Restaurants in social media

Let's face the truth - social media for your restaurant is a must. The social media account for your restaurant acts like a business card; it’s the first thing that your potential clients will see when they search for you on the internet. When potential customers search for your restaurant online, they’re looking to get an idea of the type of experience you offer, and a key part of this is the menu. 

So, what are the differences between a printed and a digital menu? Why is a digital menu so important to have? And how can you create an appealing digital menu for everyone to adore?

Reaching a younger audience - TikTok

In the last few years, TikTok has gained a massive amount of followers, creating a great opportunity for your restaurant. Using TikTok, you can promote your menu and seasonal dishes in a funny, interesting way! While you won't be able to show the whole menu, showing dishes one by one is also a great menu advertisement strategy.

Take advantage of Instagram

Instagram is a primary source of information about restaurants nowadays. Customers often search there for opening hours and menus, as well as using it to get a feel of the place, photos of the dishes, and pictures of cocktails. Instagram should become your friend in your restaurant's marketing journey - it lets you introduce your restaurant and your interior design, but also your old and new dishes or special promos in a colorful, eye-catching way.

Take advantage of that! Instagram is a great place to show off everything you're proud of! Whether it is a new decoration or a seasonal dish, use your creativity to get inviting pictures that encourage customers in.

Prepare your menu

A digital menu should be a little different than a printed one. It should be very clear and easy to read, but, compared to the printed menu, you can not only use different, more vibrant colors and fonts but also weave additional information and even photos in the menu! It makes your offer more client-friendly and interesting. Remember to place a visible indicator that clearly directs customers to your menu - use the "menu" option on Facebook or the specific folder on Instagram to make the menu easy to find.

Differences between printed and digital menus

A digital menu has a slight advantage over a printed menu. Because of the size of the mobile screen, you can divide your digital menu into more pages than the printed one - it will improve the overall look, as well as the readability of the menu. You can also add more visual elements - logos, decor, photos of the dishes - since you don't have to worry about the quality of the print.

The digital version can also be easily shared in your restaurant - a QR code on every table can easily be sent to your guests on the preferred social media site, where they can access the menu comfortably.

So what could stop you from going fully digital?

The first thing is demographics. Elderly people tend to not understand technology very well and both social media and QR codes could be a challenge they cannot complete.

Secondly - you can't require all of your guests to have a charged device on their person at all times. It's always good to handle a printed menu in the case when your client cannot reach for a digital one.

Ecology and finances - taking care of both

Creating a digital menu also impacts on both ecology and your finances.

As the name suggests, the printed menu must be printed. Printing a menu is not as easy as it seems. For example, you must consider design elements such as the shape of the menu, as well as the paper you’re printing on.  You can't print it on standard paper as it would wear out easily and be prone to humidity and dirt. Creating a menu binder is another idea - it would extend the resilience of the paper, but it looks cheap and tacky. Another option is lamination - it looks nicer and is more resistant to spilled drinks and food. But laminating your menu means it can be difficult to make changes and adjustments. It also generates a problem with multipage menus, because combining laminated pages never looks good. The last concept is printing the menu on a special paper that is firmer and covered in a plastic film. While it is the prettiest and the most convenient of them all, it's not that resilient and can start to look worn very quickly. 

Another disadvantage in this situation is the ecology issue. Laminated and plastic-coated paper is impossible to recycle, so it's a massive waste of paper and plastic.

The need to systematically print a new menu, no matter in which scenario, generates costs, with additional expenses for a special paper or lamination. Every seasonal or holiday menu or any kind of change in the dishes or prices will require a new printed copy, and this can be pricey.

With a digital menu, you don't have this problem. You just change everything you need in the file and upload it on social media. No need to print new QR codes, no need to wait for the printing house to deliver your copies - you save both time and money. You also don't have to worry about the ecological aspect - without a physical copy, you don't have to think about recycling it.

Go digital with Menufolio

With Menufolio, you don't have to worry about your digital menu! Using Menufolio means you can create your dream menu and export it to a QR code! Let us take care of your menu and check for yourself, how quick and easy it could be!