A menu photo looks fine on a laptop. On a phone, the same photo is too small to read, so the diner pinches, scrolls sideways and squints at the prices. Many give up and ask for the menu when they arrive, or choose somewhere else.
A text menu on your website solves most of this. It resizes to the screen, it can be read by people using screen readers, and search engines can read the dish names. Here's how to build one that works.
Why a PDF menu loses people
A PDF opens in a separate app or a new tab, often loads slowly on a weak connection and doesn't resize to fit the screen. Dish names inside a PDF can't be found by a search, and the menu can't be updated without uploading a new file.
A photo of a printed menu has the same problems, plus the light, the glare and the angle of the shot. If you already have a printed menu, use it as the source for the text version rather than as the online version.
Building a text menu, step by step
- List every section in the order diners read it. Starters, mains, breads, desserts and drinks are common. Keep the section names short.
- Write each dish name exactly as it appears on your counter board. Add a short description only where it helps: an ingredient that matters, a spice level you actually know, or a note such as "served with two sauces".
- Put prices in one column, in the same format for every dish. Mixed formats make a menu look careless.
- Mark the veg and non-veg dishes with the same marks your physical menu uses. Diners look for these before anything else, so don't hide them in a footnote.
- Add allergen notes only where you can stand behind them. If you aren't sure what a dish contains, say that the kitchen can answer questions, and give a phone number.
Keeping it up to date
A menu page that's wrong is worse than no menu page. Decide who updates it, and do it on the same day the physical menu changes. If prices change with the season, a one-line note at the top ("Prices are as of this month") tells the diner the page is current. Write the date yourself; don't guess it.
Mistakes that are easy to avoid
- A carousel of food photos with the menu hidden behind a "View" button.
- Very small text in grey on white, which is hard to read in sunlight.
- Items that are sold out but still listed with no note.
- Separate menus for dine-in and delivery that disagree on the price.
Photos that also help search
Photos of the food are worth having, but a photo on its own tells a search engine very little. Give each important photo a short, accurate description in its alt text, such as "Paneer tikka with mint chutney on a steel plate". That helps people using screen readers and gives search engines something to read.
What to do next
If you're planning the whole site, the restaurant websites page shows where the menu usually sits in the structure. A business website is the right base for your restaurant, and the business websites page explains how one is laid out. Write the text menu first, then add the photos around it.