You have handpicked your mouth watering dishes, crafted your cocktails and now it’s time to bring this magic together onto a menu design for your customers.

Write the listings, add the pricing and print. Simple right?

At first glance, a menu has a straight forward document with a simple purpose however designed strategically, your menu can be a highly persuasive marketing tool, capable of creating best selling dishes and maximising your profits.

So let’s start with the one big question we get asked the most when it comes to menu design and printing;

What is the best menu size and layout for a restaurant?

The Single Page Menu

The single page menu is the go to choice for modern fine dining and casual style restaurants.

Usually A4 sized this style of menu is often changed throughout the year to showcase the best new season specials alongside long standing favourites.

Menu sections are divided and organised in sequential order beginning with Starters and ending with the Dessert selection and each section is limited to no more than 3-5 items.

The objective of this the single page style menu is to offer a high-end, curated feel, to simplify ordering and to support your kitchen by limiting the range of dishes and ingredients required.

This menu can be printed single or double sided and laid out horizontally or vertically.

Design and styling is best kept simple and fuss free with graphics, colour and fonts used minimally to highlight specials and provide visual eye candy.

PRO Tip: Customers spend the most time assessing the first and last items within each section. Put this key real estate to work and use them to promote your biggest sellers and high profit dishes!

The Oversize Menu

The oversize menu is typically A3 or produced to custom size and is intended to be shared by customers dining together in a casual restaurant setting.

This style of menu comfortably allows for great range of dishes and is ideal for restaurants that offer a variety of dining experiences such as share plates and all day dining. 

The oversize menu can showcase it all making it a highly popular choice for pub restaurants and family style eateries.

To ensure your customer is not overwhelmed by the choices available, it’s important to take extra care in structuring your menu layout using panels and sections to help your customer find what they want.

Graphic fonts, illustrations and photographs help break up the writing further add personality and highlight key items and best sellers.

PRO Tip: If you decide to use photographs, have them professionally taken to the highest quality and use them sparingly. Food photography will not appeal to everyone and it may be wise to focus on crafting enticing menu descriptions instead.

The Menu Card

Menu cards are printed in A5 size or the tall and slim DL format and are perfect as a secondary or additional menu when your standard menu isn’t appropriate.

A cost effective choice due to their smaller format they are they are ideal to show off Weeknight Specials or Summer Cocktails or for an events requiring a special menu such as Sunday lunch or Mother’s Day.

These menus are often used to list a smaller set price menu or menu category and can help you effectively manage busy occasions and shake up your regular offering with a special promotion.

With less written content involved you can take this opportunity to play with design and colour to tempt customers with a delicious cocktail list or entice customers back for a fresh new dining experience.

PRO Tip Unsure how many menus to print? A good rule of thumb is to calculate 75% of your restaurant seating capacity for your lunch menu requirements. For Cocktails and Drinks roughly calculate 25% and for Dessert roughly 50% your seating capacity.

So what is the best menu size and layout for a restaurant?

The right style of menu for your venue depends on your restaurant brand and offering and we hope these tips and tricks have helped guide you towards a first class solution!

Don’t forget if you need a little help shaping your ideas into a beautiful finished menu design, the team here at Kaizen Print are here to help, contact us today for a friendly chat!