Design for Restaurants and Cafes

Menus that work at the table and on a phone

A menu is a sales tool first. Diners scan rather than read, so we group dishes so the eye lands on the plates you most want to sell, keep prices in a consistent position without currency symbols shouting at the reader, and use type that is still readable in low lighting. Most restaurant menus end up at A4, A3 or long DL formats for specials, printed on 350gsm card or a wipe-clean synthetic stock if they are handled all day.

We build the menu once and output it several ways: a print-ready PDF with 3 mm bleed for your printer, a text-based PDF or page for your website that search engines and screen readers can read, and square or portrait crops for social posts. A QR code on the table should point at a page that loads fast on mobile data, not a 12 MB scan. See our menu design service for formats and finishes.

Allergen information: the legal minimum and current FSA advice

UK food law names 14 allergens that must be declared: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and sulphur dioxide or sulphites above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre. For non-prepacked food (dishes cooked to order), the legal minimum still allows the information to be given verbally, as long as a clear sign tells customers to ask.

The Food Standards Agency's best-practice guidance for the out-of-home sector now goes further: it says written allergen information should be available for non-prepacked food, alongside a conversation between staff and customer. In design terms that usually means an allergen matrix (dishes down the side, allergens across the top) kept behind the counter and online, a short key on the menu itself, and a clear 'please tell us about any allergies' line that staff and customers can both see. We lay these out so they are quick to update when a recipe changes, because an out-of-date matrix is worse than none.

Natasha's Law for grab-and-go food

If you make sandwiches, salads or cakes on site and wrap them before the customer chooses them, that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS). Since October 2021, PPDS food must carry a label showing the name of the food and a full ingredients list with the allergenic ingredients emphasised, for example in bold, according to the FSA's guidance on Natasha's Law.

We design label templates sized for your printer roll or sheet labels, with a clear hierarchy: product name, ingredients with allergens in bold, and any date or storage line you include. Text must stay legible: under the Food Information Regulations, mandatory information on a pack needs an x-height of at least 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm where the largest surface is under 80 cm². You supply the recipe and ingredient data; we make sure it fits and reads properly. Our label design page covers stocks and sizes.

Calorie labelling for larger operators

The Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 have applied since 6 April 2022 to food businesses in England with 250 or more employees, counting part-time staff. Affected businesses must show the energy content in kcal and the portion size at the point of choice, which includes printed menus, online menus and food displays, together with the statement 'Adults need around 2000 kcal a day'.

Adding kcal figures to a crowded menu is a layout problem as much as a compliance one. We set the calorie figure close to the dish name and price, in a size that is clear but does not dominate, and keep the statement where diners will see it. Smaller independents are not covered by the regulations but some choose to show calories anyway; the same layout approach works.

Food photography, signage and the rest of the brand

Photos sell food online, especially on delivery apps and Google Business Profiles. We shoot food photography at your premises, so the dishes come straight from your kitchen and the backgrounds are your own tables and interiors. A half day is from £295 + VAT and a full day from £495 + VAT, with travel quoted beyond the Mansfield and Nottinghamshire area. You receive edited JPEGs sized for web and print.

The rest of the kit follows from the logo: A-boards, window vinyl, fascia panels, loyalty cards at 85 × 55 mm, takeaway bags, cup sleeves and social media graphics from £99 + VAT. If you are starting fresh, a brand identity pack from £395 + VAT gives you the logo, colours and fonts so every sign and post matches. You get a fixed price before any work starts.

What you get

• Print-ready menu PDF (PDF/X-1a, CMYK, 3 mm bleed) at A4, A3, DL or a custom size
• Editable menu template so you can change prices and specials yourself
• Allergen matrix and menu key for the 14 regulated allergens
• Web-ready menu (text-based PDF or images sized for your site and social)
• Logo files in AI, EPS, SVG, PDF and PNG, in colour, black and white
• Edited food photographs as high-resolution JPEGs for print and web

How it works and what it costs

Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.

1. Tell us the brief

   What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.

2. Fixed price

   We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.

3. First designs

   We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.

4. Refine

   We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.

5. Final files

   You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.

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