Design Your Menu App Like a Pro with Menu Tiger

Menu app is used by restaurants today as a competitive advantage over their competitors.

As automation is the new rising trend in F&B industry, restaurants are continuously trying to provide an almost if not fully automated dine-in experience. 

Restaurants have incorporated QR-powered dine-in menus where customers can scan a code and place their orders using their smartphones.

Although, having a restaurant menu app does not necessarily equate to an increase in sales and net profit.

Creating an engaging, attractive, and strategic menu app design is how you can turn it into a marketing tool.

What is a restaurant menu app and how does it work?

A restaurant menu app offers a digital interactive menu for restaurants that restaurant diners can access online. 

 By scanning the QR code menu from their smartphone, tablet, or iPad QR code scanner, customers can order and pay directly.

Dine-in customers can easily find menu QR code that is specified in each dining table in a restaurant.

They can be placed as table tents, tabletop stickers or inserts, and for some, even in physical menus.

Customers can scan the menu QR code of a restaurant through their smartphone, tablet, or iPad QR code scanner.

They will be redirected to the restaurant’s online ordering page where the dine-in menu can be found so they can order and pay directly.

This makes digital menu contactless ordering and paying possible for dine-in customers.

Does a restaurant menu app work for android?

The digital restaurant menu app works on Android devices by scanning the menu QR code through the default camera app or Google Lens app. Here’s how it works:

1. Open your Android device’s camera app.

2. Position your camera in front of the QR code and make sure it is in the frame. If the QR code is easily scannable, a link to the restaurant website will show.

3. Tap the link to the restaurant website and browse their menu.

4. Place your order.

5. Choose your mode of payment.

Creatively designing your menu app

Since menu apps can be accessed and tracked using android smartphone devices, here’s how you can create one for your restaurant.

Stick to your brand 

Restaurant branding is how you present your restaurant’s personality and identity to your customers. It’s what sets you apart from other restaurant competitors.

Your restaurant’s brand should reflect its beliefs and mission, as well as influence your restaurant’s concept and ambiance.

A well-thought-out brand establishes an emotional bond with customers. 

Branding is the first thing that you should consider in your menu app design. You should choose colors and font according to your brand book.

By doing this, your restaurant menu will have a cohesive look with your restaurant.

A way to promote your brand is by having an online presence. Creating your restaurant website is a useful technique in getting your brand out there.

Many potential customers nowadays like to look at restaurant digital menu apps online before deciding where to dine.

Your website not only allows you to share important information with potential and existing consumers but also allows you to showcase your new products to a large audience. 

Add your restaurant’s story in About Us section 

Telling your restaurant’s story is a way to make their patrons feel connected to your brand. This is a good way to tell your customers about your restaurant’s vision.

For example, supporting inclusivity by hiring people with justice history or people from the PWD community, or whether you support sustainability by going paperless or vegan. 

Use sharp and appetizing photos 

People eat with their eyes first. It’s both common sense and science. For example, research revealed that simply glancing at photos of food might produce an increase in ghrelin, a hunger hormone. 

There’s a reason why we are more drawn to a glistening photo of a juicy grill-marked steak than a dry and dull-looking grilled meat.

According to a study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, seemingly minor aspects of a dish’s appearance, such as “gloss, evenness, and form,” might affect how consumers perceive its taste and smell.

Food stylists and food photographers exist for this reason.

Any images you use in your virtual menu app design should be your own.

While stock images are accessible and can save money on a professional shoot, it’s preferable to have photos of your own and make your food look more authentic, unless you’re offering a common food that can use a generic image.

To make the best-looking food menu items, you’ll need a professional photographer and stylist. Poorly done food images might look outdated and unappetizing.

Having an appetizing food image is important. However, having actual good-looking and best-tasting food that meets your customer’s expectations is what assures a good ROI.

Importance of food item naming and description 

Aside from high-quality appetizing food images in your menu app, naming and description are also important to create curiosity and capture the attention of your customers.

Chances are your previous customers already know what they want to order from your restaurant. Naming your menu item is important to build customer memory.

A study on the International Journal of Hospitality Management found that the response to food name and description paired with images could vary on the individual information processing styles of consumers–verbal or visual.

Common descriptive names that are straightforward and can prompt lower levels of imagination added with a food image promote positive results to a verbalizer customers’ ordering behavior.

