how to design a menu

a restaurant must make a menu when it is open to the outside world, and the menu is also called a menu. A menu is a list of dishes, drinks or other foods provided by a restaurant to customers. It usually uses written forms to publish the specific varieties, names, tastes, prices and even photos of food provided by restaurants. Menu has become a channel to communicate between consumers and restaurants, and it is also the essence and guide of various production, service and purchasing departments of restaurants.

the function of menu is so important, so how to make a good menu? As we all know, to make a good menu, it is necessary to ensure that consumers can get satisfactory service in choosing consumption before entering the store for dinner, and at the same time, businesses will get better benefits.

Menu design is an art in itself, and it is a highly technical and meticulous work. Due to the different grades and business contents of each restaurant, the design will be varied. In addition to the chef providing the corresponding dishes, professional printing houses and artists should be selected to assist in the design and printing, and the menu design should be unique and personalized. How to classify and typeset the dishes, drinks, etc. operated in the store, and the arrangement of menu style, cover and photo pattern, etc. shall be completed through consultation between professional designers and operators.

The menu is made as follows:

(1) The menu must be made with attention to its integrity. First, we should take care of the name, order and price of cold dishes, hot dishes and soup dishes. Second, the propaganda of special flavor dishes. Third, the display of famous chefs and special dishes. Fourth, the telephone number, specific address and business hours of the restaurant.

(2) specifications. At present, the menus in restaurants vary in size, from large ones like newspapers to small ones like small notebooks, so it is difficult to achieve the visual effects required by customers. Regarding the specifications of the menu, after repeated practice and understanding of frequent customers, the menu should be based on the principle of convenience for customers to browse, and the generally ideal size is 23cmX31cm.

(3) cover. When designing a menu, we should not only consider the size and number of pages, but also carefully consider the cover design. A beautifully designed menu cover is not only the facade of the restaurant, but also an important symbol of the restaurant. A beautiful menu will leave a deep impression on consumers. The cover design of the menu should highlight the management style of this restaurant, and we should grasp the pattern and color well. For example, if you run a palace cuisine restaurant, the cover of the menu should reflect the signs of operation, and it is better to be antique and royal. If you are running a modern restaurant, the menu cover should show the rhythm of the times and have modern artistic content.

(4) style. There are various styles of menus at present, and there is no uniform regulation. The style and color of the restaurant should be adapted to the grade and atmosphere of the restaurant. Nowadays, the more common menus in the catering industry are: catalog menu, folding menu, table menu, loose-leaf menu, wall-hanging menu, etc. Most of them are rectangular, and some are square, round or other shapes.

(5) materials. Generally, the menu is made of beautiful and durable materials with reasonable cost. For long-term use, heavy coated paper, coated paper and art paper can be selected. Because the texture of paper varies greatly from place to place, it is necessary to analyze the specific situation when choosing paper, and if necessary, you can also ask the paper seller for advice and help.

(6) text. The words on the menu directly convey information to customers. The font should be clear and correct, and regular script is appropriate. When writing words, arrange a little space between the names of dishes as reasonable as possible, and don't be too thin and too dense, otherwise it will affect the reading effect of customers. If necessary, it can be accompanied by Chinese and English control.

(7) color. The color of the menu can change with the times. As far as small and medium-sized restaurants are concerned, the menu covers and inserts are rich in colors, such as purple, red, dark green and dark blue. Some inserts are mainly white, with light pink, beige and other colors. In short, decorative menus with different design styles will add color to large and small restaurants. How to make a restaurant menu

1 and sketch a simulated basic menu layout. 2. List the name and price of the food. 3. Describe each dish. 4. Add photos carefully. 5. The details of the font are left for the second simulation. 6. Select the final layout. 7. Proofread and print the final design. Whether you are designing a menu for your own restaurant or being hired by a group to carry out this plan, the following are the steps you can take and the factors you need to consider in the whole process.

1. Sketch a simulated basic menu layout. You may want to focus your initial design on the table of contents, some titles and related drawings. Here is the general direction you need to remember: choose a color theme that can match the style of the restaurant. For a fashionable restaurant, dark colors will convey a sense of seriousness and professionalism. If it is a casual restaurant, warm and soft colors will look suitable for others to enter. For a restaurant with mostly young people or an odd theme, bright colors are more meaningful. Unless you are dissatisfied with the original design or plan to change it, it is safest to make the menu conform to (or at least complement) the style of the restaurant itself.

arrange the menu logically. Your menu should reflect the real order of people's meals that you can provide. For an all-day restaurant, there should be breakfast, lunch, extra meals and dinner, as well as dessert. Traditionally, simple drinks (water, soda, tea) should be listed last; Special drinks (wine, cocktails) are often listed on a separate list or a folder.

