How Delis and Bakeries can Benefit from Print To-Go Menus

Two similarly sumptuous businesses to have are delis and bakeries. Bakeries sell mostly breads, sweets, and cakes; while delis or delicatessens sell mostly ready-to-eat items like sandwiches, salads, breads, cold cuts, and sliced cheeses. If you have either of these businesses, you might already have a loyal clientele who regularly go out to buy food from you. However, if you would like to expand your business and introduce your bakery or deli to more clients, you need to invest in printed marketing materials.  This is where print to go menus come in. These are menus which are specifically meant for customers who order for delivery or takeout. If you have a bakeshop, having a stack of takeout menus by the cashier countertop will encourage customers to pick one up and use for future orders. If you have a delicatessen, you can distribute takeout menus to people outside your food establishment, where there should be high foot traffic. Once people get a hold of your takeout menu, you are bound to get repeat orders, and people will be craving for breads and cold cuts-and-cheese combos before you know it. 

Menu Printing Design Tips

So how can you design a good takeout menu if you own a bakery or deli? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Partner with a good online printing services provider so that you can have high-quality takeout menus without spending too much. There are several fold styles and sizes to choose from. If your bakery has a lot of bread variants, for example, go for a map size takeout menu which measures 11” x 25.5”. You can have anywhere from four to twelve panels for this menu size – choose one based on the number of items that you wish to include on the menu.
  • People eat with their eyes, so make sure to include sumptuous-looking photos that pop out of the page. For this, you might need to invest in professional photography – but the results should be well worth it.
  • Use a combination of images and text. Just like brochures, map-sized menus give you a lot of space to work with. For bakery or deli menu printing, avoid using chunks of text that people would not want to read through. The menu items should be organized but still mixed with scrumptious photos of breads and cheeses. 
  • Highlight your bestselling items and place them strategically on the menu. Do not include dollar signs when indicating the price of the items – you don’t want to remind people that you are making them spend their hard-earned money once they peruse your menu. Also include your contact information at back page so customers would know how to get in touch with you, or where your deli or bakery is located. 

Make It Easy for Customers to Fulfil Their Cravings with Print To Go Menus

At the end of a long week at work, people usually treat themselves to a dine-in restaurant so they don’t have to cook. For daily dinners when people simply don’t have the energy to prepare home-cooked meals, takeout is the way to go. This is why it’s a must for those in the food business to print to go menus. As the name implies, these are menus which are specifically for takeout food. As such, customers expect something filling, quick and easy to prepare, while fulfilling their cravings at the same time.

Print To Go Menus: The Basics

Here are a few things to remember if you would like to print to go menus for your food business:

  • The design of your logo, your dine-in menu, and your takeout menu should all have a cohesive look.

What does your restaurant logo look like? What are the colors used? If you have a dine-in menu, the takeout menu can be a shortened version of it, but the two should look pretty much the same. Having a cohesive look is important for branding. If you have a distinctive yellow-and-blue logo, for example, these hues should also be present in all your menus so that it will be instantly recognizable.

For all the printed promotional materials that you need, you can get in touch with either a digital or an offset print shop. These companies specialize in creating print ad products like brochures, business cards, postcards, and menus. Digital printers can handle a small volume of orders but for bulk orders, offset using big printing presses is more reliable. Do your research about the packages offered by different print shops and make an informed decision from there.

  • Pay attention to the material used and the design of the menu.

Since takeout menus are tangible unlike digital menus, they need to be printed using high-quality material. There are different sizes, folding options, and paper finish available. After finishing the design of the menu, decide on these options and make sure that it all creates a look that’s fitting for your brand.

  • Distribute the to go menus effectively.

You can include to go menus in every takeout order, send them out in mailers, display a stack of them in your restaurant, or hand them out in the streets in areas where there is high foot traffic.

All in all, to go menus are the perfect advertising tool for those in the food business.

Takeout Menu Printing Design Techniques

One of the easiest ways to promote your food business is through takeout menu printing. As the name implies, this involves printing a menu that is specifically for takeout. When paired with your dine-in menu, these two printed marketing materials will represent what you are all about as a food establishment. 

So how can you spread the word about your business using takeout menu printing? Once you have a stack of these made by an online printing shop, you can include one takeout menu in every delivery or takeout order. You can include one in receipts for suppliers and all your other business contacts. You can place a stack of them by the cashier or right outside the restaurant for would-be diners to pick up.

You can also leave the takeout menus at gas stations, tourist spots, local hotels, and similar establishments in your area. Moreover, you can distribute them by handing them out to people on the streets – make sure to do this during the busy hours to get the menus in as many hands as possible. 

