NOT A SHOPPING LIST

How often have you sat down at a restaurant table and been presented with a menu and/or wine list that is confusing, difficult to navigate – or simply ‘impossible’ to read?

I regularly design these key elements for customers, so I pay particular attention to them whenever I dine out. The vast majority seem to be put together with no real understanding of what they are for, or consideration of how they will be received by the guest.

Your menu and wine list are the things that set the tone of the experience. We live in a time when almost everything we do is on our smartphone, which affects almost everything we are presented with. Many graphic designers today are considering screen presentation, so there are fewer things to think about, in comparison to a document that is printed – like a booklet, magazine or menu. 

Plenty of pubs and bistros have an app, so customers order with their phones, with food & drinks brought to their table. This is efficient and works well for a certain sector of society – but it’s not for everyone. A wine list is not a shopping list, so hand-held, well-designed menus still play a major role, setting the scene for what is to come. 

 Folded A3, very congested menu for a pizzeria in Hanwell, named after the well know movie, reflecting the interior decor.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

There are key questions that need to be considered before the wine list or menu design process gets underway:

• What type/style of food am I providing?
• Who are my current customers? 
• What type of customer do I want to attract?

When you know the answers, you can start to think about ‘content’. What kind of language will you use? What order should you put things in? How much information do you need to provide?

There is a world of difference in the way information is presented, based on customer expectations. A kitchen-style bistro on the seafront in Brighton, serving all-day breakfasts and takeaway street food from 7am until midnight will use different ‘language’ to an Italian restaurant in London’s West End that opens for lunch and dinner only.

The look and feel of a menu immediately tells me the level of service I can expect. If I see a list of wines averaging £35-£40 per bottle presented on an A4 sheet of paper, laminated in cheap plastic, something isn’t right.

It’s so important that customers start the dining experience feeling comfortable and well looked after. 

Jeff Harrison - Graphic Designer and Brand Developer at Prestige Food & Wine.