Spice Up Your Menu with the F.L.A.V.O.R. of Smart Design

Serving up fresh takes of the following:

Boost your restaurant's menu with FLAVOR: Font, Layout, Avoid overcrowding, Visuals, Overall branding, and Regular updates.

An empty table can be one of the most expensive things to a restaurant operator. Full House: Tips for Foodservice Success offers tips, trends, and new ideas to keep your dining room full.

Your menu is more than just a list of what’s for dinner—it’s a powerful marketing tool that can influence customer choices, enhance their dining experience, and ultimately boost your bottom line. Whether you’re revamping your current menu or starting from scratch, these six essentials (just remember F-L-A-V-O-R) will help you create a menu that not only looks great but also works hard for your restaurant.

F Font & Readability

When your guests are ready to order, the last thing you want is for them to struggle with deciphering the menu. Opt for fonts that are both stylish and legible. The ideal menu font is one that reflects your restaurant’s personality but doesn’t sacrifice clarity. Consider the size of the text too; you want to ensure that all ages can easily read your menu. For most menus, a font size of at least 12pt for descriptions is standard, with larger sizes for headings and dish names.

When choosing a font, consider its readability before anything else, and keep in mind that color combinations between the foreground and background can improve—or hurt—readability.

L Layout

Where the eye goes, attention follows. Designing your menu with a visual hierarchy means guiding your customers’ eyes to the most important parts first. This could mean positioning your best-selling or highest-margin items where they’re most likely to be seen—usually at the top of sections or in the center of the page. Boxes, bold text, or even subtle shading can help highlight these areas, encouraging customers to choose the dishes that benefit your bottom line the most.

A Avoid overcrowding

Ever heard of decision fatigue? Offering too many choices can overwhelm customers and lead to slower decision-making. Keep your menu streamlined with a carefully curated selection of dishes that showcase your strengths. Not only does this make it easier for customers to decide, but it also helps ensure that every dish is prepared to perfection. Organizing your menu into clear categories—like appetizers, mains, and desserts—can further simplify the decision-making process.

Too many choices on the menu can make a decision difficult, especially when there is no one area drawing attention. Stick to your strengths, and consider things like plate cost and order frequency when choosing menu items.

V Visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words, but in menu design, less is often more. High-quality images of your signature dishes can tempt customers and increase sales, but be careful not to overdo it. Too many images can make your menu feel cluttered and unfocused. Select a few standout dishes to feature, and make sure the images are professionally shot, with consistent lighting and style, to maintain a polished and appetizing look.

O Overall branding

Your menu should be a natural extension of your restaurant’s overall branding. This means using the same colors, fonts, and logos that appear in your other marketing materials, from your website to your signage. The menu is a key touchpoint in the customer experience, and consistency here helps reinforce your brand identity. Even the material of the menu plays a role; a well-chosen menu cover or paper stock can enhance the perceived quality of your restaurant and set the right expectations for the dining experience.

As a natural extension of your restaurant’s overall branding, your menu should reflect the aesthetic of your dining room.

R Review and revise

A menu should never be static. Regularly reviewing and updating your menu allows you to reflect seasonal changes, introduce new dishes, and phase out items that aren’t performing well. It also gives you a chance to adjust pricing based on ingredient costs or to highlight new trends in dining. Keeping your menu fresh not only keeps your regular customers excited but also ensures that your offerings stay relevant and profitable.

By keeping FLAVOR in mind, you can create a menu that not only looks appealing but also works effectively as a marketing tool. A well-designed menu enhances the customer experience, streamlines operations, and drives sales, making it an essential element of your restaurant’s success.

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Value-Added Services

Palmer Value-Added Services include menu consultation, graphic design and printing, and digital consultation. Talk to your Palmer rep to learn more, or contact us to become a client.