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Restaurant Menu

Designing a restaurant menu involves analyzing the customer base, the recipes and items that are on the menu, setting prices and knowing how to present the information to entice the customer to buy the food. It is important to set prices competitively and keep up with trends in eating. Menu design is about how to market your restaurant.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

  1. Step 1

Analyze why a new menu is being made. Is it a new restaurant or are there changes being made to the existing menu? Work on the menu with the chef or restaurant owner. This will help you get to know the specifics of the new menu.

  1. Step 2

Establish the type of menu needed. Determine what type of menu you need by the types of food items being served like Italian, French or fast food. Convenience menus require catchy names for the entree and short descriptions. Gourmet restaurants menus need a descriptive catchy summary of ingredients used and description of the cooking methods. A menu's syle must match the customers served. Whether elegant or simple, any menu design that is easy to follow is better than cluttered and hard to read.

  1. Step 3

Determine the demographics of the restaurant or who the menu is aimed at. It can be children, teenagers, adults with a high income, or even elderly couples who have a tight budget. This will determine the menu color, layout, font style and how the descriptions of food are written. Be consistent in your design and tailor it to the customers you want to serve.

  1. Step 4

Study the current restaurant menu and find out what the top 5 or 10 dishes are and why. Determine if the menu needs some new sections for other customers like "Heart Healthy" or "Low Fat" items. Classify food by main ingredients or style of cooking. Always get the approval of the chef or owner before adding new items. Keep the top sellers near the top of the menu where customers can find them. Arrange food items sequentially with appetizers first, then soups, salads and entrees, followed by desserts and beverages at the bottom.

  1. Step 5

Set menu prices by comparison shopping with similar restaurants or finding out if they are already established by the restaurant. Add photos and good quality graphics to highlight your menu items and draw the customer in to choose certain items. Keep your menu graphics consistent and uncluttered.

  1. Step 6

Prepare a mock-up with the layout and menu before taking it to the printer. Think about an attractive well-designed cover to the menu. Get approval for the design and wording before printing the menu from the restaurant owner or chef.