Restaurant owners often underestimate the importance of menu design. We are sure that you are probably familiar with the fact that many restaurants offer visitors simply absolutely unattractive menus. If you own a restaurant, then you should definitely take care of the design of the menu, as this is very important. Your top priorities are to provide great service and quality food.

Today we do not want to give someone as an example and shout that in the modern world every person is obliged to be interested in design and understand it. After all, this is not so. Many people today use not very beautiful objects, clothes, shoes, they don’t really care how the restaurant menu looks like, furniture, cars, and so on. Many people throughout their lives do not want to devote even a minute to design, functionality or aesthetics. This is both good and terrifying at the same time, and at the same time, you should not forget that there are other people who care a lot about these things.

Imagine that you have entered a restaurant where absolutely everything creates a pleasant impression: interior, service, music, food, menu design. Many try to pay attention to all sorts of little things, and really be proud of the care and attention with which this or that thing was created.

On the other hand, we often come across such establishments where we want to eat and leave as soon as possible.

If the restaurant is making money, even if it's small, why not hire a professional designer to take responsibility for the design of business cards, flyers, menus, and more? If you, as a restaurant owner, care about the image of your establishment and business in general, then you should definitely pay attention to this. If you have no desire to invest in your own business, it says what kind of businessman you are.

Please don't think that the menu is the only thing to pay attention to. It seems to us that each restaurant should be decorated somehow uniquely, with some idea, in order to withstand competition, in order to attract the attention of visitors and journalists, it must provide quality service, use all kinds of effective marketing moves to attract visitors, provide visitors with great decoration and the interior of the establishment.

Let's finally talk about the menu:

* Do you have an executive class restaurant or is it more of an entertainment area? Can a visitor understand this from your menu?
* Is your menu functional?
* Does your logo appear on the menu?
* Is the print small? Is it easy to read?
* Is the layout of the menu simple and neat? Or is it misleading?
* Is your menu durable?
* Are you going to change the menu every couple of months?

You should answer these questions. Menus are a great way to give visitors an impression of your establishment. You will be surprised how powerful the effect of the menu can be. If you do not have design skills, we recommend that you hire a talented designer to help you solve this problem.

Today we want to present you 35 examples of beautiful menu designs. We have handpicked only the best examples of implementations to help you get inspired for a little rebranding.

In order for the menu to be structured and understandable for customers, it is necessary to thoroughly approach its development. This task can be entrusted to specialists in this field or you can do it yourself. In this article, we will talk about ways to create menus using online generators or the Photoshop graphics editor.

Menu creation steps

Development often requires a lot of effort and time, but the process itself contains only a few steps. Each of them is described in turn below.

1. Item development. At this stage, you will need to make a list of all the dishes and drinks that you plan to sell in your establishment. It is important that they match the concept or. In addition, if your establishment has a specific theme, then this should also be emphasized.
2. Division into sections. Food and drinks should be sorted into categories. This will help in the future when compiling the menu.
3. Layout design thinking. It is important to focus not only on the attractiveness of the final menu, but also on ease of use. Everything should be clearly structured so that customers do not experience difficulties in finding dishes.
4. Menu creation. This stage is one of the key ones. You can develop a menu using a special program. After the creation process is completed, it must be downloaded in the desired format.
5. Seal. After downloading, you should calculate the required number of finished copies and print them at the printing house.

Now you know the sequence in which menu development is performed. But to get a quality result, you also need to know some of the nuances. Below are the main tips from experts to help you make the right choice when creating a design and selecting menu items.

Choose a simple design

A good menu is distinguished by its simplicity and restraint. It should reflect the names of the dishes offered to customers with understandable wording.

You should not put a large number of offers on the menu. It has been proven that too much choice of dishes can turn off customers, because they simply cannot decide. Therefore, it is optimal to offer 4-5 main and second courses. They can be supplemented with related products (bread, sauces, drinks, etc.).

