Usually, little thought goes into designing the restaurant menu before businesses hand them over to menu printing companies. Most people consider the goal of restaurant menus to just show a customer the food items on offer and their corresponding prices. But there’s a lot more to it than what meets the eye. Your restaurant menu acts as the gateway to your business identity and brand. By getting the menu designed and printed right, your business can help the customers in their decision-making process and even encourage them to try specific dishes (which could be the ones that have the highest profit margin).
Here’re four key factors that should be remembered before your restaurant menu is sent to your printing partner:
1. Don’t stuff too many options in too little space: The restaurant menu design company hired to design the menu should include limited food options to avoid overwhelming customers. Some may feel the more it is, the merrier it would be. However, according to a psychological theory called the “paradox of choice,” putting more options in your restaurant menu would make your customers feel more anxious when ordering. This could make them choose wrong. Thus, when they leave, they’ll feel less satiated. Though it could be because of their wrong choice, they could have a negative perception of your business and may not return. So, it’s ideal to keep the menu limited and straightforward, enticing customers to try something new or even different (that might be a bit more expensive).
2. Organize the menu logically: Your restaurant menu should reflect the sequence in which people usually eat the dishes on offer. This means the menu should begin with breakfast items followed by those offered as part of lunch and dinner. The lunch and dinner menus should ideally list the appetizers first, followed by the main course and then the dessert. However, suppose your restaurant has items that work the best when paired together or offers specialties like chef’s recommendations. In that case, the menu design could be tweaked to highlight them so that the customers feel enticed to give them a try.
3. Be judicious with the use of images: Humans often respond to the photos on display similar to how they would respond to a plate in front of them. Businesses can use it to their benefit by including extremely high-quality professional images. The more realistic such images are, the more will they stimulate the customers’ response to it. However, it’s ideal to use just a limited number of images. But there’s a risk too. Not all food photography will appeal to everyone. Additionally, the inclusion of images would escalate the cost of laminated menu printing or take out menu printing. Some restaurants prefer not to use any pictures in their menus because they believe it best to leave the food’s quality to their customer’s imagination. Those belonging to this league could avoid using images or opt for illustrations instead as they tend to be more universally-appealing.
4. Make the prices as inconspicuous as possible: Restaurant menus shouldn’t emphasize the currency signs or the dishes’ cost. A Cornell University study found customers tend to spend more when currency signs were omitted than when they were mentioned (either as the $ sign or written-out prices like ‘fifty dollars’). The use of dotted lines that lead the customers’ eyes from the menu item to its price is a cardinal sin that should be avoided. Businesses that make customers overly aware of the amount they are spending miss out on the chance of selling pricey items. Ideally, the menu design should list the price as discretely as possible, in the same size font as that of the item’s name and/or description, to help the customers’ eye simply glide over it.
If your business needs a restaurant menu print company, get in touch with us here at DFW Printing Company by calling 800-903-1673 or sending us an email at [email protected].
We are happy to help you with all your restaurant menu printing needs!
Here’re four key factors that should be remembered before your restaurant menu is sent to your printing partner:
1. Don’t stuff too many options in too little space: The restaurant menu design company hired to design the menu should include limited food options to avoid overwhelming customers. Some may feel the more it is, the merrier it would be. However, according to a psychological theory called the “paradox of choice,” putting more options in your restaurant menu would make your customers feel more anxious when ordering. This could make them choose wrong. Thus, when they leave, they’ll feel less satiated. Though it could be because of their wrong choice, they could have a negative perception of your business and may not return. So, it’s ideal to keep the menu limited and straightforward, enticing customers to try something new or even different (that might be a bit more expensive).
2. Organize the menu logically: Your restaurant menu should reflect the sequence in which people usually eat the dishes on offer. This means the menu should begin with breakfast items followed by those offered as part of lunch and dinner. The lunch and dinner menus should ideally list the appetizers first, followed by the main course and then the dessert. However, suppose your restaurant has items that work the best when paired together or offers specialties like chef’s recommendations. In that case, the menu design could be tweaked to highlight them so that the customers feel enticed to give them a try.
3. Be judicious with the use of images: Humans often respond to the photos on display similar to how they would respond to a plate in front of them. Businesses can use it to their benefit by including extremely high-quality professional images. The more realistic such images are, the more will they stimulate the customers’ response to it. However, it’s ideal to use just a limited number of images. But there’s a risk too. Not all food photography will appeal to everyone. Additionally, the inclusion of images would escalate the cost of laminated menu printing or take out menu printing. Some restaurants prefer not to use any pictures in their menus because they believe it best to leave the food’s quality to their customer’s imagination. Those belonging to this league could avoid using images or opt for illustrations instead as they tend to be more universally-appealing.
4. Make the prices as inconspicuous as possible: Restaurant menus shouldn’t emphasize the currency signs or the dishes’ cost. A Cornell University study found customers tend to spend more when currency signs were omitted than when they were mentioned (either as the $ sign or written-out prices like ‘fifty dollars’). The use of dotted lines that lead the customers’ eyes from the menu item to its price is a cardinal sin that should be avoided. Businesses that make customers overly aware of the amount they are spending miss out on the chance of selling pricey items. Ideally, the menu design should list the price as discretely as possible, in the same size font as that of the item’s name and/or description, to help the customers’ eye simply glide over it.
If your business needs a restaurant menu print company, get in touch with us here at DFW Printing Company by calling 800-903-1673 or sending us an email at [email protected].
We are happy to help you with all your restaurant menu printing needs!