visually divide the menu into several parts. You can either mark the food list with big and simple titles, or if you have many items, each should be on a separate page. If you have a lot of different foods, you need to have a main part (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and a secondary part (fish, poultry, vegetarian food, pasta, salad). Other minor parts may include: region (Italy, France, Spain)

style (barbecue, stir-fry, soup, stew)

popularity (recommended by the store and loved by customers)

2. List the name and price of the food. The simplest way is to write column by column (food name, description, price). Make sure that each name clearly corresponds to the description or price, especially if the font is small and each line is difficult to read. A simple way is to put food in a pile of dots (? ) connect. It's a good idea to keep the variety in mind: make sure that a small number of economical dishes are below the average price, and there are also a small number of particularly expensive dishes.

consider serving dishes with special recipes. There should be foods specifically for vegetarians, vegans, children or people who like low-calorie or heart-healthy diets, so as to satisfy more different kinds of customers.

consider providing special services for the elderly, soldiers or other groups at happy times. This may mean that a certain dish is discounted at a certain time (preferably when there is little traffic) or a small amount of food is served at a low price at that time.

change the price of additional or specially prepared things. See if it is allowed to change to other substitutes, and what is the cost of the substitutes. You may need to record the daily substitutes on the menu, such as "Substituting potatoes with other side dishes costs an extra $1.51."

3. Describe each dish. Every dish should have a descriptive title. For example, "hamburger" may not hear anything, but "delicious hamburger with sesame and horseradish sauce" will attract readers' attention. After that, make a brief introduction to all the ingredients in the dish. For example, "a quarter pound beef pie with sesame seeds on it, cream sauce, roasted mushrooms, tomatoes and Chili sauce or Swiss cheese." Similarly, if the following items are provided, please make records (either words or symbols): this dish is more spicy/spicy than other dishes on the menu.

this dish contains raw materials (such as peanuts) that some people may be seriously allergic to.

This dish caters to people with special dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, wheat bran-free, low in calories [with accurate calorie content], low in sodium, low in acid and so on. )

4. Add photos carefully. Food photography is very difficult. If you can afford an extremely professional food photographer, pictures may help to make food look more attractive. However, the attraction of food to people is three-dimensional, and it needs to smell attractive and feel warm, which means that even the best photos can't make your menu objective. Generally speaking, it is best to leave the appearance of each dish to the customer's imagination.

5. The detailed processing of fonts is reserved for the second simulation. At this point, pay attention to the font, margins, spacing and overall composition: make the font simpler. Don't get carried away. If you use fashionable fonts, it may be interesting, but it looks unprofessional. Don't use more than three fonts on the menu, or it will look too messy.

if it is mainly aimed at elderly people, use large and simple fonts. If they can read the options easily, they will buy more.

strive for a simple and concise design. This is especially important for high-end restaurants, where there are requirements for taste and simplicity.

Menus with too many choices usually give each dish a unique number, and the numbers are arranged one after the other in each section in order. This makes it easier for customers to communicate with employees (for example, "Hello, I want number 4").

try to make each page visually balanced. Draw a square around each part of the content, and then look at its overall layout and the surrounding blank parts. Does the page look unbalanced? Do some places look like space, as if you don't have much to offer in that part?

6. select the final layout. Ensure that the restaurant owner, manager and chef agree on the design and content. In addition, ask someone who is not in the industry to give you some ideas; What is obvious to insiders may be difficult for laymen to understand.

7. Proofread and print the final design. Finally, check the whole menu carefully, because mistakes in the menu will convey the message that the restaurant is of poor quality. You can also hire a professional editor in case you miss something.

tip: whenever the menu content changes, it is a good idea to replace it with a new menu cover. It can remind customers to look for new things and try new parts, including existing dishes that they have not noticed.

prepare for the seasonal changes. It's cheaper to put the dishes you don't serve all year round in a special folder (to match the theme of the main menu) than to make a variety of different menus.

There are many free templates you can use online. There are also softwares specially designed for menus, but it is ok to use any graphic design software to create menus, even if it is only word processing software (if the menus are simple).

never print menus with a home printer unless you have a professional laser printer. The cost of professional printing is nothing compared with the influence of good printed paper.

whenever the price changes, restaurants are encouraged to add some new dishes and rearrange the menu. If customers see that the original dishes have gone up in price, they may go to other stores.

before you proceed to the next stage of operation, you should get to know the restaurant manager and chef in advance, otherwise you may have to make many changes in the end. Chinese food menu design-how to design an easy-to-use restaurant menu

The menu is made as follows:

(1) The menu must pay attention to its integrity. First, we should take care of the name, order and price of cold dishes, hot dishes and soup dishes. Second, the propaganda of special flavor dishes. Third, the display of famous chefs and special dishes. Fourth, the telephone number, specific address and business hours of the restaurant.

(2) specifications. At present, the menus in restaurants vary in size, from large ones like newspapers to small ones like small notebooks, so it is difficult to achieve the visual effects required by customers.