From delightful design to delicious dining – The art of crafting memorable menus

In a world brimming with dining options, your restaurant's menu is both a compass and an invitation. It’s also a curated guidebook that whispers secrets to hungry travellers on a quest for impressive and new culinary experiences and flavours. 

If you’re trying to design a menu that entices possible customers with every turn of the page or every scroll down the screen, you’re in the right place. We put together a list of design elements that, when combined, have the power to uplift your brand and beckon diners from all corners of the city.

So, let’s dive in!

Design Elements that Make a Menu Memorable

If you want your venue to stand tall amongst the best in London, you have to know how to bet on your establishment’s uniqueness and strong points. You also must know how to translate these elements into breathtaking designs that will make your menus memorable for all the right reasons.

Here are a few tips:

Use Distinctive Layouts

Kick convention to the curb and explore layouts that defy the usual left-to-right, top-to-bottom norms. How about a circular spread reflecting a pizza or a fold-out that mirrors the layers of a lasagna? 

A unique layout not only stands out but also becomes part of diner conversations. Furthermore, it spreads on social media as your diners will want to let everyone know about the restaurant with the cool menus. So, use the power of unusual layouts to your advantage.

Pay Attention to Materials

Just like with the layouts, experiment with unexpected materials or textures. Wood, slate, or even durable fabrics can lend a tactile dimension to your menus that enhance their memorability long after the meal has ended.

Typography That Talks

Typography isn’t just about reading – it’s visual storytelling! 

Select fonts that echo your restaurant's theme, whether it’s a sleek sans-serif for a modern bistro or elegant calligraphy for an upscale eatery. However, make sure to pay attention to the font’s readability – no matter how beautiful a typeface may be, if it impedes readability, it's not serving its purpose. 

Avoid overly stylized fonts with excessive embellishments that might cause confusion or make ordering difficult. Font size also affects legibility. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that the body text is at least 10-12 points so that all customers, including those with less-than-perfect vision, can read without strain.

A Dash of Personal Touch

Personalization makes people feel special, so don’t shy away from designing your custom-made restaurant menus. While it may seem a bit scary to stray from the well-established templates, it’s best to pour the heart and soul of your brand and team into this. 

Remember – the menu is your restaurant’s business card and the interface that most newcomers interact with. So why not give them something special and heart-warming? 

Plus, when you stray off the beaten path, you can Include unique elements, such as messages from the chef, handwritten signatures, or seasonal greetings from the team. These are the delightful little details that leave lasting impressions.

How to Stand Out

Competition is fierce, especially in one of the world’s busiest urban centres, but this doesn’t mean you can’t stand out. Even if you take ideas from your competitors and add your own twist to them, it’s still a step forward. 

Here are a few more ideas to help you spark that ingenuity:

Clever Categorisation

Your menu might look impressive at first glance, but what about your categories? 

Beyond the standard 'appetizers' and 'entrees,' find a theme that works best with the current menu. For instance, you can group dishes by their flavour profile, origin, or even by the mood they evoke (like Comfort Classics, Global Bites, or Seaside Specials). 

A story in every section means more intrigue for your guests.

Use Symbols

Indicate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or spicy items with smartly designed icons that blend seamlessly into your layout. Not only do they provide essential information at a glance, but well-crafted symbols also contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal. And it makes it easy to find the right foods for the right dietary needs.

Sensory Descriptions

While you may not be much of a storyteller, you can hire someone who knows how to make the mouth water and the stomach rumble. Work with a masterful writer to create descriptions that invoke the senses and engage readers’ imagination.

But make sure to use only a few well-chosen words that capture the essence and flavour of each dish. Otherwise, you risk losing your customers’ attention and interest – no one wants to read a story about food when they’re already hungry.

Seasonal Starlets

If your menu features seasonally rotating items, highlight them as specials. You can use a wide range of design elements for this, such as inserts or highlighted boxes. Also, you can use vivid colours to make customers think of the menu’s freshness and variety.

Wrap Up

A well-crafted restaurant menu with an enticing design captivates the imagination and invites the senses on a journey many diners yearn to embark upon. So, let design be the storyteller that turns first-time guests into loyal ambassadors.

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