1. Designing a
great menu.
Includes our glossary of menu lingo
Guide Book #4

2. A great menu is much more than just a list of food and
prices.
Your menu is often the first thing your customers see
when they take a table at your restaurant, and may even
be the reason they came through your doors in the first
place.
But you would be surprised how many restaurants
spend little or no time on menu design and miss out on
easy ways to help drive sales of their most profitable
dishes.
Inside this guidebook you will find everything you need
to know about designing a great restaurant menu from
layout to pricing.
You will also find a glossary of mouth watering
adjectives and some excellent tips on how to turn your
menu into your most important marketing tool.

3. Lets Get Started
Before you sit down to write your restaurants menu, you should first consider some important
Stay
factors. flexible when
you first open.
How will you restaurants menu be different from everyone else’s? How are you going to stand Don‘t over invest
out, what will be your signature dishes. in the printing of
menus as you
may have to
Understand the link between the restaurant kitchen and a restaurant menu. The size and make changes
setup of your restaurant kitchen will directly impact the size and style of your menu. A smaller
kitchen will limit the variety of your restaurant menu.
Items on a restaurant menu should be versatile. Cross utilization of menu items keeps food
spoilage down and allows you to use ingredients in more than one dish.
Ensure your dishes are easy to prepare, unless of course you plan to get a Michelin Star. Any
menu items that have over fussy presentations will potentially bog down the kitchen staff during a
lunch or dinner rush.
Know your customers. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when designing your
menu is your customers. Who do you want to attract. A sports bar will require a very different
menu than a fine dining French restaurant.
Check out your competition. Study their menus to see their pricing. Look for similarities and
differences between your prospective restaurant menu and theirs. Look at their layout, how are
they promoting their signature dishes.
Get Inspiration Collect as many menus as you can get your hands on and go-online. Today many
restaurants have PDFs of their menus that you can download from their sites.

4. Menu Styles
The Leader Bound Book
Once regarded as the height of chic in top end restaurants, the leader book seems a
little tired and old fashioned these days .
Today they are probably best suited for a country house or perhaps your wine list.
If you do decide to go with this style try to find a colour that suits the overall design and
branding of your restaurant. If in doubt, black classic style covers will go with most
restaurant designs.
Most suppliers will also imprint or emboss your logo on the front of the cover to help
brand your restaurant.
The Laminated Menu
Usually a one pager or a two-panel menu (one that opens like a magazine), this type of
menu is very popular with restaurants with a large footfall as they help to help turn
tables. They are great for sports bars, fast casual and family friendly restaurants.
The advantages of this style are that are cheap to produce, easy to handle and offer
lots of scope for creativity. They are also probably the only style of menu that can handle
photos.
Disadvantage – The can easily become tatty.
Quick tip, if you have a double sided menu put main courses on both sides as
you have no control over which side the person is reading.

5. One-Use-Only Paper Menus
One-Use-Only Paper Menus have become very popular in recent years with
restaurants that have a relaxed atmosphere. They also often double as place mats
in canteen style restaurants. A4 or A3 are usually the most popular sizes. Paper
menus allow you give a fresh menu to every customer and have the added
advantage that customers can take home the menu with them.
The Classic Page Turner
Are still the most popular form of menu. These are great for restaurants with a lot of
dishes , but they can slow down decision making. Make sure you split it into clear
sections.
The Chalkboard
The chalkboard is great for gastro pubs and neighbourhood restaurants as they
create a sense of homespun cooking. Make sure you have an employee with clear
hand writing. Don't use different colours, stick with white and don't actually use chalk
but use chalk pens. Chalkboards are also great for promoting specials.

6. Menu Layout
According
Careful layout of your menu is critical. We know that most customers are going to order to restaurant
an entrée when they open the menu, so your goal is to ensure the customer sees the consultants
more profitable items first. interviewed by
Restaurants USA
magazine, re-
It is critical that you are aware of the most valuable real estate on your menu. On a solo designing your
page layout, it's a proven fact that the more profitable items should be placed on top and menu can
bottom thirds of the page. On two-panel (page) menus people most often look at the top improve your
right-hand side first. On three-panel (page) menus, people most often look at the centre sales on average
from 2 to 10
panel first, and then move counter clockwise. These areas should be reserved for more
percent.
profitable dishes since it is the best place to catch–and retain–the reader‘s gaze.
Remember cheap, popular staples like a burger should be harder to locate. This is akin
to the grocery store putting the milk in the back. You have to walk by all sorts of
tempting, high-priced items to get to it.
The order in which dishes appear is also important. People most often remember and
buy the first two items or the last menu item in each menu category. Place your menu
items with the highest gross profit in these spots on the menu.
Borders and boxes are also a great way to draw attention to special parts of your menu.
Our eyes are drawn to boxes, and diners are statistically more likely to order whatever is
inside them. Restaurants reserve them for profitable items or dishes the chef wants to
promote.
Finally do not fear white space as it allows the eyes to pause and rest.

