
08 Dec The Most Common Design Mistakes for Restaurant Menus
Your restaurant’s menu serves many purposes. It is a key form of marketing as well as a practical way to make it easier for guests to order. If your menu is well-designed, it can increase your profits and encourage repeat visits. However, many local restaurants make some big mistakes when planning and executing the design, layout, appearance, and quality of their printed menus. At Reproductions, Inc., we have worked with local restaurants throughout Arizona to provide quality, durable printed menus. Before bringing us your file to print, take a look at the most common design mistakes we see on restaurant menus.
Confusing Layout
The layout of your menu should be straightforward and easy to understand. If items are hard to find or if their placement is confusing, guests might not even notice your most profitable offerings. You should always place the most profitable and popular menu items at the top of the menu, and make sure the menu hierarchy is easy to understand at a glance.
Lack of Merchandising
Your menu is an opportunity to highlight the most important and profitable items your restaurant offers. Consider it a grand tour of your signature menu items. One or two items should be merchandised in each column of the menu so that they stand out and attract attention.
Too Great a Focus on Price
If your menu focuses too much on the price of each item, guests will naturally scan the menu quickly and only consider the lowest priced items. Don’t arrange your menu with menu items on the left and prices on the right. Instead, use nested pricing to focus more on the ingredients and how they come together to create a meal. You can still list the cost, but it should not be emphasized and it shouldn’t be immediately obvious when a reader scans the menu.
Offering Too Many Choices
When you present your guests with too many choices, they’re more likely to become paralyzed by all of their options and order in a panic. Offering a handful of signature dishes that rotate seasonally will keep guests coming back and will make it easier for first-time guests to make a decision. Take your least profitable and least popular items off the menu and focus on options that are unique, satisfying, and profitable.
Dirty or Damaged Menus
When guests see dirty, damaged menus that are not updated regularly, they aren’t going to consider your restaurant to be one of the best local choices. Your menus should be printed on high-quality, substantial cardstock, and should be laminated to prevent rips and tears, food stains, grease marks, and water damage. Do not cross out menu items or change prices with a pen. Instead, re-print your menus so that they always reflect the most accurate information. Your menus should always be professionally printed.
Choose Reproductions, Inc. for Quality, Durable Printed Menus
At Reproductions, Inc., we can print high-quality, durable, and professional-looking menus for restaurants of all sizes in Arizona. We offer black and white and full-color printing, as well as card stock, coated gloss, and matte paper. We also specialize in binding and laminating. To request a quote, call us today at 520-622-7747 or request a quote online.