How to get the very best from your menus « Back to list

If your business sells food or drink you’re likely to have a menu or at the very least a price list. People often make buying decisions quickly and how your menu looks can have a real effect on your sales. If you’re involved in the busy world of food and drink it’s easy to overlook your menus and that can be a huge mistake. So, when did you last take a fresh look at what your customers see?

Become your customer

Look at your menu through the eyes of a customer. Does it look current and fresh or do the fonts, graphics and images look dated? Is your menu eye-catching? Are any photos sharp and enticing? Are all the products and prices up to date? Does the menu itself look tattered or shoddy?

In short, does your menu look professional and clean? Does it portray your business and your products in the best possible light? If not, then it’s time for a menu refresh.

Descriptions do wonders

Which of the following menu items sounds more appetising?

Steak pie and chips

or

Delicious home-cooked steak pie in a light puff pastry crust. Served with slow-cooked, thick cut chips.

Let your customers almost taste the food in their minds and they’re more likely to order.

You can use the same the same technique to describe drinks. Whatever you’re describing, using words like “rich”, “sweet” or “smoky” really sets the mood and gets your customers’ mouths watering.

Use images wisely

Used in the wrong way images and photographs can cheapen the look of your menu and your food. Any photos used should be professionally taken and incorporated perfectly into the menu’s design. Great illustrations can be even more effective than photos and give your menu a quirky, inviting look.

Perfect placement

Think about where you place items, especially those with greater markup. If you put the most expensive item at the top of your menu everything below it will appear more reasonably priced. Even the second most expensive item will seem like great value. If you really want to push a particular dish highlight it with a box, border, graphics or even a great image.

Pick a format that works for you

Menus can be folded sheets, booklets with heavy covers and lighter pages, single sheets or even strut cards. You can choose lamination to make your menu durable and wipe-clean. If you run a high-end establishment selling more expensive items a booklet using textured or luxury paper might be more suitable. Your prices, range and type of business will dictate the best options in format and finish.

Perfect print for the perfect menu

DigitalPrinting.co.uk supply professional print on a range of premium, recycled and luxury papers. Whether your menu is printed in a single sheet, folded leaflet or booklet format you can be sure your print and paper quality will be of the highest quality. Our menus, like all of our products, are printed using HP Indigo digital presses that produce perfect colours and sharp, clear images. To find out more or get an instant quote for your menus, visit www.DigitalPrinting.co.uk or contact our professional print team today.