7. Pricing
Once you have your restaurant menu drafted, it‘s time to decide on selling prices for See the
change of
each dish. seasons as an
opportunity to
Download the Catering Mentor costing tools and GP calculator to help you decide on introduce spring,
your selling prices. summer, autumn
and winter menus
that reflect the
Understand the psychology of pricing. Above £5, add 95p. Since price increments of products
less than £1 don‘t change the perceived value of a dish add £0.95 to any item that's available, the
more than £5. For example, since £12.50 and £12.95 have the same perceived value, holidays of the
so go with £12.95 to maximize your profits. season and
seasonal eating
habits.
Avoid listing prices down the right-hand margin. This can result in customer scanning
down the list of prices and choosing the least-expensive items. It is much better to add
the prices at the end of each description within the body of the text using the same font
and size, so that they cannot be read easily together and compared.
Removing the £ sign can further help the customer focus on the product, not the price.
Update your menu periodically and remove items that aren‘t selling. Download the
Catering Mentor Menu Engineering Tool. This powerful and fully automated tool, helps
you assess the profitability of your menu items based on their food cost, selling price
and popularity

8. Menu Descriptions
Your menu description should make a guest‘s mouth water. The adjectives lavished on a
If your
dish can be as important as the names of the ingredients. What would you rather eat, customers
grilled chicken or flame-broiled chicken with garlic rub? have trouble
pronouncing the
However avoid making descriptions too long. A sentence or two is fine. You want to names of your
dishes, number
intrigue the customer. If they have more questions, their server should be able to give
them! It's much
further information about a dish or recommend a house favourite. easier to order a
#9 than it is to try
Incorporating local references and traceability can also help your restaurant menu stand to puzzle out how
out. For example, Galway Bay oysters sounds very inviting. I was recently in a great little to pronounce an
unfamiliar name
restaurant in Scotland that use blackboards to display their daily fish specials and
included the name of the fishermen who had pulled in the catch.
Check out the Catering Mentor glossary of foodie buzz words for inspiration when writing
your menu. Here you will find hundreds of Scrumptious, Yummy, Heavenly, Melt in the
mouth, Indulgent and Irresistible adjectives.

9. Final checklist
Do: Enlist the
Offer a balance of unique dishes and old favourites talent of a
local artist to
Give personal recommendations
design a cover.
Place side orders and add on in a prominent position Perhaps you
Promote New Items and Specials. Highlight them with a box or a ―New!‖ graphic. could show case
Choose a great typeface. Check out www.dafonts.com a different local
Make the desserts sound like a must have treats artist every time
you reprint your
Use table tents to promote deserts
menu.
Have a balance of high and low food costs for a reasonable profit margin.
Highlight sharing dishes ―These are often bought by couples on dates who are more
concerned with the experience that the price‖
Have a signature dishes
Include symbols and icons for healthy options and allergy free dishes etc.
Offer wine and beer matches
Always ensure that your menus are clean
Don't:
Over work dishes by using expensive and pretentious items
Litter your menu with superfluous adjectives
Add to many pictures or busy backgrounds, that make the menu hard to read.
Use clipart
Use £ signs
Have too many dishes. The optimum number of dishes in a category is between five and
seven. If you have too many dishes it decreases the value of each item
Have spelling mistakes
Make your menu 10 pages long

10. Glossary of menu descriptors
Take advantage of your menu‘s power by including menu lingo that sells.
Below you will find 100‘s of foodie buzz words to help you write an inspired menu. Here you will find
hundreds of Scrumptious, Yummy, Heavenly, Melt in the mouth, Indulgent and Irresistible adjectives.
.
But remember only great ingredients make for great descriptions, so never exaggerate what's in a dish
Vegetables On a bed of Candied Side Orders
Hand Cut Medley Stuffed with For even more flavour,
Crunchy Steamed Array of add one of these to
Locally sourced Crunchy slaw Sautéed your favourite entrée:
Organic Field mushroom Cholesterol free An assortment of
Orgasmic Generous Portion of Chunks of Bite Size
Spring Complemented by Colourful Paired with
Summer Home-style Julienne Perfect for dipping
Autumnal Served with Mushy Accompaniments
Winter Chunky Served with your choice Served with your choice
Baby Local of of
Wood Roasted Fresh Steamed
Brambly Apples Seasonal Dressings/Sauces/Top
Hand cut Roasted Pastas and Rice pings
Jacket potato Oven Baked Aromatic Decadent
Baby Medley of Fluffy With an extra drizzle of
Warm salad of Rustic Al dente Rich
Caramelised Crispy Simply noodles Mouth watering
Golden brown Over crispy Be specific with your Chunky
Presented on Sweet pasta: fettuccine, linguine A balsamic glaze

