What Software Is Best for Designing a Restaurant Menu?
When looking at what is the best software for designing restaurant menus, there is almost no shortage of available software to choose from. Adobe InDesign, Canva, restaurant-specific programs, and even Microsoft Word are all options that can design a menu. There are also new AI design tools showing up all the time.
At Full Scope Creative, we commonly use Adobe InDesign for graphic design projects, including restaurant menus. But there is something much more important than the software you choose.
The software is only the tool.
A great restaurant menu needs the right layout, branding, organization, pricing display, and design. A restaurant’s menu is one of the most important sales and marketing tools the restaurant has.
The right software can make menu design easier, but the software is only part of the process. We can help create a professional restaurant menu that fits your brand, is easy for customers to read, and organizes your food and pricing in a way that makes sense.
Adobe InDesign
For professional menu design, InDesign gives us the most control and is what we find Is the best software for designing restaurant menus.
InDesign is the program we use for a lot of the graphic design and branding work we do at Full Scope Creative. It gives the best control over fonts, spacing, photos, colors, page sizes, alignment – all the things to make sure the design piece is spot on with the business brand.
That is important for a restaurant menu. Your logo, colors, fonts, photos, and overall look should connect with the rest of your restaurant’s brand. Your menu shouldn’t look like it belongs to a completely different restaurant.
InDesign also gives us plenty of options when setting up files for professional printing. That can include proper bleed, different menu sizes, and menus that will be printed on waterproof or washable paper.
There is a bigger learning curve with InDesign. It has a lot more design tools than most simple online menu builders. For professional restaurant menu design, though, that added control is one of the reasons we like using it. Adobe also offers InDesign tools specifically for restaurant menu layouts and print or digital menu files.
Canva
Canva can be a great choice if you want to design your restaurant menu yourself.
It is fairly easy to learn and there are plenty of menu templates available. Canva uses a drag-and-drop editor, so you don’t need years of graphic design software experience just to get started.
The templates can be helpful too. Just remember that the template is a starting point. You still need to finish it.
Don’t just pick out a cute menu template, add your menu items and prices, swap out the logo, and call it ready to go. Take the time to adjust the colors, fonts, photos, spacing, and any other part of the design needed to make the menu really fit your brand and restaurant.
A template can save you time. It shouldn’t make your restaurant look generic.
Other Software for Designing Restaurant Menus
There are other options available too.
iMenuPro is one example of software built specifically for restaurant menus. It has tools for printed menus, website menus, and QR code menus. It can also sync changes between different menu formats. We haven’t used iMenuPro ourselves, so we’re not going to tell you whether it is better or worse than the other choices. It is simply another option available for restaurants looking for menu-specific software.
Adobe Express has menu templates available as well. For a very simple menu, you could even make something in Microsoft Word.
Almost any of these programs can put food names and prices onto a page. The bigger question is what that finished page looks like.
Think About How Your Restaurant Menu Will Be Used
Before choosing software, think about how customers will use the menu.
Are you printing table menus? Will you have takeout menus? Is the menu going onto your website? Will customers scan a QR code to open it on their phones?
The answer could change what you need from the design.
A professionally printed menu may need bleed around the edges and a file that is ready for a commercial printer. You may also want it printed on a material that can be wiped down and cleaned.
A digital menu has its own needs. It should be easy to read on a phone and stored in a format that doesn’t make customers fight with it just to see what you serve.
Sometimes you will need several versions of the same menu.
How Often Will the Menu Change?
This matters too.
Some restaurants change prices or food items only once or twice per year. Others have seasonal menus, changing drink lists, daily items, or pricing that needs regular updates.
Think about who will make those changes.
If someone on your staff needs to update the menu every week, Canva or restaurant-specific software may make a lot of sense. If your menu only updates yearly or less, having a professional designer update an InDesign file when needed may work perfectly well.
There isn’t one answer that works for every restaurant.
The Software Doesn’t Design the Menu for You
This is probably the biggest thing to remember.
InDesign gives us a lot of tools. Canva gives you templates. Neither program decides how your menu should actually be designed.
The software doesn’t know:
- Which items should get the most attention
- How the different sections should be organized
- How prices should be displayed
- Which fonts work well together
- Where your logo should go
- Which photos should be used
- How your restaurant’s colors should be incorporated
- How much white space the design needs
- Whether the menu is easy for customers to read
And yes, your menu probably needs a little more white space than you’re thinking.
Those design choices are what turn a list of food and prices into an actual marketing piece.
Your menu may be one of the best salespeople in the entire restaurant. Every customer looks at it. It can help sell drinks, appetizers, meals, desserts, and more. It also helps customers learn what kind of restaurant you are.
That deserves more thought than simply picking a template.
What Is the Best Restaurant Menu Design Software for Your Restaurant?
The answer depends on your restaurant.
If you have a simple menu, a smaller budget, and someone who is comfortable doing the design, Canva can work very well. If you need to make changes often, an easy-to-edit program can be a big help.
For professional menu design, InDesign gives us the most control and is our preferred software at Full Scope Creative.
Whatever software you choose, make sure you’re also following good restaurant menu design practices. The program can give you the tools, but someone still has to make the design decisions.
Whether you build your menu yourself in Canva or have a professional designer create it in InDesign, don’t treat your menu as nothing more than a list of food and prices.
It is one of the most important marketing pieces you put in front of your customers.