Making menu for your new restaurant could be really tricky.
You need to know what paper sizes for menus…
…and how many pages will you make.
Read more to find out what paper sizes for menus and how to decide the pages!
Let us hear Lily’s story first…
I have always dreamed of becoming a successful chef
and having a restaurant that is always crowded,
like a famous chef who often appears on television and becomes my role model.
I entered culinary school after graduating from high school
and began my journey to start a culinary career.
Now that time has passed, I have the opportunity to open my own restaurant.
Nevertheless, a few customers haven’t come to my restaurant since it opened.
A few days later, my friend came to visit, so I told him about everything.
The problem is with my paper sizes for menus, he said.
Moreover, the paper sizes for menus doesn’t fit the theme
and is too monotonous. I was then happy to have my friend help me
with the paper sizes for menus and its design.
Slowly but surely, customers are beginning to come!
Before you get started…
Consider these factors before you decide paper sizes to for menus…
…that perfect for your restaurant.
By narrowing down only a few papers…
…you will end up with the paper sizes for menus that you want…
…instead of choosing many different papers.
Let’s jump right in!
Consider Your Restaurant Menu Theme
Consider your restaurant menu theme first…
…which will tie directly to your overall restaurant theme.
Would you like to open a teahouse?
Are you a steakhouse straight from Texas?
Would you like to open a French restaurant in the Provence countryside?
After reading the descriptions…
…you immediately imagined a restaurant completely different from all the others.
You would have a distinctive menu style for your restaurant as well.
An English pub wouldn’t serve a classic New York diner menu.
This would look completely out of place and disjointed.
Here are a few things you should consider…
…when deciding what theme you want for your restaurant:
- Is it casual or formal?
- How would you describe your cuisine style?
- Is it traditional or modern?
- Is it a regional cuisine style or a fusion?
- Who are your customers? What do they look for in a restaurant?
The questions above aim to help you discover the personality of your restaurant…
…which will reflect in your menu style and paper sizes for menus you will use.
Considering Your Restaurant’s Ambiance
Ambience refers to the feeling or mood associated with a location.
It is intentional to play with the first impressions of the customer in a restaurant.
As a result, the food becomes the star of the show…
…while your guests become the audience.
Ambience is created by several factors.
Your seating and music choices…
…will be impacted by the restaurant’s size for example.
Music can be overwhelming in a small space…
..so you might want to let the natural soundtrack of conversation…
…and clinking cutlery set the tone.
When guests arrive, the menu continues this stage setting and mood.
Menu design tells them what they are in for just as much as the food…
…so consider your design elements and incorporate them in your menu.
Keep reading…
Selecting the Best Restaurant Menu Paper
Although menu paper designs are fun to create…
…they require a good backdrop to succeed.
This type of cardstock sets the stage for the contents of the menu…
…allowing guests to get a sense of what they can expect from their meal.
Get to know our best recommendation for waterproof paper menu here!
A Perfect Menu Cardstock
Let’s begin with the perfect menu cardstock.
As far as menu cards are concerned, any paper can be used.
Regular printer paper could be used.
But you shouldn’t-good cardstock can subtly indicate…
…that this is an elegant restaurant, or a hipster establishment…
…or a laid-back family restaurant, or anything between.
You need to consider several types of menus, including:
- Menus in dining rooms
- Menus cover
- Table tents
- Specials
- Door hangers
- Menus for the outdoors
- Tri-fold menus
- A folded takeout menu (including tri-fold and gate-fold menus)
Let’s keep it simple and talk about dining room menus for our purposes.
Choosing the right menu paper stock depends on your restaurant.
Glossy paper, for example, is often perceived as more polished than matte paper…
…but matte can appear cleaner if you want a clean appearance.
You should also consider the paper’s texture…
…which gives it a different personality.
Among the most common paper finishes are:
- Gloss
- Matte
- Linen
- Parchment
- Embossed
- Silk
- Smooth
Go on…
Single Page
Usually, the entire menu is displayed on a single page…
…either vertically or horizontally.
Fine-dining restaurants, prix fixe menus…
…and farm-to-table restaurants commonly use this format…
…to update their menus based on seasonal ingredients.
Pros: Diners will make decisions faster.
If horizontal, you can easily place menu items…
…according to the diner’s eye movement patterns.
Cons: Diners are less likely to order many dishes…
…and the format doesn’t accommodate a wide variety of menu items.
Two-panel, Single Fold
There are many types of restaurant menus.
The menu appears as two pages with all menu items visible on both pages.
Pros: Diners will find it easy to read.
There is an optimal format for placing profit-generating dishes strategically.
Cons: The format may not be large enough if your menu includes a large number of items.
Three-panel, Two-fold
These three-panel, two-fold menus provide restaurants…
…with the opportunity to feature their entire menu.
These are often found at pubs, casual, and family style restaurants.
Pros: Accommodates a wide variety of menu items.
Cons: Not as easy to read as single page or two page menus.
Now here’s the real deal…
What Paper Sizes for Menus : Standard Size
- 4.25″ x 11″
- 5.5″ x 15″
- 8.5″ x 11″
- 8.5″ x 14″
- 11″ x 17″
- 11″ x 25.5″
Custom Menu Printing Options
The Menu is the lifeblood of the food industry.
