Eighteen months after a menu is designed, it often looks like this: three prices have changed, two dishes are gone, and the copy on the table is the original with handwritten corrections and a sticker over the brunch section. None of that is about taste. It’s about a design that was never set up to change.
So a menu needs to do two jobs: be easy to read at the table, and be easy for you to change. Design for the second one from the start and the first one stays intact.
How people read a menu
You’ll find plenty of confident claims online about exactly where diners’ eyes go first. The research behind them is mixed, and in our experience people scan menus rather than read them, jumping to the section they care about (“what’s for breakfast?”) and then down the list.
So design for scanning:
- Clear section headings that are easy to spot from a glance: Breakfast, Lunch, Sides, Drinks. Don’t get clever with names like “Morning Rituals”.
- Short dish names in bold, with descriptions underneath in a lighter weight. People read the names first and only read the description of the dishes they’re considering.
- Group the way people decide. Mains together, sides together, drinks together. If you have a kids section, make it easy to find for the parent holding a toddler.
- Keep lists manageable. Very long sections are tiring to scan. If one section has twenty items, it may need splitting into two (eggs, and everything else) or trimming.
Placement does affect attention. Anything set apart in a box, with extra space around it or with a small illustration stands out from the list, the same way one highlighted bar does in a good infographic. Use that sparingly: highlight one or two dishes you’re proud of or that earn you good margin, not half the menu.
Making it readable where it’s used
Design the menu for the room, not the screen. Test a printed proof at the table, in the lighting you’ll have at dinner service.
- Type size. Dish names need to be comfortable for someone without their reading glasses. In practice we rarely go below 10 to 11 point for descriptions on a printed table menu, and dish names larger. Our article on typography basics covers choosing fonts that hold up.
- Contrast. Dark text on a light background is the safe choice for dim rooms. Light text on black looks moody on screen and can be hard to read in low light.
- Avoid script fonts for anything except the venue name. They slow everyone down.
- Leave space. A crowded menu feels cheap and is harder to read. If it doesn’t fit, it’s usually a sign the menu has too many items.
How to show prices
Pricing style is partly brand and partly psychology. A few options and what they signal:
| Style | Example | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| With dollar sign and cents | $24.00 | Traditional, clear, slightly formal |
| Dollar sign, whole numbers | $24 | Clean and common in cafes |
| Number only | 24 | Contemporary, quieter, common in restaurants |
All three are fine. Pick one and use it everywhere, including the specials board and website.
What we’d avoid is a column of prices aligned down the right edge with dotted lines leading to them. It turns the menu into a price list and invites people to scan for the cheapest item. Putting the price at the end of the description, in the same size as the text, keeps attention on the food.
If you charge a public holiday or weekend surcharge, show it clearly on the menu. The ACCC has guidance on how surcharges and prices need to be displayed, and it’s worth reading before you print. If you’re part of a chain with 20 or more outlets in NSW (or 50 or more nationally), NSW’s kilojoule menu labelling rules also apply, and the NSW Food Authority explains them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Dietary icons and allergens
Dietary icons (V, VG, GF, DF and so on) help people scan for what they can eat, but only if they’re consistent and explained.
- Put a key on every menu, usually at the bottom of each page or the back. Don’t assume people know what “GFO” means.
- Use simple letters or symbols that print well small. Tiny illustrated leaves and wheat stalks look nice and often become unreadable blobs at 8 point.
- Be careful with “GF”. If your kitchen can’t guarantee no cross-contact, say so. Many venues use “GF option” or add a line like “Made in a kitchen that uses gluten”. Be honest about what you can deliver.
Allergens are where you need to be accurate rather than stylish. For unpackaged food, like a cafe or takeaway, Food Standards Australia New Zealand says allergen information must either be displayed with the food or provided to customers on request. See FSANZ’s allergen labelling guidance for the detail. A line at the bottom of the menu such as “Please tell our staff about any allergies before ordering” is common practice, and it only works if staff can actually answer the question.
Designing for easy updates
This is the part most menu designs skip, and the part that matters most a year later.
Separate what changes from what doesn’t. Your core menu might be stable for six months. Specials, soups and cakes change weekly. Put the changing items on a chalkboard, an insert or a separate A5 card, so you don’t reprint the whole menu for a new soup.
Own an editable master file. Ask your designer for an editable version you or your staff can update. That might be a professional design file they maintain for you, or a well-built Canva template with fonts and layout locked. Either way, don’t end up with only a PDF.
Build in breathing room. If every section is packed to the edge, adding one dish forces a redesign. A little spare space per section absorbs changes.
Date your files. “Menu_Nov2026_v3” stops the old version getting reprinted by accident.
Keep the website version in sync. A menu on your website should be text on the page, not just a photographed or scanned PDF. Text is readable on phones, searchable on Google and easier to update. It should also match what’s on the table. Out-of-date online menus are a reliable source of awkward conversations at the counter.
What a good menu brief includes
If you’re getting a menu designed, have these ready:
- Final list of dishes, descriptions and prices
- Which items are likely to change often
- Dietary information for every item, confirmed with the kitchen
- Format: table menu, A3 board, takeaway flyer, website, or all of them
- How many copies, and whether menus are laminated, printed on card or replaced often
- Your logo and brand colours
The same branding should carry through to your social media and specials boards, so it all feels like the same place.
Our graphic design team designs menus and print for cafes, pubs and restaurants across the Northern Rivers (our hospitality work includes Saltbush Bar & Grill in Ballina), and we set menus up with update-friendly master files. If yours has prices crossed out in pen, bring us the current version, corrections and all.