What happens when you enter your favorite restaurant?
There’s always someone to greet you at the entrance. You will get a menu in your hand. And you can ask questions in case there’s any confusion.
Starting and running an online restaurant is very different from running an in-house setup.
Your customers are on their own when they order food online.
When they visit your website, they might have many questions about your food, ingredients, payments, etc.
Your menu is the first thing your customers want to search for when they visit your website.
That’s why you must optimize your restaurant and food menu design so that customers can find it in a flash.
Remember, you’re at a greater risk of losing your business if they don’t find something they like. You don’t want that.
Here are a few tried-and-tested tips you can use today to optimize your online menu design.
Make it Easy for Customers to Find Your Menu
The placement of your menu can make or break a deal for you. It takes customers a minute to hit a back button and look for other options if they don’t find a clear menu listed on your homepage.
So, dedicate a spot for the ‘See Menu and Order Now’ button preferably on the homepage and top navigation, so that customers can easily spot and click it.
Categorize
Because your customers can not ask many questions when placing their orders online, you have to ensure all the info they want is handy.
It’s also important to optimize your menu for different devices so that all of your customers can enjoy the same experience.
Create different categories of your food items to help customers easily find what they’re looking for. Also, it will make your menu look good on small screens.
Add Images
Consider adding HD images with each menu item. That is because online customers don’t have the luxury of asking a waiter to serve what the next table has ordered.
Images on your digital menu will give them a clear idea of what they are about to get.
Because images set expectations, make sure you click and add images that best represent your products.
Hiring a professional food photographer can do wonders for your online menu. Obviously, it may cost you a bit more, but definitely worth the price.
Write Clear Descriptions
Again, because online ordering lacks ambiance and one-to-one communication, it is important to harness the power of words to convey what you have in store for your customers.
Write clear and exciting descriptions that trigger cravings and push your customers to order right away.
Use more action words like ‘buttery.’ ‘creamy,’ ‘indulgent,’ ‘spicy’ to let your visitors enjoy a virtual taste of everything they’re about to order.
Don’t go overboard with the number of words, though. Sweet, simple, and concise would work best.
Add Symbols to Highlight Popular Dishes
If you offer multiple cuisines and different styles of dishes, make sure to use symbols to distinguish them from others.
For example, if you have a vegan menu, writing ‘VEG’ will make it easier for customers to click on purely vegan things.
Similarly, if you have a gluten-free menu, you can write GF along with items to help your customers better understand your offers.
Don’t Go Overboard with Your Menu Size
Online customers are usually on the go. Most of them don’t want to spend a lot of time on a website to select items, choose payment options, and more.
While your menu should include everything your customer might be interested in knowing about, don’t go overboard with the number of words.
Create a Section for Family Deals and Combos
Create a section for family meals, deals, and combos. It will help customers go directly to that section and order whatever they want.
This will save your customers time and make it easy for them to order their favorite food online. Talk about convenience!
Don’t Forget to Update Your Menu in Time
This is particularly important if you run both an in-house and an online setup. Nothing can be more frustrating for a buyer than to order something only to know it isn’t available in the end.
So, keep your online menu updated.
With over 60% of US customers ordering food online, the need for menu optimization has become a necessity for online food vendors.
We hope this post has cleared some of your doubts about digital restaurant menu optimization. Drop your feedback down below. We’d love to hear back.
