Sound familiar?
- Staff can't answer allergen questions quickly and customers lose confidence
- Your menu is reprinted every time a price changes
- Your bestsellers are hidden in the middle of a long list
- Menus get grubby and torn within weeks
- The online menu doesn't match the printed one
Key facts
- Quoted as a fixed price; price changes and seasonal updates at £45 an hour + VAT
- Built around the 14 allergens UK law requires food businesses to declare
- Food Standards Agency guidance (updated March 2025) encourages written allergen information for non-prepacked food
- Calorie labelling with 'adults need around 2,000 kcal a day' for businesses with 250 or more employees in England
- Print formats: A4, A3, A5, DL, folded and single-sheet, plus wipe-clean synthetic or laminated stock
- Digital versions sized for your website, Google Business Profile and delivery platforms
Menus that help people choose
A menu has two jobs: help guests decide quickly, and steer them towards the dishes you want to sell. dijitul groups dishes into clear sections, keeps descriptions short and appetising, and gives a little extra space or a subtle box to the dishes with the best margins. Prices are aligned neatly after the description rather than in a column down the right, so guests read the dish before the price.
We design to your setting. A fine-dining menu might be a single card on uncoated stock with plenty of white space. A busy cafe needs a wipe-clean A3 sheet with photos. A takeaway needs a folded leaflet that works through a letterbox and on a fridge door.
Allergen information on your menu
UK food law names 14 allergens that must be declared: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. For loose food served in restaurants, cafes and takeaways, you must be able to give customers allergen information. The Food Standards Agency's best practice guidance, updated in March 2025, encourages that information to be available in writing, alongside a conversation between staff and the customer.
Design can make that easier. Options include allergen codes or icons beside each dish, a separate allergen matrix (a table of dishes against the 14 allergens), and a clear line on every menu asking customers to tell staff about allergies. The FSA provides free allergen icons and a matrix template that businesses can use. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the information: dijitul lays out what you give us and does not decide what is in your food.
If you sell sandwiches, salads or cakes packed on site before the customer orders, they are prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) and need full labels instead. See label design.
Calorie labelling for larger businesses
Under the Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021, businesses in England with 250 or more employees must show the calories (in kcal) for each portion of non-prepacked food and soft drinks at the point of choice, including on menus, online menus and delivery apps. Menus must also carry the statement 'adults need around 2,000 kcal a day'. Smaller businesses can include calories voluntarily. We set calorie figures in a consistent position and size so they are legible without cluttering the menu.
Formats, stock and keeping it current
| Format | Size (mm) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| A4 single or folded | 210 × 297 | Main table menus |
| A3 folded | 297 × 420 | Larger menus and pubs |
| DL card | 99 × 210 | Desserts, drinks, set menus |
| A5 or DL folded leaflet | 148 × 210 / 99 × 210 | Takeaway menus |
For menus handled every day, synthetic paper or a laminated 350 gsm card survives spills and wiping. Short-life menus that change weekly can be printed on uncoated 170 gsm and replaced. We supply an editable template so price changes do not mean a new design. If you prefer us to update it, edits are £45 an hour + VAT.
Menus online and on delivery apps
Many guests read your menu on a phone before they arrive, so the online version matters as much as the printed one. A PDF of the print file is hard to read on a small screen. We supply a separate mobile-friendly version: a single-column PDF or a set of images sized for your website, social posts and Google Business Profile. Delivery platforms have their own photo and text formats, so we prepare dish photos and short descriptions to fit. Keeping one master file for all versions means a price change happens once and is copied everywhere, rather than leaving an old menu live on one channel. If you need your menu as a proper web page, our sister agency builds restaurant websites at dijitul.uk.
Price and related work
Menu design is quoted as a fixed price based on the number of menus, pages and dishes. Most restaurants also want matching signage, social posts and food photos; see design for restaurants and cafes and food photography. Printing is separate, or arranged through print management. Send your current menu for a quote.
What you get
- Print-ready PDF menus in CMYK with 3 mm bleed
- An editable template so prices and dishes can be changed easily
- Allergen matrix or allergen information sheet laid out to match the menu
- Web and delivery-app versions (PDF and image)
- Matching specials boards, drinks lists and takeaway leaflets
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.
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.
Fixed price
We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.
First designs
We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.
Refine
We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.
Final files
You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does menu design cost in the UK?
dijitul quotes menu design as a fixed price based on the number of menus, pages and dishes. Later price changes and seasonal updates are charged at £45 an hour + VAT, or you can edit the template yourself. Printing is priced separately.
Do I have to put allergens on my menu?
You must be able to give customers information about the 14 regulated allergens in the food you serve. The Food Standards Agency's 2025 best practice guidance encourages written information alongside a conversation with staff. dijitul can add allergen icons, codes or a separate allergen matrix designed to match your menu.
Do I need calories on my menu?
In England, businesses with 250 or more employees must show kcal per portion on menus, online menus and delivery apps, and include 'adults need around 2,000 kcal a day'. Smaller businesses can choose to. dijitul lays calories out clearly if you supply the figures.
What is the best material for a menu that gets handled a lot?
Synthetic paper or laminated heavy card (around 350 gsm) survives spills and daily wiping far better than standard paper. For menus that change weekly, cheaper uncoated paper you replace often can make more sense. dijitul recommends a stock to suit how long the menu needs to last.
Can I update the prices myself?
Yes. dijitul can supply an editable template so you can change prices and dishes without redesigning. If you would rather we did it, updates are charged at £45 an hour + VAT and you get a new print-ready PDF and web version.
Related
Get a fixed price
Send a rough brief. You'll know exactly what it costs before we start.