Printing a menu for your restaurant?
As a new season rolls around, you're probably getting one of the biggest jobs in your restaurant ready: a fresh seasonal menu. But which format should you actually print? Where does each type belong on the floor? And how do you refresh the line-up for the season without starting from scratch?
A menu is usually the first thing a guest notices when they walk in, so it pays to get it right. If you've already nailed down the size, shape, and format and just want design and sales tips, that's a topic for another day. But if you're weighing up which printed format to choose, this guide walks through the five menu types we print at Printing Banana — and where each one works best.
Takeaway sheets & promotional flyers
The takeaway sheet or promotional flyer is a core piece for almost every restaurant. Whether guests grab one in-store or it goes into a delivery bag, it earns its keep. The most common spec on the market is 128gsm gloss art paper, A4, tri-folded — the cheapest and best-value option.
To leave a stronger impression, play with the flyer's outline and fold — a semicircular shape, a cross fold, and so on. Restaurants going for a premium look print on specialty stocks such as linen paper, Inspiration textured stock, and tracing (butter) paper.
Placemat menus
If you want guests to see the menu the moment they sit down, a placemat menu is hard to beat. It's a simple way to save table space and keep clutter to a minimum. Not every tabletop has room for a standing menu, and for a high-traffic restaurant, handing menus out and collecting them back is a real time-sink. Doubling the menu as a placemat quietly solves a lot of that.
These are usually printed on the most economical paper, since they're single-use and you get through huge quantities every day — typically 80gsm woodfree (offset) paper or art paper.
Triangular table tent menus
Want to put a promoted dish, a limited-time discount, or any other promo message right on the table? A triangular table tent is the best choice. The three-sided shape stands up easily on any surface and can be moved around however you like.
Table tents are made from stiffer card, such as 300gsm matte-laminated card or 300gsm white card. Anything too light won't stand steadily, and it feels flimsy in a guest's hand.
Book-style menus
If you have a lot of dishes and need to gather the food menu, drinks list, and set meals into a single booklet, a book-style menu is the way to go. Like any book, the two most common bindings are saddle-stitch and hardcover.
Booklet menus are mostly used by mid- to high-end restaurants — partly because they have more items to show, and partly for the sense of occasion they give guests. We'd suggest brass screw-post binding, so you can add or drop inner pages freely as the season or a holiday calls for it.
For a mid-tier restaurant, a 350–400gsm art-paper cover with 157gsm art-paper inner pages works well. For something more distinctive, print the cover on a specialty stock.
High-end restaurants usually build the cover from PU leather over rigid board, so guests feel the weight the moment they pick it up. The inner pages still use brass screw posts for easy swapping, and can be printed on specialty stocks — earth-tone paper, rice-cream off-white card, kraft paper, and the like.
Large-format window & wall menus
If you want guests to read your menu from the window or the wall, you can apply a vinyl decal or a Foamboard to the glass or wall. On glass, use a white-backed vinyl decal or a removable PVC sticker — neither damages the glass, and both peel off and reposition easily.
For an interior wall, you can use a Foamboard or PVC board panel — just fix it with a few wall screws. If you're not sure how Foamboard and PVC board differ, read more here: Foamboard vs PVC print board: which is cheaper, and which works better?
Whether you're after takeaway flyers, placemat menus, table tents, book-style menu booklets, or a window display menu, you'll find them all at Printing Banana. We carry menu printing at every price point, premium or budget — à la carte sheets, seasonal or set-meal menus, even price lists and product catalogues. We deliver across Hong Kong and Macau, and if you'd like a hand choosing the right format, message us on WhatsApp at +852 3001 5678 (English is fine) — we'd love to help you print a menu you'll be proud of.