Online restaurant menu is one of the most important factors if you plan to set up for your online ordering system. As a restaurant owner, you make it your top priority to engage your customers. Your online menu should be as good as your physical menu with the current restrictions in place, or even better.
Your menu is much more powerful than you thought. When utilized effectively, it could represent your brand’s personality, value, and identity. It’ll be one of the key elements to your customer’s decision-making process. That’s why we’ve gathered the quickest and easy tips on how to construct your online restaurant menu.
Before we get into the process, here are some important factors of what a great and professional menu is :
- It should be updated. This is applicable to both physical and online menus. Your menu contains the dishes you offer as a restaurant, and it is important to keep it up-to-date and accurate for your current and potential customers to find the information they need from you.
- It should be accessible. The menu is what your customers and potential customers will first look at when they go to your website or your app. Make sure it is easy for them to locate. Being online, you promise them a fast and convenient process. If your customers can’t find or access it, that’s one way to lose the sale.
- It should be easy to understand. And we have to add, it should have descriptions of the dishes and drinks you’re offering. It will help if you use a language that your customer base can understand. If you’re an Italian restaurant which caters English-speaking customer base, they should understand that “spaghetti al nero di seppia” is a spaghetti dish with squid ink. This is to avoid confusion.
- It should have a wide variety of options. This factor depends on your concept, but ideally, to cater to the modern diners’ changing demands. You should also look into the market’s food trends that they can select and try to integrate some with your current online menu. If you’re planning to do a bit more for your customers, it is also advisable to indicate the dietary restrictions such as vegan, pescatarian, gluten-free, and so on. And lastly, if you’re a restaurant catering mostly families, try to offer a menu made especially for children. This is one way to appeal to your customers.
Now that you know what a physical and online menu should be, it is time for you to check out the process on how to make an effective and engaging menu for your restaurant :
Easy Steps on How To Create An Online Restaurant Menu
Indicate what you offer.
Your online menu could make or break the sales process for you. When your customers enter your restaurant or click on your website, the sales process has already started. It is important to know and indicate everything on your menu design. It should contain all the food items and services you offer, and it should have the necessary information about your restaurant.
It is observed that modern diners do not usually search for a particular restaurant. Nowadays, they are just searching for what they crave. For example, they will only search for spaghetti and meatballs. And let’s say that you’re offering a meal of spaghetti and meatballs (even if it’s not your main dish). If your menu is complete and indicates everything you’re offering, it is more likely that your restaurant will still appear on their search.
Utilize the templates available online.
Sure, you want the menu on your website to be unique so you may hesitate to use menu templates. But hear us out! Templates made by online menu makers are there to guide and help you. You’re free to customize it the way you want without compromising your restaurant menu’s identity.
You can still create an online menu that stands out from the rest even if you use a template. Different templates are available, here are some of the top platforms you can check out:
Canva
This online platform helps you design your online menu in five simple steps. What makes it more interesting is that you can make one with its free version. Check out their website, and see how they can help you and your restaurant.
Adobe Spark
This platform is widely used especially by professionals. It helps you create a menu that, they claimed, will resonate to your customers. They offer this platform in mobile through the iOS app and Android app. It also allows you to create web pages through Spark Page, and lastly, you can also create videos of your online menu through Spark Video. Make sure to check out their subscriptions first, and identify what would help your restaurant before getting its services.
PosterMyWall
This platform offers a solution for all the graphical needs of a business. There are a wide number of templates available for your online restaurant menu. The first two platforms also allow you to customize your menu however you like, and you can even share it on social media.
Though there are several options available for templates, your online menu must still meet the four mentioned factors of a good menu.
Support your online restaurant menu with exceptional designs.
An online menu or even a physical menu should be visually appealing. Again, it is important to point out that menus can affect the decision-making process of a customer. If you give them a menu with sloppy design and grey photos, it is unlikely that they’re going to choose your restaurant.
For a great design, it is crucial to check the following:
- Colours – The palette that you’ll use should represent, or it should be aligned with your branding. Physical and online menus are among the many representatives of your restaurants. It should always be aesthetically pleasing for your customers, and it should help them engage more with your brand. You could check out the psychology of colours to know which colours to use and how to use them properly.
- Photos – High-quality photos are a must if you want your online menu to be outstanding. Hire a professional photographer to take pictures of your meals for you. There are elements that only a professional can control when it comes to photography. If you provide them with a high-quality photo, this could entice your customers or even potential customers to try out your restaurant.
Tip: Be careful if you’re using stock images, the photos on your online menu must be visually representing what you really offer.
- Typography – This helps set the tone of your online menu. It should be aligned to the ambience and atmosphere or food items of your restaurant. Just make sure that it will still be readable.
- Placement – You should consider what you want to be first seen on your online menu. Do you want your customers to see what are your best sellers first? Or do you have specials for the month? Remember that it is still ideal to go with the natural process of courses when it comes to placement. This gives your customers a better flow to follow.
- Price Alignment – This is a tricky element for a physical and online menu. There are different factors to consider to have the best price alignment for your menu, such as the order of the items in price, symbols to use, and if you should place it horizontally or vertically. Check out what works for your concept and your customer base and start working around it.
Many factors influence modern diners’ decision-making process, and we can’t blame them as they are being overwhelmed with a considerable amount of choices.
It is essential to know your customer base well to know what factors would appeal to them. Reach out to us if you have further clarifications.
source https://www.etakeawaymax.co.uk/how-to-create-online-restaurant-menu/
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