The 9 Simple Steps to Create Your Menu

This article is part of a series on how to start your own food business.

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Whether you’re a food entrepreneur starting up a new concept or a restaurateur looking to revamp a menu, these nine steps can guide the menu design process.

1. Select your best menu items

There is no need to appease every single person. Keep your menu simple by selecting only the items that your customers love.

What should you include? This depends on three main factors:

1. What do you make really well that will keep people coming back for more?
2. What are your customers telling you they want based on what they’ve tried?
3. What kind of profit does each menu item generate?

2. Price your menu items

Set menu prices to cover ingredient and labor costs and include a margin that will ensure you turn a profit. In general, ingredient cost might be about 30% of the sales price and labor cost no more than about 30%. These are rough estimates to use as guidelines; each dish will vary depending on popularity, competitor pricing, and availability.

3. Organize menu items by categories

Create categories for your menu items and group them together to make the menu easy to navigate—for example: appetizers, salads, mains, and desserts.

4. Highlight allergens and dietary accommodations

To make it easy for customers to order, label menu items that may contain allergens and note dietary accommodations. Review all ingredients for gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish, and nightshades. Also identify vegan, vegetarian, kosher, or halal items where relevant.

5. Name and description design

Use descriptive language to name and describe dishes, including flavors and textures such as “savory” or “crisp.” If relevant, highlight local farms and suppliers to provide a sense of community and transparency.

6. Photos (optional)

Photos can provide another layer of visual information, but be careful not to overcrowd the menu. Use only high-quality photos that highlight your best dishes.

7. Choose a suitable design

Select colors, fonts, and an overall design that matches your cuisine and style. Remember that simple is better so the menu does not confuse customers. It’s okay to have plenty of whitespace when it’s used correctly.

8. Order and payment options

If you don’t have a physical store, include a small section explaining how customers can order and pay. If you have a website, direct them there, or take orders by email.

9. Proofread the final draft

Once you’ve assembled a draft, ask a friend or professional to proofread it. The last thing you want is to put time and effort into something that doesn’t make sense to the customer.

Up next: your P&L statement

Once you’ve finalized the menu, spend time on the business side—specifically the profit and loss statement. Continue with the five-step P&L guide.