There are a lot of restaurant print marketing tools to upgrade your restaurant. As more restaurants are returning to indoor dining after the COVID19 pandemic, there has been a push to find more ways to create safe places for diners and employers. One of the biggest concerns was with reusable restaurant menus. Though many restaurants had success with QR codes and table tents, this isn’t always the best solution. Some restaurant owners want to upgrade disposable paper menus to create a sanitary yet effective solution.
Restaurant disposable paper menus have a bad reputation. They’re seen as cheap, quickly designed, and tacky. Though these have turned off diners in the past, they’re becoming more common in the reopening after COVID19 restaurant shutdowns. With 31% of restaurants updating their menu on a monthly basis and 24% updating it on a seasonal basis, disposable paper menus are more practical than ever. That being said, how can you upgrade these menus to look professional, eye-catching, and upscale? Keep reading to discover the best ways to upgrade restaurant disposable paper menus.
Why Choose Disposable Paper Menus?
First, why choose disposable paper menus in the first place? When it comes to print marketing, there are a lot of options to upgrade your dining experience for your visitors. While reusable menus are typically seen as more upscale and expensive, this doesn’t mean they’re the best choice. Here are common reasons restaurants of all shapes and sizes are opting for disposable paper menus:
Affordable: To begin, disposable paper menus are more affordable than reusable ones. Because they’re created entirely with paper, this is an affordable way to create a large quantity of menus at once.
Fast: Unlike other printing methods, paper menus are one of the fastest options on the market. It’s easy to design your menu yourself and get your printed copies quickly and easily, saving you time.
Updates: With many restaurants facing food shortages, menu changes, and last-minute updates, a disposable paper menu is much easier to update quickly and affordably. If you’re worried about investing heavily in reusable menus that you won’t keep for very long, a disposable paper menu is the right choice.
Sanitary: A very important advantage of disposable paper menus is that they’re more sanitary. Because they’re given to each individual diner, you don’t have to worry about cleaning them between customers.
To-go orders: Lastly, more people are ordering to-go than ever before. Thanks to the pandemic, more restaurants adapted to online and phone orders, making it possible for diners to take their meals home with them vs. eating in-restaurant. Paper menus are easy to give diners for to-go orders so they can order again in the future.
Get More Out of Your Disposable Paper Menus
With that in mind, how can you upgrade your restaurant disposable paper menus? Follow these tips below to take these menus from lackluster to eye-catching. With a few changes, you’ll make all the difference. You might even discover that these menus are more practical, affordable, and safe than ever before.
Stick to a single page.
First, keep your disposable paper menu to a single page. Not only does this save you money on print marketing costs, but it also helps you avoid wasting paper. With more restaurants shifting to smaller, more focused menus, now is the time to jump on this trend. Getting creative with your template, layout, and sizing is the best way to fit your key content onto a single page menu.
Separate your dessert and drink menus.
If your restaurant offers a lengthy dessert or drink menu, consider separating this from your main menu. Most diners won’t be ordering dessert or specialty drinks, so only give these to those who need them. This saves you paper, space, and money, while also giving your an opportunity to upgrade the dessert or cocktail experience.
Consider your paper size.
You don’t have to stick to the traditional print size when it comes to your disposable paper menus. There are a few different sizes to consider:
A4 Portrait
A4 Landscape
A3 Portrait
A3 Landscape
Along with paper size, consider the paper thickness and weight. All of these things together help you create an upgraded, thoughtful experience for diners. Your paper size and format will depend on just how much space you need for your menu.
Use color vs. black and white.
While there is certainly a cost advantage to using black and white menu printing, using color could be worth it. Color evokes human feelings, and there’s a psychology behind color and design. Choosing colors related to your branding or your aesthetic helps tell your brand story, and it can build excitement in your cuisine. When designing your menu, consider whether you might benefit from color or partial color.
Wow Your Diners with Your Menus
Are you ready to boost your menu experience to truly impress your diners? Whether you’re marketing to in-person diners or take-out orders, now is the time to upgrade your menus. Disposable paper menus have come a long way since their early days of print marketing. They no longer are an afterthought or low-effort solution.
Today, disposable paper menus are a practical, efficient way to keep your diners and employees safe. When it comes to the marketing materials every restaurant needs, don’t overlook paper menus.