Designing Your Takeout Menu

Next, when designing your takeout menu, here are a few techniques to apply:

  • Use the same color scheme as your business logo. 

Just as it is when designing other print marketing materials like brochures, business cards, or postcards, there should be a common color scheme in your takeout menu. Use the same colors as your restaurant’s interior design, or the hues present in your business logo. 

  • Group your products and organize the information on the menu. 

A takeout menu can have anywhere from four to twelve panels. That’s a lot of areas to place your information in, so make sure that your menu items are organized. Although it’s fine to have the same menu items for your dine-in and takeout menu, it’s better to cut back the number of items for the latter so as not to confuse customers. Make sure that these are high-profit items which are easy to prepare, to also boost your sales. 

  • The colors should blend well together, the images should pop. 

That picture of a burger on your menu should look mouthwatering right out of the page, so invest in professional food photography. The images should pop and the colors on the menu should blend well together. Use easy-to-read font, and make sure that your contact information is accurate and is highlighted. Use the back sheet of the paper if possible, to save on printing fees. 

By applying these design techniques, you can have a takeout menu that will enhance your brand and increase your sales in no time. 

Counting Down the Advantages of Takeout Menu Printing

If you’re in the food business and you have not taken advantage of the benefits of takeout menu printing yet, you are missing out on a lot. There are many advantages to this type of print marketing material, which we will learn more about here.

What are the Advantages of Takeout Menu Printing?

As the name implies, takeout menu printing involves printing copies of your food items which are for takeout or delivery. For this, you need to get in touch with an online printing company. There are some that use digital printing, others offset printing, while the bigger shops offer both – you just need to choose one that’s suitable for the volume of order that you will place. When printing out menus for takeout, pay attention to the design of the menu, the quality of material used, the paper finish and thickness, size, and the overall look of the printed material. 

Here are the many advantages of takeout menu printing:

  • It gives diners a chance to sample your menu even if they don’t have time for a sit-down meal.

Eating out is considered a luxury these days, giving people a chance to take a break from the chores of making homecooked meals. Still, there are those who do not have time for a sit-down meal but would like the convenience of eating restaurant quality food. This is your target market for takeout menus. 

  • It gives people an idea about your prices, encouraging them to try out your food some other time. 

If your fine dining restaurant looks intimidating from the outside, for instance, there would still be people who’d like to know what your prices and menu items are. Placing a stack of takeout menus right outside your restaurant door, or distributing them to people passing by will take the guesswork out of your menu prices. 

  • It increases the number of repeat orders. 

For those who have already tried your food, a takeout menu encourages them to place repeat orders, especially for the bestselling items. 

  • It enhances your brand. 

Finally, takeout menus – just like all the other printed marketing materials – enhance your brand. Your goal, after all, is to boost sales. By printing takeout menus, you are making your menu items more readily available for those who would like to dine in or order takeout from your food establishment. 

Print To Go Menus and Use Them as a Selling and Branding Tool

What is your main goal in menu printing? Similar to how you would use business cards, postcards, envelopes, notepads, brochures, and flyers, menus are part of an overall print marketing campaign. With print to go menus in particular, you want the customers to have easy access to your list of menu items so that they can make repeat orders. As far as branding is concerned, the look and feel of the menu should be similar to that of your business logo. This way, you would have a cohesive theme in your print ad materials. Here, we will look at how you can use to go menus as a branding and selling tool.

How to Sell More with To Go Menus

The first thing to do if you need a set of to go menus created is to look for an online printing services provider. Choose between digital and offset options. There are printing companies that offer both – what they will use depends on the volume and your preference in terms of print quality. Now, if you want to sell more with to go menus, here are a few tips to remember:

  • Do not include too many items in the menu.

Customers want to have options – but not too many. Giving them a complete list of all the items in your menu might be confusing especially if there are a lot. For takeout menus, limit the number of items to ones that taste great, but are still quick to prepare.

  • Highlight the dishes which are easy to make.

It’s fine for customers to wait if they’re dining in. But for takeout or deliveries, they want something quick. As such, it pays to highlight the dishes which are quick and easy to make in your menu.

  • Place your most profitable items prominently on the menu.

Design your menu in such a way that the bestselling and most profitable items are highlighted. Your goal is to increase sales in the first place, so you want the customers to order items that will give you the most profit possible.

  • Effectively distribute your to go menus.