Also, don't try to decorate your menu pages with copious amounts of food images. This, of course, can awaken the appetite of customers, but at the same time it will distract them from the choice.

Stick to the golden triangle

The Golden Triangle refers to the three main areas people first look at when browsing a menu.

1. middle. This area is the main one, and therefore the first one attracts the eyes of customers. Therefore, in such a place it is optimal to place special offers and promotions that are currently in effect in your institution.
2. Top right corner. Here it is desirable to place a section with the main dishes. Thus, customers will start choosing from them.
3. Top left corner. In this area, it is better to place light snacks, as well as drinks. You can also add alcoholic beverages and desserts here.

Choose the right font

A significant contribution to the attractiveness of the menu is made by which the main text is made. It should be readable and consistent with the general style of the institution.

It is desirable to use fonts without serifs and without extra curls. It is important to focus on 2-3 main fonts. Otherwise, the menu will look awkward.

It is acceptable to choose whimsical and handwritten font styles if the theme of the restaurant suggests it. But in this case, you should also take care of the readability of the inscriptions.

Bold font, spacing and other highlights should be in harmony with the rest of the text and not spoil the overall look of the menu.

Adapt the menu for foreign visitors

Especially the upper class, often visited by representatives of other countries. It is important to take this into account when designing a menu. In order for foreign visitors to understand the names of dishes, it is necessary to translate them into several languages.

It is not necessary to translate texts in multiple languages. You can limit yourself to English. In addition to the convenience for customers, it will also emphasize your hospitality and respect for representatives of other countries.

Do not use currency signs

Recently, more and more establishments are moving away from indicating currency signs (“€”, “£”, “$”, etc.) in the menu. This allows you to show visitors that making a profit for the company is not the main goal of the restaurant.

In addition, even without these signs, customers understand which numbers indicate prices. And the extra details on the menu will only make it more loaded.

Correctly choose the length of the description of dishes

The human eye falls more readily on different details. So if you write several short sentences and one long one, then customers are more likely to want to read the last one. This also works in the opposite direction: short ones will be chosen from long phrases.

Using this feature of attention, you can purposefully focus on certain parts of the description. For example, the main ingredients of the dish.

It is also advisable to experiment with the length of descriptions in order to find the best option.

Take care of promotion

The menu can be called a kind of seller for visitors to the institution. It presents and invites them to taste food and drinks. Therefore, the desire of customers to return to this cafe or restaurant often depends on the quality of design and the literacy of menu preparation.

It is also desirable to promote the institution. If this is not possible, then you can limit yourself to a page on a social network. On it you need to provide basic information about a cafe or restaurant, as well as an electronic version of the menu. This will increase customer confidence in the institution and ensure the influx of new visitors.

Ways to create a restaurant menu

As mentioned earlier, there are several ways to design a menu for your own catering establishment. For this you can use:

• online service;
• graphic editor (for example, Photoshop);
• designer services.

The choice of method directly depends on the budget of the company. For example, not every small coffee shop can afford the services of a designer to create a menu. Therefore, it is better to stop at one of the options listed above.

Online menu generators

Special menu creation services have a number of advantages.

• First, development is usually done free of charge or for a small fee.
• Secondly, there is no need to worry that the final result will not live up to expectations. Here you control each step yourself, make the necessary changes and get the optimal design in the end.
• Thirdly, the process of creating a product will take much less time than when contacting designers.

We have selected the most famous and simple online menu generators that you can use. More on each of them below.

iMenuPro

iMenuPro- an online service that allows you to quickly create and print a menu for an institution. To work with this site, it is not necessary to have design skills.

The service contains a vast number of different templates that can be customized to fit your company's concept. This allows you to get a menu suitable for an institution of any subject and type.

The development process in iMenuPro is characterized by its simplicity and clarity.

In addition, this service has the ability to download images from other sources. Thus, you will not have any restrictions when creating your own menu.

Price: 15$/month.

