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Top Tips and Tricks for Designing a Menu
Whether you’ve just opened a restaurant, or are a seasoned vet of the restaurant industry, menu design seems like a simple and intuitive concept. After all, everyone eats at restaurants and we’ve all seen thousands of menu types and designs. However, getting started on a menu can be a daunting task and even great menus can be improved with some simple tips. Here are some great tips and tricks in menu design to remember when putting together a menu for whatever reason.
Know Where People Are Looking
There’s been an assumption in the restaurant industry for years that customers naturally started reading menus from the top right corner, what was referred to as “the sweet spot.” However, new evidence suggests that most customers actually read their menus like a book, starting from the top left, and scanning down and to the right.
This new evidence has led many restaurant managers to rethink their menu design, placing the most expensive or high-quality item at different positions than were originally thought was prudent. You should be aware of where your customers are looking and place items where you believe the “sweet spots” of your menu to be.
Divide Your Menu Logically
This is one of the simpler and obvious tips on this list, but it’s incredible how many menu designers don’t heed this simple piece of advice. You should divide the menu in such a way that your customers know where certain foods are. For example, breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods should all be a part of their own separate regions.
Appetizers and main dishes should also be divided into their own spots on the menu. This seems like a logical and straightforward tip, but there are many restaurants which shoot themselves in the foot early by confusing customers with poor menu design.
Keep Photographs to a Minimum
Most menu designers think they’re being clever by blowing up a large picture of great looking food and slapping onto the background of their menus. However, this practice is counterproductive, as most dining patrons associate it with junk mail fliers and poor-quality restaurant chains like Denny’s and IHOP.
If your restaurant wants to be seen in a more dignified, positive light, it’s best to keep photographs to an absolute minimum, advertising your speciality dishes and other select foods. Photographs of too many food items might alienate diners who would’ve ordered those dishes, and it’s always better to leave food images to the imagination. Instead of photography, consider using illustrations and other catchy artwork to draw in the viewer’s eye.
Choose Appropriate and Effective Typography
The typography you choose, which includes font, size, and formatting, should communicate your brand and be easy to read and decipher. You should always choose practical considerations over those of style. While these may sometimes be the same, sometimes the menu design you image in your head may not be wholly feasible to bring into fruition. For example, if the font you like is illegible on the actual menu, or the font size simply won’t fit the menu, change up your menu design, aiming for something more practical on the second go around.
It’s also a smart idea to choose more than one typeface – as long as both are legible and fit comfortably together – to help guide your customers through the menu. Finally, make sure your currency signs are not too big. Research has shown diners spend more money when they’re not consciously aware of the currency signs on the menu. They should still be present of course, but don’t make them too large or obvious.
These are the tips to improve the quality and effectiveness of your menu design. No matter how much professional experience you have or how long your restaurant has been open, utilize these tips to give your customers the highest quality and satisfying experience possible in your restaurant.
