Top 5 Creative Ways for Menu Creation

Organizing a menu can be a challenging and complicated process. There are so many items to add and they’re always changing. However, with the right menu design, you have the power to create the perfect menu for your restaurant. 

Whether you're considering an on-site cafe menu, a fine dining food menu, a user-friendly website menu, or even an eye-catching chalkboard menu, name, placement, and presentation all factor into a customer's decision to purchase an item. 

A rustic menu is well and good, but playing with innovations like interactive, digital menus can boost sales, reduce overhead, and make it easier for your staff to communicate with customers about menu items. 

Let’s look at the top 5 creative menu display ideas that will enable you to access your menu’s full potential. We’ll also help you decide which of the types of menu will fit your restaurant best.

1) Interactive Menu

Advanced technology like an interactive menu is a smart way to attract new customers. For example, Inamo (an Asian restaurant in London) uses projection screens to display orders on an interactive table. 

Projectors hang above each table, displaying menu items on the table’s interchangeable surface. A touchpad in the corner of each table allows customers to pick and choose what they want to eat with the swipe of a finger.

2) Cafeteria Menu

The cafeteria format, as seen in build-your-own meal places like Moe’s Southwest Grill, allows customers to flow through a queue. Customers go down the line with the employee and make selections on what they want to add to their plate. 

Customers can see right into “the kitchen menu” and choose what they see being prepared. In giving guests the sense of direct access to the kitchen, restaurants of this style make guests feel like part of the preparation process, unlike a formal dining room setting. This creates a fun and intimate dining experience.

This is one of the most versatile menu display ideas, adaptable for a bistro bar or even a bar menu. It works great for an innovative coffee menu too, enabling you to offer fun mix-ins like flavored syrups, cinnamon, chai etc. The cafe menu ideas are endless with this model.

3) Digital Menu Boards

Give your customers a visual appetite with huge displays on digital menu boards. By using digital menu boards, you have the power to drive customers to choose your most profitable items or advertise items that haven’t been selling as well as others with reduced menu prices to increase sales. 

Digital menu boards also allow you to integrate with point of sale and kitchen display system to make changes in real-time.

4) Menu Wheel

Sure, the menu list is the standard in the restaurant industry, but why not have some fun? A wheel menu is a unique design to create excitement among customers. 

Mostly reserved for special events, wheel menus offer a path-like journey to find the right meal choice. Simply turn the wheel to reveal delicious menu items that were previously hidden. Unique menu holders are a must for this kind of display.

5) Be Entertaining

Depending on the nature of your restaurant you’ll have to decide what kind of tone you want your customers to see on your menu. There are all kinds of menu display ideas to choose from, but humor is one way to draw attention.

This tactic is risky for more upscale restaurants, but it’s a perfect complement for food trucks and most quick service restaurants. 

Another way to keep customers interested is to draw attention to your limited time and seasonal menu offerings. Include signs and boards that feature special items you’re adding, even if they’re only for a limited run. 

A fun way to give your new menu items attention is to tie them to popular culture and/or current events.

Displaying a recognizable figure—such as Batman—is a fun, easy attention grabber. Place these types of displays outside your restaurant for your customer’s viewing pleasure.

Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve found some inspiration in these top 5 creative menu display ideas. Check back in the future for more insightful posts on the restaurant industry and how to create menu designs that stand out. What are the different types of menu display that have worked for your restaurant? Connect with a member of our team and let us know!