Canva

On this design platform, you can create a menu using ready-made templates. You only need to upload the finished text and photos of the dishes and drinks being sold. Secondary images can be selected in the service itself.

During design development, individual details can be modified. It is possible to choose a different font, add filters and pictures.

Service Canva also available as an app on Android, iPhone and iPad. This allows you to develop anywhere using the gadget.

Price: is free.

menugo

This service allows you to quickly and easily create a high-quality menu for any establishment. For convenience, there is a division of templates into sections. You can choose the design you like and continue working with it.

Upon completion of the development, the final version of the menu can be downloaded and then printed.

Price: free (without customization and watermark removal) or $9 (with watermark removal, with 200 templates available)

MustHaveMenus

MustHaveMenus- a well-known platform that allows you to make any kind of lists of dishes of restaurants or cafes. On it, you can go through all the stages of creating a menu: from development to printing the finished product.

The first step is to choose a suitable template from the options presented. Then it is filled with the necessary information about the institution and modified according to your requirements. After completing the work on the template, you can download the final menu.

Price: 29$/month

Adobe Spark

With the help of the service Adobe Spark you can also create a menu for a catering establishment. The advantage of the site is the availability of a large selection of professional fonts. Also on the service it is possible to upload your own images and customize the selected template.

Price: is free.

photoshop

In addition to online generators, there are graphic editors with which you can also create a menu for your company. However, in this case, you will need to have at least minimal design skills.

The advantage of this method is absolutely free menu development. But also creating a product with photoshop there are a number of downsides:

• takes a long time;
• everything will need to be drawn by yourself;
• without design skills, a high-quality result will not work.

But if you still decide to choose this development method, then we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the training video. It discusses in detail the principle of creating a menu using the presented graphical editor.

How to Design a Restaurant Menu in Photoshop

Instead of total

The menu literally allows you to build communication between the institution and the client.

It is also important to understand that the menu is not just a list of dishes offered to customers. It reflects the image and theme of the restaurant or cafe. Therefore, its development must be taken responsibly.

In this article, we have tried to collect basic design tips that will allow you to create the perfect menu for your establishment.

Send

Menu - a list of dishes and drinks offered by a public catering establishment (cafe, restaurant, bar, pub, etc.), indicating prices and grams. As an aspect of marketing, menu design is a painstaking task. To achieve good results, you need to constantly refine it, add new features, seasonal offers, try something new, etc.

Creating a menu seems intimidating and complicated, but the process comes down to a few steps:

• develop points, enter them in a table. It is important that the dishes offered correspond to the general concept of the establishment. If you understand the concept of a restaurant, then you won't have any problems;
• divide the list into sections: snacks, drinks, desserts, etc.;
• design layout. Here it is important to consider the convenience of using the menu by the client;
• use offline or online programs to create a menu;
• download menu in vector or psd format and send it to print. Remember to calculate the correct amount so that everyone has enough.

The basic process is described above, but the design should not be ignored. Below you will find some tips that will make it easier for customers to use the menu and increase sales.

Simplicity is the key to success

The selling menu is primarily simple. After all, if it is too cluttered, the client will not understand anything, and this will confuse him. In addition, it is not able to awaken the appetite. Simplicity, apart from the graphic aspects, depends on the number of dishes you offer.

Too many dishes will not benefit the restaurant. The abundance of choice can even alienate the client. Four or five suggestions for a first or second course, along with some off-menu items, is enough.

Golden Triangle Rule

The "Golden Triangle" is a term used when creating a menu to refer to the three areas of the menu that most buyers pay attention to first:

• middle part. Customers first look at the middle of the menu. This is a great place to post special offers;
• top right corner. This is where most restaurants place their main course section;
• upper left corner. After the upper right corner, the person's eyes automatically move to the left corner. Snacks are usually located here, which, in combination with alcoholic beverages, can increase the profit of the institution.