11. Fiery Soup and Sandwiches Char-grilled Aged just right
Sweet Open toasted 100% prime beef, Cooked to your liking
Light A thick and creamy Fall-off-the-bone ribs Encrusted with
Drizzled Wholegrain Flame grilled
Finished with Floured Bun Game Fish
Saffron-infused gravy Croutons for extra crunch Hand-trimmed Hand-Breaded
Devilishly hot Scoop of Jersey cream Expertly seasoned Lightly Breaded
Roasted garlic Country style flavoured with Delicately grilled
mayonnaise Hearty Over a red hot grill to Catch of the day
Tangy Meaty seal in its bold flavour Sautéed in butter
Crowned with Served with fresh crusty For an indulgent steak Broiled
Aromatic bread experience Oven-roasted
House Low Calorie Thick cut filet Farmed
Splash of Lightly Toasted Well-marbled Sea
Rubbed with Winter Seasoned to perfection Smoked
Brushed with Open faced Our aged prime rib Crispy Batter
Flavoured with a hint of Cooked to a unique Hand-carved to order Freshly Caught
A jug of recipe Free Range Hand battered
Aioli Slow-roasted to capture Caught by
Buttery Meat the full flavours Daily catch
Sage Jus Pan Fried Seared on a red hot grill Tempura
Lightly seasoned Grilled to your liking The steak lover's steak Battered
Blend of secret spices Skewered British Beef Hand-selected Griddled
Topped with Top side of Succulent Juicy Steamed
Served with our signature Tender Dry-cured Slither Fresh water
BBQ sauce Skewered Seared Juicy Smoky barbecue Sustainable
Cooked to order Perfectly grilled Aged Simply Grilled
Sticky Steaming Hot Black angus beef Flash fried
Brushed with Cured 28 day aged Braised
Smothered in Choice Cut Sizzling

12. Pizza Moist layers of An all time favourite Kids
Hand-stretched Have your cake... and Ample Just for kids
Thick and fluffy eat it! Copious Junior portion
Wood Fire Can't decide? Sample Shouts ―eat me!‖ Mini Me Potion
Our thinnest, lightest, three of our most popular Pureed Made for dunking
crispiest pizza EVER!!! desserts Velvety pudding Gooey
Recipes from the heart of New York-style Enveloped in Chewy
Italy cheesecake Reduced Munchy
Made to share Irresistible Desserts Winter spiced Scrumptious
Hand rolled Sumptuous Warning—May be Yummy
Classic Neapolitan Slab of addictive Zesty
Shaved Parmesan Sandwiched between taste sensation ½ portions of ‗ mom &
Stone baked Meet in a frenzy of A perfect combination of dads ‗ main courses
Thin crust Lavishly made with two favourites Zippy
Italian seasoning Guilt Free Why not ask for two Delicious
Mediterranean Simply irresistible spoons Messy
Luscious Baked Goods Itsy Bitsy
Dessert Retro classic Straight out of the oven Chick 'o'Licious
Molten chocolate Served with clotted Baked off freshly in store Deep Sea Dippers
Cool cream. daily Jelly Delight
Creamy Melt-in-the-mouth Artisan Adult free zone
Tender Creamy Gluten free Nutritional
Whipped cream Divine Heavenly
Something sweet Dollop of Indulgent
Treat yourself Celestial Luscious
Naughty but nice Crumbly Plump
An indulgent twist on the Delectable The ultimate treat
classic Generous portion Served steaming
A crunchy concoction Lashings of ice cream Baked fresh daily
blissful

13. Misc. Smoothies Ethically sourced Complex
Not for the faint hearted Nourishing blends no-frills black coffee Fruitful marriage of two
A warm feast of With big fruit flavour 100% Arabica beans top grapes
Authentic Cool and refreshing Freshly ground daily Subtle and spicy
Our Famous Tangy Brewed fresh all day Award winning
Traditional Blended Topped with sprinkles Bursting with flavour
Made the old fashioned Healthy Spiced Latte Superbly light
way Techni-colour Brew of the day Sensuously smooth
Prepare to be impressed! Ultra Cool Luxurious hot chocolate Succulent
Our signature The icy-cold original Stunningly complex
Dive in Wine Mellow
Legendary Beer Dry Fresh, zesty citrus fruit
Dare to share Fuller-bodied Easy Drinking flavours
A real British favourite Pilsner-style Crisp Dark and luscious with
A feast of Dark Fresh and fruity cherry flavours
Need we see more Robust Great with
Loaded Complex Full bodied
Enjoy the taste of Spain Distinctive Bite Crisp and refreshingly
Hungry?? Strong and crisp dry
Hunger Buster American Style A versatile all-rounder to
Designed for kids Popular Import complement most food.
Has quickly become a Clean Finish Bursting with fruit
house favourite Chilled Ideal with milder food
Endless supply of Served in Frosty Mugs Seriously fruity
cooking is fit for the gods Cold-filtered Crafted especially
A bold twist on a classic Packs a punch
Made for sharing Coffee Tea
Why not go large Blended
Gastronomically Frothy
delightful Classic
Grab a real taste of Artfully roasted
Spain