Layout, Page Design, Typeface

Layout

Creating a well-designed menu is essential to enhance guest experience and maximize sales. The layout is the logical structure of a menu with thought to flow, readability and highlighting special items. It is the arranged placement of menu items within the menu. They are usually presented in the order customers will select them and should be clear and easy to follow. You need to know what items you prefer your customers to purchase based on profitability or ease of preparation.

The average customer will look at your menu for a maximum of 109 seconds. You need to be able to draw in their eyes quickly. Planning for focal points or attention grabbers will help you sell your high-profit items. Entrees should take the highest bidding, meaning spend the most time on these items. Placing high-profit items strategically is essential. They can be placed in a box, highlighted, placed first or last in any listing, or in the top right corner. This will help draw customers to those items. Be sure there is ample white space to help with readability. When a menu is too cluttered it becomes more difficult to read.

Paper and Ink

Use quality, durable paper, and reprint as needed. Printing in-house is preferred for small operations as it is easy to make changes and reprint as needed. Use light-colored paper to make them easier to read. You may consider menu sleeves to put your menus in that are easy to clean.

Using QR codes is becoming more popular to reduce paper costs, but you must have paper menus available for those who do not have phones or prefer a paper copy. Black ink is the easiest to read.

Be sure to choose appropriate-sized paper. You need to easily lay out all menu items without overcrowding. If you can’t fit everything, add a page or increase the paper size.  Be careful, though, because if the paper is too big, it is difficult to handle and can increase cost. (12”x18” is the largest recommended paper size).

Typeface

The font you choose will influence your customer’s spending. An easy-to-read font will help to promote sales. Choose two or three fonts to keep things uniform. Choose fonts that also reflect the theme and style of your restaurant.

There are many styles of lettering to choose from. One consideration is the type weight, which refers to the degree of thickness and boldness. Recommendations for font size include:

• Headings at least 18 point
• Names of items at least 12 Point
• Descriptions no less than 10 point
•  Dimly lit rooms: increase each category by at least 2 points
• If using all capital letters, limit it to a category title. It is difficult to read.

The readability of your font is important. Be sure to try reading your menu in the lighting you have in your restaurant to make sure it is easy to read. Use bold fonts or unusual typeface to highlight items you want to sell.

Spacing items properly will help with contrast. You need to make sure you have approximately fifty percent of the menu (including borders, etc.) as white space. White space is area on the paper with no print.

Pictures

As the saying goes, pictures are worth 10,000 words. On a menu, you want to make sure you use quality over quantity. The picture must enhance the item. A bad picture is worse than no picture.It is a communication tool for the customer, so it must be accurate. Always edit pictures for best use. If it’s outdated or not high quality—don’t use it! Position photos next to corresponding menu items and use pictures for select dishes, not all menu items.

Price Placement

Dots force customers to choose by price, it is not recommended that you place dots across the page that ends with a price. This makes customers price shop, and you want them to order the best item, not the cheapest item. You can stagger prices at the end of the description. Highlight the value of each item in the descriptions and emphasize creative and unique items. When pricing items, typically rounding up is recommended.  We do not want our customers to fixate on cost/prices.

Please refer to the chapter on pricing for more information, but here are a few tips on pricing psychology:

Quick Service Restaurant Pricing (QSR)

• Focus on value
• Prices ending in a 9 suggest it is a bargain (Example: $5.99 vs $6.00)
• Bundling food deals common
• Typically under $7.00

Mid Priced Establishments

• Typically end in 5 rather that 9 (5.95 vs $5.99)
• Unique items  are important

Upscale  Establishments

• Consider not using dollar signs ($) as it may remind customers of the cost,
• Often no decimals or 0’s
• Communicates luxury or a top dollar experience

Specials/Features

What do you want to sell? What are you known for? How can you let your customers know?

A signature item should set you apart from your competition. A recipe that is your claim to fame. Don’t just reduce the price of a standard menu item by a few bucks. This decreases the value of those items on days that the item is more costly. It also reduces your sales.  You should create “wow” items in each category. These items may be your signature dishes, but they are also the items that make people choose your establishment over another. If you have the same items as everyone else, why would they choose you?  Be creative and draw in new customers.

Specials may be seasonal or holiday dishes, testing new items, or using up ingredients. Either way, they should not reduce your sales. They should be high profit, easy to make, and something the restaurant may become well known for. Even planning creative sides will enhance a diner’s experience and may increase sales.

Specials can be marketed through menu inserts (known as sluggers), table tents, sign boards, word of mouth, suggestive selling through servers and bartenders, coupons or social media ads or even clip-ons. Clip-ons need to be a planned part of your menu; they should not cover up.