Take care of the typography

Titles make up a large part of the menu, so you should pay special attention to the choice of fonts. Customers want to clearly understand what to order, and overly strict fonts make dish names unreadable. Remember that typography complements the overall tone of the menu.

Designers advise using no more than 3 simple fonts in order to avoid chaos on the sheet. Fonts emphasize and enhance the individuality of a restaurant or cafe. Note that Victorian menus are allowed to use fancy and graphically complex fonts. You should also pay attention to secondary elements such as spacing, italics, bold, etc.

Menu language

How would you feel being abroad in a restaurant where you don't understand a word? If you have a lot of foreign guests in your establishment, make sure that the menu is in different languages, or at least in English. This nuance will emphasize the openness and hospitality of the establishment and its owner. In addition, no one canceled word of mouth and good reviews.

Short and long descriptions of dishes

A person has the ability to notice differences and nuances. If you write a list of short offers followed by a long one, the customer will be attracted to the latter. Although, if you write a lot of long descriptions, the eyes will turn to short sentences.

Consider the length of descriptions. Before choosing one of the options, experiment with short and long descriptions to find the right combination. It will help you highlight dishes or specific ingredients.

Avoid currency signs

Today, more and more restaurants follow this rule. Each item on the menu displays a price. But avoid the signs "€", "£", "$", etc. These symbols subconsciously force the customer to focus on prices and the idea that the restaurant is only interested in making money.

Menu as an investment

First of all, the menu is a seller for customers. That is why it is so important to plan it carefully, and not just list the positions of the restaurant.

In addition to the standard restaurant promotion, it is a good idea to create a website. If you do not have such an opportunity, create an institution page on social networks. Use the menu as a hook to attract customers on Facebook, Instagram, TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc.

How to create a restaurant menu?

There are several ways to create a menu design:

a) online services;
b) graphic editors such as Photoshop;
c) designers.

It all depends on how much time and money you have. For example, if you own a small cafe, then obviously you will not be able to afford to hire a designer. The MustHaveMenus company, offering designer services, asks for payment from $99 per page. Next, we will talk in more detail about the first two methods: online services and Photoshop. After all, in our opinion, they are the most optimal and convenient.

Online menu generators

Don't have restaurant menu design experience and the means to hire a professional designer? The Internet is full of both paid and free online services that can easily do this job for you. With customizable templates, fonts, design and even the ability to highlight dishes, etc. We offer a digest of online generators.

iMenuPro is a platform that allows you to instantly create and print menus without special design skills. The service offers hundreds of customizable and professional templates that are suitable for any institution concept. IMenuPro with a convenient drag-and-drop interface is easy to use. The service has the function of adding pictures or logos from external resources.

Price A: $15 per month.

Canva

Canva is a design platform that offers a menu creation service. All you need is text and photos of the dishes, as the platform offers ready-to-use templates. And images you can choose from millions of stock images and graphics. Next, customize your creation: change fonts, filters, pictures, etc. Plus, this platform has applications for Android, iPhone and iPad, which allows you to edit the menu on the go in any place convenient for you.

Price: is free.

An easy-to-use service will help you create a professional list of dishes. You can create a menu for printing yourself, order an online sample for download, for example, on a website or pages in social networks. The templates offered are categorized by type of restaurant, concept, etc.

Price: The service offers two tariff plans to choose from - Free (no watermark removal and customization) and Unlimited for $9 (more than 200 templates, no watermark, as well as customization and printing).

MustHaveMenus is a one-stop platform for everything related to listing your restaurant's meals. It covers the process from design to printing. You need to choose one of the hundreds of available templates, enter the necessary information, customize and download. You have the opportunity to order a menu from MustHaveMenus designers, who will create a design according to all your requirements.

Price: $29 per month (self-created) and from $99 per page (designer services).

Part of the Adobe Spark application suite is the ability to create restaurant menus. Lots of professional fonts to choose from, downloading images from a personal PC or third-party resources, customizing templates - everything to simplify your work.

Price: is free.