Finally, know how to effectively distribute your takeout menus. Include one in every delivery or takeout package. If you are issuing receipts or invoices to suppliers, include a copy of your to go menu as well. Have a stack of menus next to the cashier or right outside your restaurant so that people who are hesitant to come in would have an idea about the prices and the items available. You can also include them in mailers for promotional purposes.

Small, Medium, or Large? Choosing the Size of Your Print To Go Menus

If you are in the restaurant business, why should you invest in menu printing? Whether you are offering Italian fare, if you own a food truck, if you’re operating a full-sized restaurant, or a bakeshop, it is crucial to invest in well-designed menus – both for dine-in and takeout use. Naturally, diners who walk into your restaurant will be looking for a menu so that they would know what to eat. For the takeout menu, its use is more for marketing. You can print to go menus then include one in every delivery or takeaway package. You can display it in your restaurant for customers to pick up for future reference. You can also include it in receipts, supplier invoices, and similar documents. Or, you can personally hand them out in the streets in areas where a lot of people pass by.

With to go menus, you can enhance your business especially if it is used with other printed marketing materials. You can also enjoy additional benefits like boosting sales, increasing the frequency of repeat orders, and establishing customer loyalty.

Which Size Should I Go For?

For to go menus, there are small, medium and large sizes available. Deciding which one to go for is all a matter of preference – just select one that fits your brand’s image. Here are the differences between the menu printing sizes:

  • Packaging size and standard size

The smallest size available for to go menus is 4.25” x 11”. This is great for inclusion in mailers and takeout packages. The standard size is 8.5” x 11”, which also has a lot of uses.

  • Legal size and folder sheet size

If you want to go a bit bigger, the legal size which measures 8.5” x 14” is a great choice. Or, go with the folder sheet size of 9” x 12”.

  • Tabloid size and map size

Want to go all out? The largest sizes for take out menus are 11” x 17” or the tabloid size, and the map size which measures 11” x 25.5”.

These can be folded several ways. If you have a lot of items on the menu, you can have as much as eight panels with the half then trifold option. There are six panels for the trifold option. Other folding options include the Z-fold, half fold, double parallel, single or double gate, accordion, roll fold, or French fold.

Give Your Restaurant Sales a Boost When You Print To Go Menus

One task that you should take on whether you’re soft opening a restaurant or reintroducing your brand to a new market is to print to go menus. These are the takeout version of a dine in menu and its purpose is more to advertise your business. When you print to go menus, they can be included in every takeaway order. You should also include one in supplier receipts or price quotation requests. To go menus can be displayed in front of your store or by the cashier for customers to take home and use for future orders. If you have food deliveries, make sure to include one as well. Or, you can personally hand them out in areas where there is high foot traffic.

Boosting Your Sales with To Go Menus

Naturally, your goal in to go menu printing is to boost sales. Let’s say that your diner is set for a soft opening. Or, you may want to reintroduce your food to a younger clientele. By printing to go menus, you can let customers know what kind of dishes you offer. Since it is a menu, after all, they will also learn about the prices of your food items. When designed accordingly, you may also want to include a short description of each dish. There are even some restaurants that include the nutritional content or calorie count of the dishes that they serve.

When designing to go menus, it is important to have a theme that will immediately attract the attention of your target audience. Let’s take a pizzeria as an example. Design the takeout menu in such a way that the images pop and look appetizing. Highlight what it is that makes your pizzas stand out from the rest. Do you use handmade dough? Is the pizza charcoal or brick oven baked?  Do you use just the freshest ingredients? Or maybe it’s the cheese that make your pizzas stand out? Include such highlights in the design of your menu.

Don’t forget to double check the accuracy of information. You don’t want customers calling an incorrect number or finding it difficult to locate your store. If the location is tricky, include a famous landmark or pin the location on a maps application. When you include to go menus as part of your print advertising efforts, you can easily boost the sales of your food business.

Designing Ideas for Print To Go Menus

The first thing customers do after taking a seat at a restaurant is peruse the menu. Without one, they wouldn’t know what to order – unless a server enumerates what’s on the menu which they would have to do repeatedly. If you are in the food business, it is crucial to have a menu to let customers know about your dishes. The menu is also a great advertising tool, so you need to have a dine-in menu and print to go menus.   

The good news is that there are many printing companies from where you can order print to go menus. Depending on the volume of your order, you can choose digital printing or offset printing. There are printing companies that have both, while others specialize in just one. What’s important when choosing between the two is to consider the quality of output. Also check on the feedback about the quality of customer service that they offer, the turnaround time, and the prices of the printing packages available.

