How to make an outstanding restaurant menu

Below are 7 steps to follow. Once you’ve implemented each of them, you’ll have a menu you’re proud to place on your dining tables, publish online, and feature in third-party apps.

But what exactly does that mean? How many items should be on your menu? How do you need to categorize your items so customers can easily digest them and make quick and accurate decisions?

Let’s answer this in 2 parts. First, your menu should contain every item available to your customers. That could be 3, or it could be 300.

But no one wants to read a list of 300 items, which brings us to the second part of the answer, rooted in human psychology. Cognitive psychologist George A. Miller found that humans retain 7 pieces of information at a time. Does this mean you should have only 7 items on your menu? No. But it does mean that menu designers can benefit from grouping items into different categories—ideally, 7.

For this, let’s stick with another example from human psychology. Humans, by nature, are accustomed to certain patterns or sequences, particularly when it comes to food consumption.

We typically don’t eat dessert first (unless it’s a really great day). Instead, we start with drinks. Then appetizers, salads, or soups. This is followed by the main course. Finally, desserts.

Review your menu items, and group them into chronological categories. For example, think of the last restaurant you went to with a large—but easily digestible—menu. It may have been divided somewhat like this:

• Appetizers
• Soups
• Salads
• Entrees
• Sides
• Desserts
• Beverages

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about what your categories should be. Just make sure they’re recognizably categorized to make reading your menu and ordering easier.

Expecting only pork souvlaki, you may also order a salad and fries. But then you’re surprised when the server brings a plate of souvlaki that comes with a salad and fries—and you also get the extra salad and fries you ordered. The result? Too much food and money wasted.

The power of descriptions transcends cuisine types and geography, and any restaurant can fall victim to not being descriptive enough. Now’s a great time to take a hard look at your menu and see if it’s lacking the descriptive details your customers need to make informed choices.

To keep your patrons happy, consider the following when writing your item descriptions:

• Accuracy. Tell your diners in your menu descriptions exactly what’s in each dish. Don’t leave anything out.

• Brand voice. Ensure that the language and tone of your menu align with your restaurant’s brand and style. This is even possible on third-party apps like Uber Eats, where you can add and update your own descriptions.

• Appetizing details. Incorporate vivid and enticing descriptions that highlight the unique qualities and flavors of each dish.

• Labels for allergies and dietary restrictions. Clearly label items with information about potential allergens and tags for special dietary needs like gluten-free, vegan, and more.

• Nutrition information. Provide nutritional details where appropriate, catering to health-conscious diners and people with specific dietary requirements.

It’s a shame when menu imagery doesn’t do the meal justice. “People eat first with their eyes, then they eat with their stomach,” Chavarria reminds us. “They’re going to be looking at the picture on your menu and say, ‘That enchilada looks so delicious’ and then want it.”

She continues to explain the powerful role images play in ordering: “Pictures are one of the easiest foolproof levers you can use to capture more sales.” Our internal data shows that businesses with complete menu photo coverage earn 88%+ more sales on Uber Eats than businesses with little to no photo coverage.*

The best part? With Menu Maker from Uber Eats, it’s easy to add gorgeous images to your menu.

“Our tool has the ability to drag over a photo, or you can upload one directly using the web-based version of Uber Eats Manager,” says Chavarria. “Most owners will already have photos. And if not, we can help coordinate a professional photo shoot with our approved vendor to provide your business with high-quality photos of some of your most popular items.”**

For detailed information about how to make your menu photos shine, check out our restaurant menu photography guidelines. Above all else, make sure your pictures don’t feature hands, people, or branding other than your own.

This is especially true considering “there isn’t someone taking a customer’s order on Uber Eats,” says Chavarria. “They need choice and flexibility at their fingertips. This goes a long way in improving customer satisfaction and reducing order errors and chargebacks.”

Use Uber Eats to give customers the ability to fully customize their orders. This includes letting them add and remove ingredients from whatever they order.

Says Chavarria: “Something I suggest is to add extras into the individual menu items. For example, at one specific restaurant, the Beef or Lamb with Rice and Boneless Rib Eye Steak Plate on the menu do not come with sides. I created an ‘Add sides’ option for those entrees. Then customers don’t have to navigate away from the menu item over to the Sides section. Instead, it’s right there. In one specific instance [captured in a screenshot below], this added an additional $25 to the ticket total for one order.”

In the screenshot below, you can see the main menu item in bold, plus the customizations and sides.

By bundling items for a slightly higher price, customers perceive added value and convenience, making them more likely to opt for the combo.

This approach not only boosts sales but also encourages customers to try a wider range of offerings, potentially leading to higher customer satisfaction and repeat business.

White Castle wins with the bundling approach. The restaurant partners with Coca-Cola to offer more than 100 beverages. Instead of ordering all menu items one by one, customers can add a beverage to their meal with one click. This makes it easier for customers to get a drink with their meal and results in an upsell for White Castle.

Some essential metrics to track include these:

• Menu to cart conversion. The percentage of times a user progresses from the menu view to the cart view.

• Average order size. The sum of all food item prices in the cart.

• Order accuracy defect rate. The percentage of times a customer reports an incomplete order or a missing item.

• Special instructions rate. The percentage of times someone submits a special instruction with their order.

As you track these metrics (which is particularly easy using insights and analytics in Uber Eats Manager), you’ll have a better idea of how you can make menu improvements moving forward.