Por Eventqode14 de mayo de 2026
a digital menudigital menu restaurantdigital menumenu qrdigitize menu

How to make a digital menu for your restaurant step by step

Creating a digital menu for your restaurant is easier than it sounds. You don't need to be a designer or programmer: with a couple of free tools and an afternoon, you can have a professional menu ready to link from a QR code. In this guide I'll explain the full process, from content structure to publishing, with templates you can copy.

What is a digital menu

A digital menu is the online version of your paper menu: a web page, a PDF, an image or an interactive document that the customer can view on their phone. It's accessed by scanning a QR or clicking a link. Unlike the paper menu, the digital one can be updated in seconds, include photos and allergens, and measure how many times it's been viewed.

Why your restaurant needs a digital menu

  • Save on reprints: changing a dish or a price takes you five minutes.
  • Better experience: photos, translation, allergens, availability.
  • Modern image: it's what the customer expects, not a plus.
  • Accessible for tourists: if you have international customers, a digital menu translates or is multi-language easily.
  • Compatible with online orders: if later you want customers to order from the table, you already have the base.

Before you start: what you need

  1. Your current menu content: dish names, descriptions, prices, allergens, chef's suggestions.
  2. Photos of your dishes (optional but recommended): with good light, clean background, and showing the dish as it's served.
  3. A key decision: the format. You have four options, from least to most work:
    • Well-made JPG/PNG image.
    • Well-presented PDF.
    • Responsive web page.
    • Custom app.

Option 1: well-made JPG/PNG image (recommended to start)

It's the fastest and what looks best on a phone. Design the menu as a vertical image, in 9:16 or 3:4 format, and upload it to a public site.

How to make it

  1. Choose a design tool: Canva (free), Figma (free for personal use), Adobe Express (limited free plan), or PowerPoint/Keynote if you prefer something you already know.
  2. Canvas size: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16) or 1080 x 1350 px (4:5). Think vertical phone screen.
  3. Typical structure:
    • Header with the restaurant logo and name.
    • Starters / mains / desserts / drinks.
    • Each dish with: standout name, short description (1-2 lines), price, allergens if applicable.
  4. Typography: use a readable font, no frills. For body text, 18-22 px in the design (equals 14-16 px on screen).
  5. Colors: 2-3 max. Light background, dark text. Reserve one accent color for prices or categories.
  6. Images: only if you have professional photos. One small photo per section is worth more than a gallery.
  7. Save as JPG at 80% quality, max 500 KB. Upload to Google Drive, Dropbox, Cloudflare R2 or your hosting.

How to publish it

  1. Upload the image to Google Drive.
  2. Right click > Share > "Anyone with the link" > "Viewer".
  3. Copy the link.
  4. Go to our free QR generator, paste the URL.
  5. Download as PNG 512 px or SVG.
  6. Laminate and place on the table.

Option 2: well-presented PDF

Useful if you already have a PDF or find it easier to work in InDesign, Word or Google Docs. The problem: the PDF looks worse on mobile than an optimized image, and the customer has to zoom.

How to do it

  1. Create the PDF in Google Docs, Word or InDesign. Vertical A4 or square format.
  2. Optimize for web: compress images, don't add external fonts.
  3. Upload to Google Drive and share as public.
  4. Copy the link and generate the QR.

If PDF is your only option, make it square (210x210 mm) instead of A4, so it looks better on phone screens.

Option 3: responsive web page (the best long-term option)

A responsive web is the most professional version: it adapts to screen size, you can add interactivity, and Google can index it for local SEO.

Free tools to build it

  • Carrd.co: one-time payment of 19 USD/year for a custom domain, or free with a subdomain. Perfect for a menu.
  • Notion + super.so: Notion as the editor, super.so turns it into a public website. Free or basic paid plan.
  • Google Sites: 100% free, easy to use, customizable domain. Limited in design.
  • Vercel + Next.js or Astro: if you know how to code, or want maximum flexibility. Free for small projects.
  • WordPress.com: free with limitations, paid plan from 4 USD/month.

Recommended structure

/menu
  /starters
  /mains
  /desserts
  /drinks
  /allergens

Or all on one page, with anchors to each section.

How to publish it

  1. Design and test locally.
  2. Connect a domain (yourmenuname.com or menu.yourrestaurant.com).
  3. Publish on Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or the hosting you choose.
  4. Enable HTTPS (mandatory so the QR doesn't show a warning on mobile).
  5. Copy the public URL and generate the QR.

Option 4: custom app (only if you have resources)

A native app (iOS + Android) makes sense if:

  • Your restaurant is part of a chain with multiple locations.
  • You offer table-to-POS orders.
  • You want user account loyalty.

But for a small restaurant, the effort doesn't pay off. A responsive web covers 95% of cases.

Menu content: what to include

Regardless of format, a good digital menu includes:

  • Restaurant name and logo.
  • Hours and address.
  • Clear categories: starters, mains, desserts, drinks, wine list.
  • Dish name, brief description, price, allergens.
  • Chef's suggestions or daily specials.
  • Vegetarian / vegan / gluten-free options clearly marked.
  • Contact and social media links.
  • Cancellation policy or legal notice, if applicable.

What it shouldn't include:

  • Endless lists of dishes. Better 30-40 well-selected dishes than 80 mediocre ones.
  • Hidden prices. The customer wants to see the price before ordering.
  • Unstructured text (a wall of text). Use clear categorization.

Mistakes restaurants make when digitizing their menu

  • Designing for desktop, not mobile: the menu looks cut off, the customer zooms, they leave. Always design thinking vertical and 360 px wide minimum.
  • Stock photo instead of real photo: the customer instantly recognizes a stock photo. If you don't have professional photos, better without photos.
  • Uncompressed PDF: 5 MB PDF that takes 10 seconds to load. Compress everything to under 1 MB.
  • No allergen version: including allergens per dish is now a legal requirement in many countries.
  • No "QR to see the menu" indication: an unlabelled QR gets ignored.
  • Very long URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ/view?usp=sharing is unusable. Shorten with a service like bit.ly or use your own domain.

How to make a free digital menu: summary steps

  1. Gather the content: names, descriptions, prices, allergens, photos.
  2. Choose the format: JPG image, PDF or responsive web.
  3. Design: use Canva if you're not a designer. Vertical, max 3 colors, readable font.
  4. Upload to a public URL: Google Drive, Dropbox, your website.
  5. Generate the QR with our free generator.
  6. Test with three different phones in real conditions.
  7. Print and laminate the table sheet.

Conclusion

Creating a digital menu for your restaurant is an afternoon project, not a week-long one. With Canva or Google Docs, a well-made image, and our free QR generator, you have a modern, updatable and professional menu in less time than it takes you to print the paper version.

If you want to dive into the QR and print materials side, we recommend our complete guide to QR codes for print.