Menu vs. Price List for Restaurants

Why did restaurants in the past use wall-mounted price lists instead of a menu book, like restaurants or spas in the U.S.? Was it due to limited services, design restrictions, or language barriers? With the rapid growth of the restaurant industry today, it’s essential to adopt better solutions for presenting services to customers. Here are several advantages that make a menu a far superior choice over a traditional price list.

Menus Enhance Customer Service Quality

During busy times, such as holidays and weekends, when customers have to wait for service, the menu provides a quick and flexible way for them to check prices. Offering a menu for customers to view comfortably while sitting at the table or on the waiting sofa is much more acceptable than making them stand at the reception desk just to see the prices.

Menus Don't Disrupt the Restaurant Space

A major issue with wall-mounted price lists is that they need to be placed in a prominent area, usually on the front wall. In interior design, this space is typically reserved for something eye-catching and impressive, not just a price list. If the price list design doesn’t match the restaurant's aesthetic, or if there are smudge marks after constant price updates, it creates an unprofessional image in the eyes of customers.

Menus Are Flexible and Easy to Upsell

As we know, language barriers can sometimes be a challenge for restaurant staff. A menu helps overcome this by allowing staff with limited language skills to upsell products and services without needing to speak extensively. The menu can include illustrative images of dishes, descriptions, and premium ingredients, making upselling easier and minimizing misunderstandings caused by language differences.

Menus Reduce Stress at the Reception

The reception desk is often a stressful area, with multiple tasks happening simultaneously: servers checking reservations, writing down turns, phone calls, and customers asking for prices. Adding a price list here increases the busyness and may make waiting customers feel awkward, potentially leading to them leaving.

Menus Offer Marketing Benefits

Unlike a traditional wall-mounted price list that only includes dish names and prices, a menu helps the restaurant convey additional information that supports customer service and marketing. A menu can include "About Us" and "Service Policy" sections, which help customers better understand your restaurant and prevent misunderstandings. You can also include your website address and social media links to advertise effectively at no extra cost.

About Our Menu Service

At Dazzle Pixel, we offer a complete menu design and printing service that includes:

• Collecting accurate information and images from the client.

• Writing dish descriptions in perfect English grammar.

• Interviewing clients to create the restaurant’s introduction and policy statements.

• Designing a custom logo and style that fits your restaurant.

• Printing, binding, and shipping the menu to your address.

Typically, the menu consists of 6 pages, with a variety of color and material options for the outer cover. We also offer embossed logos for added elegance. For detailed advice, feel free to contact us. We look forward to serving and collaborating with you!