On the other hand, ambiguous names are vague names that tend to induce a higher level of imagination and can have a negative result to visualizer customer’s behavior if paired with food visuals.

Descriptive words increase sales by 27%, according to The Association of Consumer Research.

Spending a little bit more time creating quality menu descriptions—rather than a listicle of ingredients—can truly show off your brand voice and do wonders for your business.

This is also an excellent time to mention where you get your ingredients, particularly which local farmers you support.

Promote best-sellers and signature items 

You should highlight the best-selling item in your menu app. The Restaurant Times suggested upgrading your menu by replacing the placing less popular items with high-profit menu items.

Moreover, having a signature item is having a unique item to offer, setting your restaurant dish apart from its competitors.

Technomic’s 2017 Flavor report showed that 73% of consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers new flavors.

Using a digital menu app software saves time by automating the selection of best-selling items in your digital menu. The software analyzes the data from sales that is reflected in your restaurant dashboard.

1. Click on Website 

2. Turn on Most Popular Foods and Save 

3. Once the Most Popular Foods section is enabled, choose an item and click on “Featured” and save. The featured food item will be reflected in the Most Popular Foods section of the online ordering page. 

Cross-sell your food items to increase sales

There’s a reason why burgers, fries, and drinks are grouped together in menu food images.

It is a marketing strategy that entices the customer by affecting their ordering behavior and creating a need to order the entire set or at least one add-on item from the set in the menu.

Cross-selling is a tried-and-true strategy to increase average order size, boost revenue, and even improve customer experience.

MENU TIGER is a restaurant menu software that promotes cross-selling by having a recommended items section.

1. Select Foods panel

2. Choose a category and choose a food item from the category’s food list 

3. Click edit icon 

4. Select Recommended items and pick add-ons you want to incorporate

5. Save

Regularly update your menu

A regularly updated menu is one of the advantages of having a menu app. You can inform your customers in real-time if promotions are still valid or the food lists are still available.

With the dynamic QR code format, you can update your menu without having to replace your QR code menu.

Simple and navigational layout

Hassle-free ordering and paying start with a simple and navigational menu app.

What’s the use of your beautifully and strategically planned restaurant app, if your customers won’t even use it because your digital menu app is complex and difficult?

Having a user-friendly interactive digital restaurant menu that is accessible to different types of customers, from tech-savvy and technologically challenged, even to persons with disabilities, is what embodies the real purpose of a digital menu app that is providing convenience.

Attractive menu QR code 

Having an eye-catching QR code is the first step to a successful menu. A traditional and dull black and white QR code menu (unless it’s in your brand book) won’t cut it.

Here’s some good news! You can customize your menu app using the MENU TIGER QR code customization feature.

It is unecessary to use a separate software to create your menu app and customize your QR code menu.

You can change your QR code menu’s color and pattern, add your restaurant’s logo or image, change the eye pattern and color, and most importantly add a call-to-action.

1. Go to Stores and create your store by clicking the New button.

2. Customize QR code. Do the QR code customization first before setting the number of tables per store.

Aside from attractive QR code menus, it is also important that they are scannable and functioning. Test your menu QR code first before you print them.

MENU TIGER: Main features of the best interactive restaurant menu QR software

Restaurateurs can benefit from the features offered by the best interactive restaurant menu QR code software, MENU TIGER, like the following:

Build a beautiful digital menu and website

Crafting a digital menu and creating a restaurant website can be a bit intimidating to non-tech inclined people.

This is not a problem when you integrate MENU TIGER for your restaurant.

MENU TIGER lets you create an attractive menu app and your own restaurant website.

This end-to-end software solution lets you customize your website according to your brand book.

As a result, having a website creates an online presence for your restaurant.

Seamless digital menu ordering with QR code menu

Digital menu ordering with QR code menu lets your customers have a convenient dining experience at the tip of their hands.

MENU TIGER lets you generate your own restaurant’s QR menu.

No need for physical menus, all they’ll need is their own smartphone with QR code scanner!

Customers can just simply scan the specified menu QR code on their tables and proceed with browsing and placing their orders through the menu app.

Contactless paying

Mobile payment has been gaining popularity for the past few years for its convenience.

Although a minute detail, bringing a wallet with cash and cards can sometimes be an extra burden, especially for people on the go.

One benefit of interactive menus created by MENU TIGER is its incorporation of digital payment.

Upon placing their orders, customers who don’t want to pay in cash can opt to pay through PayPal or Stripe.

