How to Create a Restaurant Menu from Scratch ?

Creating a restaurant menu from scratch is one of the most important steps in building your brand identity and shaping your customers’ dining experience.Your menu isn’t just a list of dishes — it’s your restaurant’s story, personality, and marketing tool all in one.A well-structured menu helps you attract customers, influence their decisions, and increase profits.

👉 For the complete overview, read the main EasyMenus guide here:Create Restaurant Menu – The Complete Guide for 2025.

In this guide, we’ll walk you step by step through how to create a restaurant menu that not only looks great but also works smart — and we’ll show how EasyMenus, the leading AI-powered digital menu platform, can simplify and accelerate the entire process.

Before writing a single dish name, clarify your restaurant’s concept. Are you serving casual burgers, fine-dining cuisine, or vegan street food? Every choice — from colors to pricing — should reflect that vision.

Ask yourself:

Who is my ideal guest?

What kind of dining experience do I want to offer?

How should guests feel when reading my menu — excited, comforted, adventurous?

Your menu language, design, and layout must speak directly to that audience.For example, a trendy café targeting young professionals might use playful, modern wording and minimalist design, while a high-end steakhouse might opt for elegant typography and sophisticated dish descriptions.

With EasyMenus, you can even create multiple digital versions of your menu for different audiences or occasions — for example, a business lunch menu and a weekend brunch menu — all under one dashboard.

A successful menu is easy to navigate and visually balanced. Divide your dishes into clear, intuitive sections such as:

Starters / Appetizers

Main Courses

Sides

Desserts

Drinks

Limit the number of options per section. Too many choices can overwhelm customers and slow down decisions — a concept known as menu fatigue. Ideally, offer 6–8 items per category.

To make sure the layout feels natural, use the “Golden Triangle” rule: readers’ eyes typically move first to the center, then top right, then top left of a page. Place your best-selling or high-profit dishes in these spots.

In EasyMenus, you can easily reorder items and preview layouts digitally before printing or publishing them. This helps you see exactly how customers will perceive your menu online and on mobile.

Once you have your categories, start brainstorming dishes that match your concept and capabilities. Make sure each item fits your kitchen’s capacity — adding a complex dish that slows down service can hurt the overall experience.

Before finalizing, test every recipe for taste, presentation, and consistency. Consider portion size and ingredient cost to ensure profitability.

EasyMenus allows you to store all dish data — ingredients, allergens, filters (like vegan or spicy), and images — so your menu can update automatically whenever a recipe changes.

Menu pricing is both an art and a science. The goal is to balance profitability with customer perception.

Here’s how to approach it:

Determine food cost per dish. Add up the cost of each ingredient and divide by the portion size.

Set a target food-cost percentage. Most restaurants aim for 25–35 %.

Adjust for perceived value. A €15 pasta in a fine-dining restaurant might feel cheap, but in a casual café it could feel expensive.

Also, use psychological pricing — customers often perceive €14.90 as much cheaper than €15.00.Highlight your most profitable dishes with icons, borders, or placement tricks instead of bold labels like “Most Expensive.”

EasyMenus includes an analytics feature that helps you track which dishes perform best, allowing you to adjust pricing and placement in real time.

Good copywriting can turn a simple dish into a must-try experience. Keep descriptions short but sensory: describe ingredients, textures, and emotions.

For example:

“Grilled salmon with lemon-dill butter, served on a bed of roasted baby potatoes.”

Avoid overly technical or foreign terms unless your audience expects them. Your goal is clarity and appetite appeal.

With EasyMenus, you can instantly translate descriptions into multiple languages for international guests — without losing your original tone or brand identity.

Even the best food can be overlooked if your menu design feels cluttered. Keep these design principles in mind:

Use consistent fonts (no more than two).

Choose colors that match your brand — for example, earthy tones for organic concepts, deep reds and blacks for fine dining.

Prioritize readability — avoid long blocks of text and ensure font size is comfortable to read.

Add high-quality images sparingly; one great image per section often works better than a collage.

Digital menus created through EasyMenus are automatically optimized for mobile and tablet viewing, ensuring customers have a flawless experience no matter their device.

Before publishing or printing your final menu, gather feedback from staff, friends, or even loyal customers. Ask them:

Is it easy to understand and navigate?

Are prices clear and justified?

Do any items feel out of place?

Once live, monitor sales to see which dishes perform best. Use that data to tweak your layout or replace low-performing items.

With EasyMenus, you can update digital menus instantly — no need to reprint or manually redesign.

In today’s fast-moving restaurant world, flexibility is everything. Digital menus let you:

Update prices or dishes instantly.

Add seasonal specials without design costs.

Integrate with QR codes for contactless ordering.

Analyze customer behavior to refine your offerings.

That’s exactly what EasyMenus was built for. Its AI can even import your existing PDF or text menu automatically, organize it by category, and generate a clean, professional digital layout — saving you hours of manual work.

Creating a restaurant menu from scratch might seem daunting, but when approached step by step, it becomes a creative and strategic process that defines your entire dining experience.

By understanding your audience, balancing your design, and pricing smartly, you can create a menu that delights guests and boosts profits.

For a full overview and additional resources, visit:👉 Create Restaurant Menu – The Complete Guide for 2025