Restaurant Menu Design Tips
The restaurant business is the most booming and profitable business in the world without any doubt. Having a good restaurant menu design is a necessity for showcasing the specialties of your restaurant. Having a well-designed menu design is like icing on the cake. The key to making a perfect menu design for your restaurant is to pick a theme and stick to it. Having a common theme throughout the entire menu is essential as it sets a certain tone in the customer’s mind about the restaurant.
The first impression is the last impression, and your menu is that first impression on your clients. People who tend to eat a lot at restaurants can tell about their services just by glancing at the menu. Hence, make sure that your first impression is a long-lasting one. So how to make your restaurant menu design look special? Let us discuss.
Various tactics used by successful restaurants while designing their menus.
SWEET SPOT FOR THE EYE
Research suggests that customers read the menu just like a book, from the top left corner. However, several restaurants have been designing their menus in such a way where the higher profit items are placed on the top right corner in the menus. The theory behind this phenomenon is that the customer’s eyes are drawn naturally towards this “sweet spot” on the restaurant menu design.
Hence, they have their primary focus on the items placed on the top right corners and their subconscious minds keep directing them back to that spot. Hence, it is recommended that you should try this tactic and place your high-profit products on the top right corner of the menu. This element is just a theory but given that there are no drawbacks in doing it, one should give it a try.
USE PROPER SECTIONS
It goes without saying that neat and tidy is elegant. Keep the menu simple and have clearly designated sections for different types of food. When everything is placed properly and at its designated place, the menu looks better. People will have a much easier time while ordering food. It is less work for both, your staff and your customers. A more organized restaurant menu design will also give an essence of excellence and professionalism in your hospitality and service, both of which are highly profitable and good for the business.
USE PICTURES
Research has it, that images stay in our subconscious minds for a very long time. Nothing makes people hungrier than glancing at some pictures of mouthwatering food. Use as many visual representations as you can as doing that will ensure that your customers feel the growling in their stomachs after having a look at these pictures. It is very profitable for the business.
But keep in mind that, the pictures should always be high quality and you should be able to serve what you advertise in all possible scenarios. Otherwise, customers will leave unhappy and unsatisfied which is not a good thing for your business. Always remember, using pictures can be both positive and negative depending upon the culinary skills of your restaurant.
USE ILLUSTRATIONS
If your pictures game is not going very strong, you should try to incorporate some illustrations in your restaurant menu design. These illustrations can be in the form of an artwork or a design. Just like the elements discussed above, the illustrations to be used should go hand in hand with the main theme of the menu. Using violent artworks should be avoided as they can alter the mood of your customers. Try using something pleasant and soothing which is related to eating food. Combining good illustrations with mouthwatering pictures of food works wonders in bringing the profits in.
DON’T OVERUSE CURRENCY SIGNS
Your customers know that they are availing of your services and they will have to pay for it. It is very unnecessary to use currency signs or refer money everywhere on the menu. It tends to kill appetite and the customer becomes more conscious while ordering food. Try keeping it to a minimum and use illustrations to help you with it.
USE BOXES
Boxes help in gaining attention. Use boxes while promoting high-profit food items. This will make sure that your customers focus more on these items in the boxes. Moreover, using boxes not only gives your restaurant menu design a structured look but also helps in giving a fresh and clean overall appearance. Using these boxes in the top right corner is even better.
TYPOGRAPHY
One should take special care while selecting the ideal font for their restaurant menu design. It should go hand in hand with a clean and tidy theme, neither too cluttered, nor too spread out. The font should look perfectly synchronized with the overall design and size of the menu. Avoid messy font styles as they are a bit harder to read. Legibility and readability factors of the menu should be kept in mind while working on typography. You can go as creative as you want while keeping these factors in mind.
PICKING THE RIGHT COLORS
After selecting a perfect design and the proper font for your menu. You should consider using proper colors and saturation options for the overall menu theme. The goal should be to make it look vibrant and pleasant. Avoid using a lot of bright colors or contrasting colors, as it will affect the legibility factor of the menu.
Different types of colors have different psychological effects on the customers which can help in setting a specific kind of mood. Hence, use colors wisely as they will have a huge impact on your overall profit. Hence, the key to making a well-designed menu is by “keeping the theme constant!” All the elements and tactics discussed above, are meant to go hand in hand.
Using them innovatively will make sure that your restaurant stays in the subconscious minds of your customers. They will have more than just amazing food to remember your brand by. Your hospitality and service are reflected in how well-made your restaurant menu design is. It is not just a piece of paper; it is the fate of your restaurant. Hence, you should put a lot of thought into designing your menu and even consider seeking some professional help for the same.
