © Manhattan Digital Direct