Designing Your To Go Menu

After choosing which printing company to order the menus from, it’s time to design the menu itself. Here are a few quick tips:

  • Use colors which are similar to your business logo. Branding should be consistent, and having the same colors present in all your printed advertising materials is one way to make people immediately recognize your brand.
  • Invest in professional HD photography. Nobody would be tempted to order a burger if the photo in the menu looks pale and hardly appetizing. The images should pop from the paper, tempting hungry diners to order right away.
  • There should be a nice balance between images and text. Keep food descriptions short but clear and enticing.
  • You have quite a few decisions to make when it comes to the paper used for your to go menu printing. Would you like to print on one side or both sides? What type of folding option would you like? What size would you like for the menu? The smallest is 4.25” x 11” while the biggest is 11” x 25.5”. For the paper finish, should it be medium gloss or extreme gloss?

All in all, menus should be attention grabbing and well designed. Distribute them by handing out the to go menus personally, placing a stack of them storefront, including them in delivery and takeout packages, and mailing them out. Doing so would effectively spread the word about your food business, further boosting sales.

Paper and Folding Type, Price: Things to Consider When You Print To Go Menus

Is it possible to find a service provider that offers what you need for a cheap price, with fast turnaround time, and the highest quality possible? Yes, especially when it comes to tasks like menu printing. There are a lot digital and offset printers that offer reasonably-priced yet high-quality service – you just need to know what to look for.

Things to Consider when Printing To Go Menus

Before counting down the considerations when printing to go menus, why would you want to invest in them in the first place? As the name implies, these are to go menus which list down the food items that a restaurant or diner has for delivery or takeaway. If you have a pizzeria, the to go menu will include all the flavors that you have, how a customer can order, how much each item is, and any other important information. Aside from using the menus inside the store, you can also distribute them personally, include in takeaway orders, or mail them out as part of an overall print advertising campaign.

Now, here are the things to consider when you print to go menus:

  • Paper type

For takeout menu printing, there are two types of paper available: medium gloss and extreme gloss. Both use 100# text book paper, and extreme gloss has double the gloss and thickness of medium gloss. Size-wise, here are your options:

  • 4.25” x 11”
  • 8.5” x 11”
  • 8.5” x 14”
  • 9” x 12”
  • 11” x 17”
  • 11” x 25.5”

The most popular is 4.25” x 11”, which is great for packaging and including in takeaway orders. However, if you want to stand out, you can go with the biggest tabloid or map sizes.

  • Folding type

There are different types of folding types available including trifold, Z-fold, half-fold, single or double gate, double parallel, roll fold, accordion, French fold, and half then trifold.

  • Price

Did you know that for printing jobs, the more pieces you order, the lower the per piece price gets? This is because it’s only the initial costs which are quite pricey. Once everything is set up, you can order as many as you want and the per piece price gets lower. For example, ordering 5,000 pieces of standard-sized, trifold takeout menu is cheaper than ordering just 500 pieces.

Doing your research for tasks like takeout menu printing will take the guesswork out of it. As a result, you can have high-quality takeout menus delivered to your place of business without having to spend an arm and a leg for it.

Takeout Menu Printing? Tips for Choosing the Right Menu Size

When you enter a restaurant, the first thing that you look for is the menu. The more sumptuous a photo at a menu looks like, the more that you’d want to order that item. If you’re the owner of the dining establishment, this highlights the importance of printing a suitable menu. Fortunately, there are many printing companies which specialize in takeout menu printing as well as printing other specialized menus for dining establishments. Here, we will pay attention to one specific aspect of menu printing: the size.

Tips for Choosing the Right Menu Size

With companies like BlockbusterPrint.com, there are three menu sizes to choose from: 8.5” x 11”; 8.5” x 14”; and 11” x 17”. There are more than ten brochure folding types to choose from, different paper options, and only the highest offset printing quality is used. If you want BlockbusterPrint.com to handle a takeout menu printing job for you, how do you choose the right menu size? Here are a few quick tips:
• You can easily choose the largest menu size, but remember that they tend to look clumsy and customers may find it difficult to hold it in their hands. If you must go with the largest size, opt for a tri-fold or a Z-fold menu for better handling. Also, divide your menu items according to category so that the customer won’t find food selection to be confusing.
• If you have a limited menu, choose a reasonably-sized menu. Highlight he most profitable items, the bestsellers and the items which are quickest to make.

Go with a printing company like BlockbusterPrint.com which has plenty of experience in menu and takeout menu printing. In the food business, your menu says a lot about the quality and sumptuousness of the food that you prepare inside your kitchen. As such, you need to choose one with just the right size – and the best quality to make customers think that the money they’re paying for good food is well worth it.