MarvelVS Creative · Free planning resource
A clearer menu starts with a useful brief.
Planning a new restaurant menu or updating an existing one? Gather your dishes, prices, formats and feedback in one place before design begins. Use this checklist with your team or bring it to a menu-design conversation.
1. Decide where the menu will be used
A table menu, takeaway leaflet and menu viewed on a phone have different jobs. List each version you need so the designer can plan the layout and quote the work accurately.
- Format: table menu, drinks list, takeaway, counter display, website or downloadable PDF.
- Size and orientation, number of sides or pages, and any folds.
- Service: lunch, dinner, drinks, events or another clearly named offering.
- Launch date, how often the content changes and who will request updates.
For printed pieces, get the artwork specifications from your chosen printer before layout begins. Include its template if available. Printing and production should be discussed separately from design.
2. Put the menu content in one master list
Provide editable text where possible. A photo of an old menu is useful for reference, but one approved list makes it easier to track the current wording and prices. Mark anything still awaiting a decision.
- Section names in the order you want guests to read them.
- Each item’s name, short description and price.
- Portion sizes, variants and optional extras with their corresponding prices.
- Availability: days, times or seasonal limits that need to appear.
- Any additional wording or symbols your team has approved for inclusion.
Keep the content specific enough to avoid guesswork. If an item comes in two sizes, supply both labels and both prices instead of leaving the relationship for the designer to infer.
3. Gather the brand materials
Send your best available logo file, existing colors and fonts, current menu and any photographs you have permission to use. Identify the dishes shown in supplied food photos. Add two or three references and explain what you like about them: the type size, spacing, mood or way the sections are organized.
List anything that needs creating, such as revised descriptions or new imagery. This helps separate the material ready for layout from additional work to include in the scope.
4. Plan the digital version and links
If the menu will be shared online, say where customers will find it and what they should do next. Supply the exact website, booking or ordering address. For a QR code, agree the destination and who controls it before the artwork is finalized.
- Check the destination on a phone and confirm it belongs to the right business.
- Keep a readable web version in mind when planning website menu content.
- Test a printed proof of any QR code at its intended size before a production run.
- Agree how the online menu will stay in step with printed prices and availability.
For the wider customer journey, use the restaurant website checklist alongside this brief.
5. Make proofreading and handover part of the plan
Name one person to gather feedback and one person to approve the final content. Review the wording and layout together: item names, prices, extras, dates, contact details and links. Check a print proof at its actual size and open the digital version on a phone.
Agree the included feedback rounds, delivery formats, editable files, licensed materials and future update process before production. Give the approved version a clear date or version name so an old file does not accidentally go back into use.
Copy this short menu design brief
Business and contact: Public business name, contact person and current website.
What we need: New menu or update; formats, sizes, pages and service periods.
Our menu content: Link or attachment with approved sections, items, descriptions, prices, variants and availability.
Our materials: Logo, brand guidance, current menu and permitted photos.
Our direction: What should feel familiar, what needs changing and references with notes.
Digital destinations: Exact menu, booking or ordering URLs and who manages them.
Timing and budget: Required date, printer deadline and budget range.
Feedback and delivery: Content approver, feedback contact, required files and update owner.
Download the blank brief and repeatable menu-item worksheet. Fill it in with your team; no sign-up is needed.
From the brief to the finished piece
Bring your menu to the conversation.
MarvelVS Creative provides menu and promotional design for independent restaurants, bars and businesses, with projects handled online. Share what you have and we’ll agree the deliverables, price and schedule.