Creating a Restaurant Menu Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a menu is an art form that requires careful consideration and attention to detail. Just like preparing a gourmet dish, creating a menu involves selecting the right ingredients, balancing flavors, and appealingly presenting them.

A well-designed menu serves as the face of your restaurant, enticing diners and setting the stage for their dining experience. As the saying goes, “You are what you eat,” Likewise, you are what you serve. So to get your restaurant up and ready, one step among the others to follow is to create a menu, and in this article, you’ll find all ingredients necessary for the perfect menu.

Make a Restaurant Menu in 8 Steps

Fussing over tiny details may seem like a bore for most people, but all culinary artists and fine restaurant owners know that the pallet can distinguish and claim its status in food. Below is an eight-step guide on creating a restaurant menu in easy steps.

Determine What You Will be Serving on Your Menu

Consider the concept of a menu as the derivative of your restaurant’s concept. Just like a restaurant, a menu has its own background story, culture, and attributes.

When introducing a menu, every section should feel like an experience, and people should be able to imagine what they might have and see what these dishes would look like. So, determining a cuisine is crucial in establishing the bases of entrée dishes, main courses, and desserts.

It is also imperative to refrain from crowding the menu and stick to a certain number of dishes to sustain the restaurant to well-prepared dishes.

Consider your target market

A menu is dedicated to pleasing an entering guest. To do so, a restaurant should perform a targeted market analysis to gather information such as cultural background, individual preferences, and spending habits which will factor into the elements and recipes of a menu.

Determine your restaurant concept

The answer to what attracts people to restaurants is simple: the concept of a restaurant is to a menu what comfort food is to a person. It encompasses all the important aspects, including the restaurant’s theme, service, and dining hall. The menu design should reflect these elements to capture guests’ attention and convey the chef’s and restaurant’s theme.

Analyze your ingredients

Preparation is key, and the secret ingredient to any recipe is the shopping process which starts before the ingredients hit the skillet. Purchasing fresh produce, top-notch poultry, and quality meats makes all the difference. When creating a healthy menu, remember to invest in these small yet crucial details.

Categorize Menu Items

When a cuisine has been selected, and all dishes are set and agreed upon, organizing them into the following sections should be easy.

Entrees

They are the main dish; a menu should have various options such as lamb, veal, steak, chicken, or fish. Some restaurants may feature pasta dishes as the main course.

Sides

As the name signifies, this particular dish is served on the side of the main course; most side dishes consist of greens, beans, or rice.

Desserts

The indulgent part of any dining or lunching experience is enjoying refined treats and desserts, whether a classic chocolate cake or an original dish unique to the restaurant.

Beverages

Depending on the type of restaurant, beverage options may vary; however, a restaurant should have both cold and hot beverages.

Vegan and vegetarian restaurants may differ in their menus and culinary approaches, but they generally fall under the same classifications of appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts, and beverages. While the ingredients used in vegan and vegetarian restaurants may differ from traditional restaurants that serve meat, the basic concept of categorizing dishes into different courses remains the same.

Write Compelling Restaurant Menu Descriptions

Like a short story, a menu description is written from the heart and derived from the chef’s experience. This is where diving into details pays off; narrate the story or event in which a certain dish was created. A wonderful tip is to read the description from a third perspective; explore the reader’s mind and imagine how they would perceive it.

Determine the Tone and Language

Words speak not just to the mind but when writing a menu; words written can be heard and envisioned. When describing a dish, the language and musicality of words will influence and entice guests to try different dishes.

List the Dishes on the Menu in Categories

As mentioned above, categorizing a menu into sections facilitates picking dishes and influences guests to pick certain meals. Most menus include at least five items per section, starting with beverages and appetizers and expanding to entrees, including the side dishes in the menu description.

Finally, provide desserts and update the menu to host seasonal dishes, and try to write descriptions in short sentences.

Use a Consistent Format for All Menu Descriptions

A format is the layout and structure of a menu; it is important to consider the reader’s perspective and use a soothing and alluring color palette. Therefore, when designing, build the structure properly; begin with a title, list the ingredients, and describe the plate in an appetizing method.

Consider Using Visuals to Enhance the Descriptions

Hiring a professional photographer that can capture vivid images of well-presented dishes will give guests something to look forward to. A fun fact; looking at food photos will create a feeling of hunger from the hormone ghrelin, which is increasingly released through visual stimuli.

Determine Portion Sizes and Pricing

Portion size and pricing go hand in hand; typically, ingredients should amount to 20-30% of the menu price. The portion should be satisfactory to the customer and affordable for the restaurant to maintain a steady business markup.

Determine Appropriate Portion Sizes for Each Menu Item

When determining the portion size, a chef should build their menu to allow room for optimal ordering. For instance, an appetizer should build the consumers’ appetite but keep them hungry for the main course. The main course should be presentable and fulfilling but leave room for dessert.

Research Pricing Strategies

Prices should be both lucrative and reasonable; build the menu according to the market analysis, and it’s crucial that the pricing of dishes is competitive with other restaurants in the area but still affordable for customers.

Calculate the overall restaurant costs, such as utilities, and then set a menu price to increase marginal profit in markups. 

Decide on a Menu Color Scheme

Here, owners should ask designers to select a color palette that satisfies the menu’s needs and encompasses the dish’s temperament. Below we shall explain how to plan a meal in a color scheme.

Monochromatic

A monochromatic menu uses a single color for its design, although it may seem dull to the eye. Designers should use variants and color shades to build the menu. Chefs then can complement this idea by presenting a monochromatic dish in which ingredients consist of a single color.