This promotes cashless, cardless, and even contactless paying.

Customize QR code

Black and white QR codes are mostly overlooked by customers. It can sometimes look plain and dull, which fails to capture a customer’s attention.

With MENU TIGER’s QR code customization feature, you can change the color and even the appearance of your menu QR code.

This makes your QR code stand out and more appealing to dining customers, resulting in a higher chance of being scanned.

Receive feedback

Any business requires customer feedback to know where to improve in providing services.

Customer feedback and suggestions are one way to gauge your customer’s dining experience with your restaurant.

It should be treated as constructive criticism for a restaurant to grow and be able to provide better service.

MENU TIGER provides a Comment/Question box for your customer on your restaurant website. to know what your customers think.

Quick and easy POS integration                      

Introducing a new integration to your POS means having to train your restaurant how to navigate the new software.

However, the MENU TIGER software is a simple and easy-to-use interactive restaurant software that can be used with minimal to no training at all!

MENU TIGER can be easily integrated into your existing POS system. This makes a smooth and efficient digital ordering transaction from your online ordering page.

Being able to speed up order preparation and service to customers will result in a faster table turnover, increasing sales.

Why you should use the best interactive restaurant menu QR code software

More restaurants are integrating MENU TIGER into restaurant operations and here’s why.

Fast track orders

A factor that contributes to a slow restaurant operation is a preoccupied waiter. They have to shuffle between greeting new guests, getting and serving orders, and even receive payments.

An overloaded waiter can’t work efficiently, which results in service errors, slowing the restaurant operations even more.

With MENU TIGER, ordering and paying can be done by customers on their own through their phones.

Their orders will directly be reflected in the admin dashboard, speeding up orders.

Receive more orders

Rush hour and peak season can be really challenging for restaurant staff since there is an influx in orders. By using MENU TIGER digital menu, multiple customers can place their orders at the same time.

Restaurant digital menu dashboards can accommodate multiple orders than non-digitized restaurants.

Additionally, promoting convenient restaurant ordering may increase sales. MENU TIGER’s digital menu allows customers to directly queue in their orders in seconds.

Having readily available menus in their hands can promote a positive ordering behavior in customers, which can encourage them to browse and easily add in additional orders.

Ensure safety and hygiene

In the present circumstances, it is most important for restaurants to promote hygiene and safety to their dining customers.

Minimizing person-to-person contact between your customers and staff and contact between your customers and your menu, by using MENU TIGER digital menu, can help lower the chances of Covid-19 cross-contamination.

Cost-efficient

MENU TIGER streamlines multiple jobs into one restaurant menu software. You can create and design your own digital menu which means you can choose to exclude hiring a menu engineer.

Also, you can build your own website without a web developer.

Additionally, you can receive sales reports which means, if you can analyze your own sales, you may not need a sales analyst.

You can also hire fewer waiters since you can digitize the ordering process. Finally, you can cut the cost of printing single-use paper menus which are costly and not sustainable.

Creating a menu app with the best QR code menu software for restaurants

Here is a step-by-step guide in creating a digital menu app for your restaurant using MENU TIGER.

1. Sign up and create an account with MENU TIGER

2. Go to Stores and set up your store name

3. Set the number of tables and add additional users and admin of your store

4. Customize your menu QR code

5. Setup your menu categories and add modifiers

6. Personalize your restaurant website

7. Track and fulfill orders

Design a creative menu app for your restaurant today!

Creating a menu app using MENU TIGER helps in promoting convenience to dining customers by allowing digital ordering and paying.

It promotes contactless operations in restaurants and ensures safety and hygiene for both customers and restaurant staff. 

It is handy, accessible, and works on android smartphones, iPhones, tablets, and iPads.

MENU TIGER is an end-to-end software that creates a restaurant digital menu and also creates a restaurant website without coding making it a practical alternative to a web developer.

Menu apps could be an effective marketing tool. If done correctly and effectively, it can increase the net profit of your restaurant effectively.

Using MENU TIGER, restaurants can customize their digital menus to build creative and unique menu apps by allowing users to put food images and descriptions, change color and font, and even customize the menu QR code.

MENU TIGER also allows users to change and update their restaurant menus anytime, in which changes will be reflected directly in real-time.

Restaurants can now have updated menus without changing the menu QR code.

Want to digitize your restaurant menu? Get started with MENU TIGER now!