Whether it’s on the wall, on a chalkboard or on the table…
…your menu is your brand.
With crisp color, durable paper options and custom shapes…
…and sizes that tell customers you care about creating a quality experience.
Hang in there…
Hire a Graphic Designer
A menu designer collaborates with you to create a menu…
…that is representative of your concept and menu items.
Always select a designer who specializes in restaurant menu design…
…and is familiar with menu engineering, often known as menu psychology.
Restaurants try to entice diners with menu psychology…
…as reported by The New York Times.
Graphic designers develop items that reflect your brand.
They have the technical know-how to work…
…with programs to suit both your aesthetic and practical requirements.
They build a restaurant menu that is unique to your concept…
…and work with you until you are completely satisfied.
Most of the time, they’ll give you digital…
…and public relations assistance…
…and some may even handle the printing process for you.
Cons, Changing menu items will require you to hire the graphic designer again.
You have the option of working with a design firm or a freelance designer.
Restaurant chains with a large budget for design projects…
…with a broad reach should go with agencies.
Because of their overhead and expenses, agencies are more expensive.
A freelance designer is the more cost-effective solution for your first restaurant.
Freelance designers are less expensive and provide the same level of care…
…and competence as an agency without the high cost.
The following price schemes are used by freelance designers…
…A contract is a fixed price based on a quote provided at the start of the project.
Based on the time it takes them to build the menu…
…and make revisions based on your comments, they charge an hourly rate.
Value-based pricing: Pricing is determined by the ability…
…of each designer to add value.
Not just aesthetics, but also swift service…
…or experience in raising sales (i.e. menu engineering)…
…could be part of their value proposition.
Here’s how to hire one, Your restaurant consultant likely knows…
…a few designers that they can recommend.
An old fashion way for hiring a freelancer is to look for a reference…
….or to post a job on a job posting site.
This is also important…
Common Menu Mistakes
Lack of Management Commitment
By not treating the menu design decision…
….with the same due diligence as any major capital investment decision…
…you are setting yourself up for failure.
The same is true if you leave the menu layout…
…and design to your printer and do not bring in a graphic designer…
…to emphasize the items you want to highlight.
Hard to Read
Poor readability can be attributed to font size, paper color…
…and font style; crowded menu pages with too many elements…
…or too small font type; and printing on dark paper…
…with dark ink making it difficult to read in low light.
Price Overemphasis
If you align prices in a column down the page…
…guests can summarily discount items based solely on price.
Monotonous Design
A homogeneous design across all menu items…
…with nothing standing out makes it seem unappealing.
Most people do not “read” a menu from page to page. Instead, they “scan” the menu with their eyes. Therefore, if you want to feature specific menu items, they need to be placed where the eye goes first. Do not leave this to chance. The use of “eye magnets” helps direct the gaze of the reader to that particular section. The eye can be drawn by treating a particular section of the menu differently from the rest. Perhaps you put a box around your appetizers or use a larger or different color type font to make a menu description stand out from the rest.
Dr. David Pavesic, former restaurateur and retired professor at the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State University in Atlanta
Poor Salesmanship
By not emphasizing the items the restaurant wants to sell…
…through graphics, colors, fonts, and illustrations…
…you will have less influence over what items will sell.
Inefficient Use of Space
Included in this is not to display information…
…such as hours, services, history, address, etc. on the front or back cover.
More than one-fourth of the menus in my library have no identifying information.
I have forgotten where some of them came from…
…and the menu does not contain any information about them.
Menus are often taken home by diners as souvenirs…
…so they should contain what’s known as “institutional information.”
To not include it would be like having custom matches…
…without your restaurant’s name on them.
Incongruent
This includes failing to match the menu’s design to the décor…
…and personality of the restaurant.
A menu is your primary marketing tool…
…and should be designed in such a way that if a customer…
…never heard of your restaurant were handed a copy of your menu…
…they could instantly recognize your décor, type of food, price range…
…and whether you were a casual or upscale restaurant.
The Size Is Too Large
Paper sizes for menus should be based on the size of the table…
…the place settings, and the table appointments.
When you’re sipping a martini and trying to converse…
…with your dinner companions…
…oversized menus can be awkward to hold and handle.
Get to know our best recommendation for waterproof paper menu here!
To Sum Up
Restaurant menu design represents the heart of your restaurant…
…as well as the paper sizes for menus that you choose.
Menu design is both an art and a science in the industry.
Your best lure for profits comes from creating a menu…
…that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Conclusion
We have already given you a guide…
…for choosing the best paper sizes for menus for your restaurants.
At this point, everything is based on your restaurant’s need.
Feel free to comment in the section below if this article was helpful to you!
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Hi there! I’m a food enthusiast and journalist, and I have a real passion for food that goes beyond the kitchen. I love my dream job and I’m lucky enough to be able to share my knowledge with readers of several large media outlets. My specialty is writing engaging food-related content, and I take pride in being able to connect with my audience. I’m known for my creativity in the kitchen, and I’m confident that I can be the perfect guide for anyone looking to take their culinary journey to the next level.