Photoshop video tutorials

Design is one of the first steps in communication with clients. This may have an impact on the impression of the restaurant. We invite you to watch video instructions on how to create a menu in Photoshop:

Cafe and bakery menu design

In this video, you will see step-by-step instructions for creating a creative design for a bakery or coffee shop.

Restaurant Menu Design in Photoshop

The video shows the process of creating a menu design for a restaurant.

Brochure menu in Photoshop

This video will teach you how to design a menu in the form of a brochure.

Small flyer menu

This video tutorial will show you how to make a one page menu flyer for a fast food restaurant.

Double menu for a restaurant

This video will show you step by step how to make a brochure menu in Photoshop.

Summing up

Your menu is the main means of communication between the kitchen and the customer. In addition, it should convey the brand of the restaurant in such a way that diners are thrilled to have been there and then want to come back and recommend it to family and friends. Is it hard to believe that it all depends on a small piece of paper? It's true, a menu is not just a list of dishes. Like a portfolio, it's part of marketing. And therefore, you need to try very hard to ensure that the menu is the strong point of the institution. In this article, we tried to give basic design tips with examples, as well as describe the least expensive ways to create it. Finally, we suggest looking at a few more templates for inspiration.

These templates are universal and suitable for any type of establishment: restaurant, cafe, bakery, bar, etc. Here are some examples for inspiration:

http://setmymenus.com - a large database of ready-made templates for designing menus for cafes and restaurants. Use the online editor to change the content of the templates and download the printable pdf file to your computer. Menu design for restaurants and cafes.

http://setmymenus.com - a large database of ready-made templates for designing menus for cafes and restaurants. Use the online editor to change the content of the templates and download the printable pdf file to your computer. Menu design for restaurants and cafes.

http://setmymenus.com - a large database of ready-made templates for designing menus for cafes and restaurants. Use the online editor to change the content of the templates and download the printable pdf file to your computer. Menu design for restaurants and cafes.

http://setmymenus.com - a large database of ready-made templates for designing menus for cafes and restaurants. Use the online editor to change the content of the templates and download the printable pdf file to your computer. Menu design for restaurants and cafes.

http://setmymenus.com - a large database of ready-made templates for designing menus for cafes and restaurants. Use the online editor to change the content of the templates and download the printable pdf file to your computer. Menu design for restaurants and cafes.

http://setmymenus.com - a large database of ready-made templates for designing menus for cafes and restaurants. Use online (

If you need to quickly create a menu for a cafe or kindergarten, then it is best to use a ready-made template. This page contains several menu templates that you can download for free. All you have to do is fill it out and print it out.

Menu template for a cafe in Word

This menu is a great way to inexpensively make a beautiful menu for a cafe, diner or restaurant. It will seem to everyone that the menu was made by a professional designer. This level was achieved using a photo of various dishes as the background of the menu, and a translucent sheet of paper. At the top of the menu is a beautiful metal holder. To start compiling your list of dishes, with or without prices, file this template.

Simple menu template with pictures

If you need to provide a menu to visitors with pictures of dishes, then this is ideal. A simple menu design will not distract the client from the main information. And most importantly, it is very easy to insert photos of dishes into the menu. The main thing is that the pictures are square. And then you just need to select the desired image and apply the image change. Download this simple menu template with a photo in if you like it.

Menu in Word for kindergarten

The kindergarten menu should be fun. This is what we were guided by when creating this template for you. In its lower part there are flowers, and in the upper part, well-known prototypes of cartoon characters in the form of soft toys. Naturally, in order to print your dishes, you need to download the template of this children's menu in a Word file.

New Year's menu in Word

The list of dishes on New Year's tables must be colorful. By downloading this one, you will be able to type in a New Year's menu in a style like the image above. That is, a menu with a blue background, on which beautiful snowflakes of different sizes are located.

Menu template with christmas background

Above, an image of another variant. It is vertically oriented, and is made in red-orange-yellow tones.