Using an Online Menu Maker and Hosting Platform

Whether you own a casual breakfast joint in a bustling neighborhood or manage an award-winning restaurant at a high-end resort, crafting your menus may bring you nothing but pure joy. Writing delicious descriptions, selecting the perfect font, and collaborating with your head chef on seasonal changes hammer home the thrills of operating your restaurant.

Keeping your menu up to date and accessible to a broad range of customers is a different story. Typically, it requires a fair amount of manual labor, reviewing adjustments with your team, printing (and reprinting) paper menus, and, for some, making tweaks on a mix of online platforms.

This is where an online menu maker can come into play—an indispensable tool that allows for tremendous flexibility.

Today, we’re exploring why 88% of restaurateurs consider going the digital route with online menu makers and how you can easily join them.

Benefits of using an online menu maker

Gone are the days when printing and laminating paper menus was a tiresome necessity, particularly for restaurants whose menus are updated daily or throughout the day. (We’re looking at you, farm-to-table establishments.) Restaurant menu design software has revolutionized the process.

But first, what is an online menu maker? And why are they the future of dining?

An online menu creator is technically defined as a digital solution that enables restaurateurs to uniformly create, revise, and manage their menus across various channels, including online ordering, third-party delivery systems (like DoorDash), and in-house dining.

One of the biggest perks of digitizing your menu is the time and cost savings it may afford you. With just a few clicks on a centralized platform, you can update a variety of elements, including:

• Ingredients
• Dish names
• Prices
• Daily specials
• Promotions and limited-time offers
• New dishes, drinks, and desserts
• Languages (to accommodate a wider array of customers)

In addition to expanding your restaurant’s reach, a digital menu management system may offer the following.

Improved customer experience

Picture this scenario: a prospective customer eyes your menu on their smartphone and grows excited about digging into a dish of pasta at an economical price. They arrive at your brick-and-mortar location, only to discover that the dish features ingredients they’re allergic to—and is $13 higher than what’s listed online.

In other words, not capitalizing on a menu management system can cause frustration and potentially affect your reputation and sales.

An online menu creator, meanwhile, promotes:

• A more seamless ordering experience
• Enhanced accuracy and consistency (and the trust that comes with it)
• Easy “scrollability”

Additionally, delivering your menu in a digital format—such as an interactive PDF complete with high-quality visuals, customer reviews, and more—may give customers an even more immersive and captivating experience.

Operational efficiency

Whether you install a digital menu board or combine print and tablet menus, online menus can be easily integrated into your POS system to streamline operations between your FOH and BOH staff (read: faster, more effective service).

What’s more, an online menu maker can:

• Curb your restaurant’s printing costs and impact on the environment
• Elevate inventory management
• Eliminate the need for repetitive, manual updates
• Alleviate your staff’s workload
• Allow you to monitor customer preferences and spending (and adjust your menu accordingly)

Another huge bonus of digitizing your offerings? You can implement contactless payments—the preferred payment method for 43% of Gen Z and millennial diners.

Key features to look for in an online menu maker

Intrigued by all that a menu management system has to offer?

Your first order of business should be researching scalable menu platforms that have received stellar reviews from other restaurateurs. Further, search for these factors.

Ease of use

An intuitive interface that easily allows customers to browse your menu items is key. You may also want to choose restaurant menu design software that offers:

• A search bar that lets diners find specific items
• Clear, attractive, and accessible layouts and designs
• The ability for customers to make modifications, such as dressing on the side
• Re-ordering capabilities for repeat customers
• Automatic translationsEncrypted, secure payment portals for enriched safety and convenience

Your online menu creator should also be a cinch for you to use, allowing for simple, swift adjustments and customizations.

Integration capabilities

It’s also important that your online menu maker can be integrated into your existing POS system and other restaurant management tools. This guarantees that menu changes (such as price adjustments) are automatically updated in your POS system—a process that usually requires API (application programming interface) access.

Step-by-step guide to implementing an online menu

Ready to get the ball rolling? Here’s how to create your first online menu:

1. Evaluate your current menu and establish goals for your new menu, such as slashing items that rarely sell and including allergen information
2. Design the layout of your menu and incorporate visually enticing elements, as well as alluring (and detailed) menu descriptions
3. Optimize your menu for mobile browsing and ordering
4. Test your system
5. Train your staff
6. Promote your online menu to existing and new customers through email marketing, social media, and in-person demonstrations

Last but not least, your online menu will require digital maintenance and, if you’re offering payment processing, ongoing security checks.

But here’s the fun part: you can refine and edit your menu at any time with just a few simple clicks of a button—and enjoy the uptick in happy diners digitization might bring you.

Embrace modern dining expectations with FLIPpages

There are several reasons to digitize your approach to menu creation and delivery. An online menu maker can save you boatloads of time and money while providing your diners with an exceptional and convenient experience.

In fact, customer spending has been shown to increase by 20% when ordering from a digital platform. What’s more, digital menus receive 10 times more attention than their static predecessors.

FLIPpages further simplifies and enhances the process. Whether you want to use a DIY digital menu creator or an interactive PDF for your website, we have the resources you need to stay ahead in the restaurant world.

Exceed your customers’ wants and needs by starting your free trial today.