The menu is the first thing a guest will check when visiting your restaurant or café. Its design, theme, presentation, and the listed dishes influence your guests’ decisions. A well-crafted menu will not only provide ease for your customers but also serve as an intense portrayal of your brand identity. Isn’t that right?

We have compiled a list of outstanding design concepts if you need help finding inspiration or ideas for your menu. Check the list below to explore the top seven creative menu design ideas.

1. Minimalist elegance

You might have seen sophisticated and rich dining experiences that often appear minimalistic. Simplicity and minimalistic looks usually portray luxury.

A simple, clean, and timeless style is best for fine dining or high-end cafes, focusing on quality over quantity. A menu designed with a neutral color palette (like soft whites, grays, or pastel tones), subtle use of lines, and font will keep the menu clean and clutter-free. Work on framing the name of your dishes. Please don’t make it sound jazzy; give it a royal touch. For instance, avoid names like “Jazzberry Jam Tarts” and keep it sound rich–Berry Tart & Mint Infusion. Do experiments with it!

The menu needs to be well organized, and each menu item must have a well-crafted description of the dish, matching the tone of the overall theme. Ensure the price of each item is visible to make the purchase decision easier for the customer.

Keep the font modern (Garamond or Bodoni) with black or gray font color. If space permits, add an elegant signature or recommendation of the chef’s special. And you are all set!

2. Travel-inspired passport or map

If your restaurant or cafe is located near a tourist place or is present in an airport, then a travel-inspired menu design is a great idea. The major and most challenging part will be presenting the entire thing. If you have a physical menu, add pages resembling travel documents. Add elements like stamps to present unique dishes or chef’s recommendations for the guests.

If your restaurant has a digital menu board, you can change the look and dishes with time. For instance, themes like Arabian Nights, available worldwide in 7 courses, or midnight in Paris (best for Valentine’s Day).

Add images and graphics to tune with the travel experience. Ensure the menu looks clean and readable even after so many graphics. Organizing the entire menu according to different destinations, such as Italian, Mexican, or Thai dishes, will be best. If you are running any offers or discounts, add them to the menu board to help the customers know about it and help them make a big purchase.

Software like Pickcel can be used to organize a digital menu better, where you can show your menu dishes and create different zones showing fun facts or historical tidbits about the cuisine’s origin.

3. Chalkboard style

A chalkboard-style menu design can be replicated in multiple formats. It can be a chalkboard (green or black background) with handwritten menu items. A chalkboard style can be present on a printed menu card or a digital signage board. This style is best suited for cafes, diners, or restaurants.

You can add doodles or fun food illustrations (like coffee cups or pastries), handwritten fonts, and a nostalgic chalkboard look. You can give your guests more nostalgic feelings and frame the names of the dishes wisely—for instance, Schoolhouse Soup, Mom’s Meatball Tiffin, etc.

Moreover, to give your guests a memorable experience put one small slate and chalk on their table and let them write their order from the menu. Please give them the feeling of writing on a chalkboard, like an early schooling memory. It will allow customers to interact with the ordering process and create a memorable experience for your cafe.

4. Virtual host menu board

Virtual host menu boards are a unique and futuristic idea. It sounds fascinating when your menu interacts with customers, gives them suggestions, and helps them pick.

Use a digital screen to display your “virtual host” (It can be an animated character, real-time avatar, or any creative character you have created). This host will introduce himself and guide them through menu items, giving ingredient information and recommendations.

An interactive display menu board will be ideal for this setup, where guests can interact with the character and give input about their options. As this type of setup is best for a tech-forward audience, you can keep the menu design with high-contrast colors and fonts like Roboto or Lato.

You can create an AI program or virtual assistant to present your brand. Adding creativity, you can keep the character with a humorous tone and gentleness.

5. Weather-based suggestions

It is weird yet true that we have different food preferences and likes for different weather or seasons. If your restaurant or cafe prefers presenting dishes according to weather or season, this menu design will be a marketing strategy. Mood relates to climate, and you can tune in to that.

You need to have a set of menu items specific to various weather in your location. You keep on changing or scheduling it accordingly on the digital menu board. However, you can set one menu item list but highlight the warm and hearty options on cold days. On hot days, refreshing drinks and salads take the spotlight.

You can have different themes, colors, graphics, and presentations according to weather. Additionally, graphic icons (like the sun, rain cloud, or snowflake) are the following items that fit the season.

Restaurants or cafes with these unique ideas are often popular from direct word of mouth.

6. 3D or Augmented Reality menu

Augmented Reality seems like magic. However, it is a practical way of using it in your restaurant, apart from just a visual experience. Guests often need help deciding dishes or trying new items by reading their names. Introduce Augmented Reality (AR), which allows your customers to view 3D versions of dishes using their smartphones.

Place a menu card or a simple QR code on the table, allowing customers to access your menu’s AR version. They will be able to view the dish with all the realistic details.

The AR can be more than just an image; it can offer interactive videos and animation. The best part of this experience is that the customers can check out ingredients and preparation videos and the size, portion, garnish, and plating. Isn’t it fascinating?

7. Eco-friendly natural theme

You can’t limit an eco-friendly, natural theme to just the menu board. The entire restaurant should embrace a green, rustic, and nature-inspired design.

If you plan to design a physical board, you can use eco-friendly materials like recycled paper or bamboo. The best thing you can do is install a digital menu board and use a new design and eco-friendly or nature-themed menu design.

If you have Pickcel, you will get access to 100s of pre-made templates you can try out. The best part about the Pickcel software is that you can customize all these templates and design anything you want using their tool, Artboard. Add images and infographics of flowers, leaves, or creepers to blend your menu board according to the theme. You have the limitless possibilities of what you can do with a digital signage menu board.

Conclusion

With technology, providing a good customer experience has become a lot easier. As the trend changes, customers are more into exploration; they want fresh ideas and new experiences every next visit. That is the most prominent reason restaurants are switching to digital menu boards to access the flexibility. If you believe the same, remember to try Pickcel for an outstanding digital signage software solution experience.