Imagine walking into a restaurant that you booked for a special occasion. You get there and it’s everything you hoped it would be. The pictures online were spot on. From the colors, to the music, to the smell in the air… yes! You chose the perfect location for this special celebration.
You’re escorted to your table and are told about the specials for the evening and then asked if you would like a wine menu. Sure why not! It’s a special occasion right?
Once you’re handed the wine menu your eyes are immediately distracted by the peeling, dog-eared corner on the top right of the menu. You can’t help it, you just can’t stop looking at it. It’s so…it’s not ‘five-star’ to say the least.
How could a restaurant be so beautiful and elegant…so perfect yet miss the mark on the one thing that is going to market its product to you?
Menus are one of the most important factors in determining the quality of a guest’s experience. From outdoor concession stands to a beautiful wine list there are many things to consider, and the material your menu is printed on is one of them.
In this article we’ll talk about the most popular material chosen by serious restaurant owners in printing their menus. I’ll even throw in a couple of tidbits on how to make your menu more effective if you stick with me till the end.
The Oldie But Not So Goodie
So let’s talk about what you are currently using and wanting to get away from or what you typically see at older diners and don’t want for your beautiful restaurant. The cloudy, stained, scratched, faded, “I think there’s food stuck to the inside of the plastic”, laminate.
At first we all thought laminate was the answer to our prayers! No more paper menus. No more throwing away menus at the end of the day because of stains or water damage.
But as time went on we all noticed something.
Wear and tear…
And not just wear and tear, but fading, and sometimes the menu inside STILL got wet. So what did we all do then? Ordered more menus, which cost more money over time which ate into our profits.
Times have changed, materials have evolved, and it’s time to get out of the reordering cycle. Now there is a better way to print menus altogether. It’s synthetic!
Out With The Old And In With The New
Printing on synthetics are the cheaper and more durable way of printing menus. Using this synthetic substrate means you are literally printing on the plastic. No more printing your menu on paper just to have it covered in plastic.
Synthetics are the most popular of synthetic materials to print your menus on. Out of its competitors (i.e vinyl or polypropylene) it’s the most durable with the highest resistance to tearing. Polyester also has the highest tensile strength meaning it is more resistant to warping when exposed to higher temperatures.
You put a lot of time into the design of your menu, it is in fact one of the most important marketing tools you have. So printing on synthetics ensures your design is seen in the most vibrant colors without fading over time.
Synthetics is a waterproof material and won’t shrink or breakdown from the elements if left or used outside (which is nice for those open mic nights on the patio). It’s lightweight and flexible and can be cut into any design you choose for your brand.
Click here to see the different types of menus that we offer made from synthetic substrate.
This One’s On the House
What makes you stand out from the restaurant down the street? Of course your food is better! But what else?
Your menu…
As promised here are few tips that will help boost your menu and overall sales results.
- If you have a menu that opens like a book, have it formatted so that the two sides mirror each other. This is more aesthetically pleasing to the customer and makes your menu not feel chaotic.
- Make your menu more distinctive. Meaning make your popular dishes (AKA runners) more noticeable and quick to find rather than filling up your pages with weaker performing dishes.
- Your menu needs to be readable even in poor lighting and for those with poorer eyesight. Therefore, font and size of the text is important.
Here you’ll find a few more tips on revamping your menu.
Whether you are wanting to upgrade your full menu, wine list, a clubhouse menu, or starting a concession stand menu ID Source has all of your synthetic printing needs.
Give us a call and find out how much money you can save by doing this one upgrade for your business.