Takeaway menu printing: what to include so customers order
A takeaway menu has one job: to make someone pick up the phone or open your ordering page. The best menus are simple, easy to scan and kept in the kitchen drawer for months. This guide covers what to put on your menu, how to lay it out, the mistakes that cost orders and how to get it printed and delivered to the right streets.
Make ordering effortless
Put your phone number and ordering link on every panel, not just the front.
Show your opening hours and the area you deliver to.
Say how people can pay, and whether you offer collection.
Think about the moment someone decides to order. They are hungry, they open the drawer and they want to know three things quickly: what you sell, whether you deliver to them and how to order. If any of those answers is hard to find, they may pick another menu from the same drawer.
Make the food easy to choose
Group dishes into clear sections, such as starters, mains, sides and drinks.
Keep descriptions short. One line is usually enough.
Make prices easy to find and read.
Mark vegetarian, vegan and spicy dishes clearly, and tell people how to ask about allergens.
It also helps to highlight a small number of dishes you are proud of, or that are popular with your regulars. A simple label or a box around them guides new customers who do not know where to start.
Give people a reason to order now
An offer with an end date, such as money off a first order or a free side over a set spend, turns a menu that gets kept into a menu that gets used.
Put the offer near the top of the front panel, and keep the wording simple. If you use an offer code, you can also see how many orders came from the menu drop.
Choose the right format
Folded menus give you room for a full range without crowding. A single-sided A5 or DL menu works for a short menu or a specials drop. If you deliver menus door to door, keep the weight sensible so they fit through letterboxes easily.
If you are unsure which size suits your dishes, our guide to flyer sizes explains how A6, A5 and DL compare.
A worked example
Say you run a pizza takeaway in Brighton with a long menu and a busy Friday night trade. A folded menu lets you show the full range, with pizzas on the inside, sides and drinks on the back panel and your phone number on every side. A first order offer on the front, valid until a date a few weeks after the drop, gives people a reason to try you. Delivered door to door to the streets inside your delivery area, the menu reaches only households you can actually serve.
Step by step: from draft to doormat
List every dish and price, and check them against your current menu.
Group dishes into clear sections and cut long descriptions down.
Add your phone number, ordering link, hours and delivery area.
Choose one offer with an end date and place it on the front.
Pick a format that fits your range and still goes through a letterbox easily.
Proofread everything, especially prices and phone numbers, before you print.
Plan the drop for the streets you deliver to.
Delivering menus to the right streets
A great menu only works if it reaches people who can order from you. Start by mapping your delivery area, then look at which streets already bring you the most orders. Those are often a good place to begin, because people there know you and may simply need a reminder. Next, add nearby streets where you would like more customers. If you also offer collection, consider the streets within easy walking distance of your kitchen. Tell us the area and we will plan the rounds, with every round GPS tracked so you can see where your menus went.
Common mistakes
Old prices. If prices change after printing, customers notice. Print a sensible quantity and reprint when the menu changes.
Contact details on the front only. Menus get folded, torn and stuck to fridges. Put your number on every panel.
Too much text. People scan menus quickly. Short lines and clear sections are easier to order from.
Delivering outside your area. A menu in a home you cannot deliver to is wasted.
Frequently asked questions
How much does menu distribution cost?
Menu distribution starts from £99 per 1,000. See our leaflet distribution prices page for the full list.
Can you deliver menus in Hove and nearby towns?
Yes. We deliver across Hove and the wider Sussex area, and you choose the streets.
Should I include allergen information?
Tell customers clearly how to ask about allergens, and mark vegetarian, vegan and spicy dishes so they are easy to spot.
How often should I send out menus?
Many takeaways send menus when they change their range or run a new offer. A regular drop also keeps your menu in the drawer.
Print and deliver in one order
Leaflet Media Brighton prints takeaway menus and can deliver them door to door to the streets around your kitchen. See our menu printing page, read about our door to door leaflet distribution, or call 07525 722 427 or email Brighton@leaflet-media.co.uk.
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