Analogous

An analogous menu revolves around a color palette comprising a single group of similar colors. These colors are in the same category as the color wheel gradient; such a color scheme uses a minimum of three hues of colors next to each other on a color wheel.

Complementary

A complementary color scheme uses pairs of colors that, when combined or mixed, eliminate each other and result in a grayscale color such as black or white. On the other hand, these twin colors contrast two opposite colors when used together, creating vibrant colors. For example, designers can pair red with green or yellow and purple.

Design Your Restaurant Menu and Layout

A menu layout is the spacing and final image of a menu when printed; this layout should include the menu dishes and prices in a simple structure that doesn’t overwhelm the senses.

Choose an Appropriate Menu Size and Format

The primary focus of a layout is the page size which is a standard of 8.5” x 11”. If a menu provides a kids’ section, we advise restaurants to invest in a tabloid menu size.

Select a Font and Color Scheme Matching the Restaurant’s Brand

Restaurants should use color psychology to influence customers’ decisions and incorporate the proper font. For example, an italic font expresses a feminine demeanor.

Incorporate High-Quality Images of Menu Items

Images can have a visual stimulus effect that increases appetite; therefore, a menu should use high-quality photographs to enhance a meal’s dining experience and anticipation.

Balance Text and Images for Visual Appeal and Readability

Focus on the space between lines and sentences, avoid using caps, choose a font comforting to the eye, and avoid underlining a text.

Review and Edit Your Restaurant Menu

A menu should be regularly updated and revised until the final version is ready; owners should follow these steps to ensure a menu’s success.

Conduct Taste Tests with a Focus Group or Team Members

Before launching a menu, do a rehearsal testing by having employees, friends, or relatives taste the dishes. This way, owners can determine food quality.

Refine Menu Items Based on Feedback

Once owners have conducted a taste test, they can use the feedback to enhance and refine dishes for a better dining experience. For instance, a chef can determine if the seasoning and dish presentation is up to par.

Make Your Restaurant Menu Online

The modern world calls for an online application of a well-designed and easy-to-read menu to create restaurant awareness and accessibility.

Choose a Platform

While some owners would prefer publishing their menus on the restaurant’s website, others would walk the extra mile and develop a mobile application for more accessibility. The options are many, and even some social media platforms offer to incorporate menus into the restaurant’s account.

Test the Menu

Owners can test their menu using images and online polls to collect feedback on dishes and menu selections.

Promote the Menu

Owners can advertise their menus using the restaurant’s website, social media platforms, email campaigns, and YouTube videos. Moreover, when marketing a menu, owners should beware of food bloggers who might contract with the restaurant to promote its dishes through various channels.

How to Choose a Company to Design a Restaurant Menu?

Although many companies offer creative design services, designing a restaurant menu requires specific experience and skills.

Look for Companies with Experience in Restaurant Menu Design

Check other restaurants and find out who designed their menus. Sometimes, people are open to sharing such details and helping one another.

Inquire About the Company’s Design Process

Ask for a meeting, discuss their method and design strategies, and explain what you wish to convey. Ask the company for their portfolio of similar work.

Consider the Company’s Pricing and Services

Research the market price, then entertain different offers to decide on the best match for your preferences and budget.

Contact the Shortlisted Companies

To save effort, you can contact shortlisted companies for more details before signing a contract to guarantee an optimal choice. 

Evaluate the Company’s Level of Responsiveness & Professional

It’s vital to feel understood and reciprocated by the company. To do that, have them draft or explain their approach and how they plan on implementing the required needs in their process.

Choose the Company that Best Aligns with Your Vision & Budget

Review the company’s website to familiarize yourself with its price range and services. You can even reach out online to ask for an estimated price quote.

Sign a Contract and Begin Working with the Chosen Company

Draft and read a contract thoroughly; once terms and conditions are established, sign the contract and follow up regularly to provide feedback along the design process. 

Best Restaurant Menu Examples

We have put together some ideas for famous and popular menus worldwide to gather inspiration.

Classic Menus

Classic menus typically refer to traditional menu designs used in restaurants for many years. They often feature a straightforward layout with clear headings and sections for different types of dishes. However, even classic menu designs can be creative.

In London, UK, a famous restaurant named Quo Vadis uses a menu with square boxes, which facilitates menu navigation and highlights menu sections. Another famous example is Michi Ramen in Austin, Texas which uses illustrations and drawings to accentuate the restaurant’s theme.

Modern Menus

Modern menus refer to contemporary and innovative designs incorporating creative elements. Modern menus often break away from traditional formats and may include unconventional layouts and visually appealing graphics to captivate customers and make a strong impression. Furthermore, modern times call for modern measures; restaurants now use menu tablets to introduce menus instead of printed ones.

Themed Menus

Themed menus are designed to entertain a particular theme or occasion, adding a unique and memorable element to the dining experience. These menus often come in smaller sizes, featuring options and dishes suitable for the restaurant’s theme or party. For instance, Grico’s restaurant in the USA provides a picnic theme menu that includes BBQ options.

Menu Design

A menu can influence a customer’s decision, especially if it includes psychological principles such as color, appetite stimulation, brand identity, and emotional evocation. An example of a famous menu design is Discover Your Way in Patras, Greece; it uses a chalkboard-inspired menu with monochrome illustrations.

To Wrap Up!

A menu represents the heart and soul of a restaurant; it should capture the essence of the cuisine and reflect the chef’s experience, therefore; when deciding on a design company; communicate what you’ll be serving and write a brief menu description, ask for a printed and online version of the menu to guarantee a successful launch.