With the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and Tiktok, people are not just looking for a cup of coffee but an aesthetic experience they can share online. Thus, you need to be extra intentional when designing all of your branding elements and paraphernalia including your cafe menu!
Everything that you show to your customer is a representation of your brand. Make sure that your cafe menu is not just functional but also really memorable. Here are some tips to design your cafe menu the best way possible:
- Show your bestsellers
People who don’t have specific preferences are just drawn to popular or highly recommended items. Save customers time and cognitive load by highlighting the bestsellers in your cafe menu. People want to choose something that’s guaranteed to be good. You can add a visual cue to these top products like a special icon or a “Top Pick” label.
- Organize your menu for ease
Make your cafe menu user-friendly by organizing it into categories like Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Desserts, Coffee, and Beverages. You can even highlight suggested pairings to really go the extra mile.
- Use really high-quality images
The visuals can be a huge factor in influencing how customers take their picks. Hire a professional photographer to really capture those mouthwatering pictures of your food and drinks. However, make sure you’re not overloading your cafe menu with too many visuals. Just choose the high-quality ones and aim for balance and sophistication when designing your cafe menu. If you don’t have the eye for design, just use beautiful menu templates from sites like PosterMyWall. There’s a lot to choose from, and you can further customize them to suit your cafe’s unique branding and styling.
- Add engaging descriptions
You don’t have to be verbose when adding descriptions to your cafe menu. Just consider it a great opportunity to highlight the key flavors, ingredients, and experiences that customers can expect when they order your dish or drink. Use sensory and
descriptive language like “creamy”, “crispy”, or “freshly baked”. If you don’t have the knack for writing engaging copy, you can hire copywriters on Fiverr or Upwork to help you put pen to paper and bring your food and drinks to life.
- Be mindful of color and font choices
Aside from choosing fonts and colors that are consistent with your cafe’s branding, be strategic when using bold and decorative fonts and make sure that the overall appeal of your cafe menu is oozing the right vibe you’re looking for. Is it cozy, rustic, vibrant, or modern? Even your cafe menu should exude a personality that screams your brand!
- Keep it simple
It’s tempting to add lots of options and maximize profit, but too many choices can just end up overwhelming customers. Instead, you can just stick to a well-curated menu. Make the selection streamlined and focus on impeccable quality. This doesn’t only keep your menu simple but also makes your kitchen workflow more manageable.
- Consider dietary preferences
Cafes attract all sorts of people, and these people have varying dietary preferences and restrictions. Some are looking for gluten-free, vegan, or low-calorie options. You’re limiting your cafe’s reach if you don’t consider these preferences. You can highlight these dietary options on your cafe menu and make it easy for customers to find the options that suit their needs.
- Use pricing psychology
There’s such a thing as pricing psychology, and if you learn how it works, it can make your cafe menu even more effective in generating sales. For example, you can remove the currency symbol on your cafe menu to make prices feel less daunting. Consider the concept of price anchoring as well wherein the premium or more expensive items are placed at the top and serve as the reference point, making the rest of your items seem way more reasonably priced. You can also use rounded numbers for your high-end items to convey luxury. These may seem like little tweaks, but they actually appeal to customers without them realizing it.
- Update your cafe menu seasonally
Offering season specials can help keep your cafe menu fresh and exciting. It’s important to offer customers new items to try to break the monotony, create buzz, and keep people coming back for more. Make sure to promote your new products on social media or work with influencers to create buzz around your new flavors. Most importantly, make the new products really good to make them truly irresistible and worth the hype!
Cafe menus may seem like a trivial part of your operations but could actually contribute a lot if you design it the right way. Consider the tips above the next time you design a new cafe menu or update your existing one. Make sure that it’s both aesthetic and functional!