Blog
Practical guides for anyone running a menu: allergens, regulations, service. Concrete tips, zero theory.
Charging for water in restaurants: yes or no?
Our answer: tap water free on request, filtered or bottled water only if priced on the menu. What the rules say in the UK and Ireland, and how to word it.
ReadRestaurant Christmas menu: pricing, allergens and bookings
How to build a restaurant Christmas menu: set menu or shorter carte, price per head from food cost, veggie and gluten-free options, allergens, deposits.
ReadWhat guests almost order: the signal your till never sees
Hearts on a digital menu record what guests almost ordered — added, then removed. Not sales: a second-thoughts signal your till has no way to see.
ReadHow to work out the food cost of a dish (and what to charge)
What a plate really costs you: real gram weights, trim and waste, cost per portion versus food-cost percentage, and how to turn it into a selling price.
ReadQR menu platforms compared (2026): prices, languages
Prices, free plans, languages, the 14 EU allergens, ordering and POS across 7 QR menu platforms, checked on 2026-07-22. Disclosed: Menudetto is one of them.
ReadMenudetto vs Menutech (2026): price, languages, allergens
The 14 EU allergens: full automation or AI with human confirmation; 16 curated languages or 33 automatic; tiers or one Pro plan at €19/month. Data: 2026-07-22.
ReadMenudetto vs FineDine (2026): two digital menu philosophies compared
Prices checked 2026-09-25: entry plans, languages (33 vs up to 40), the 14 EU allergens, ordering and payments, and when each platform fits.
ReadMenudetto vs DISH (2026): the full restaurant suite and the indie digital menu
DISH sells a suite (website, ordering, bookings, POS, payments); Menudetto does one thing, the QR menu. Prices, EU allergens and languages, with public data.
ReadMenu engineering: which dishes to push, which to drop (and how to decide with numbers)
Two numbers per dish, sales and margin: the stars, plough horses, puzzles and dogs matrix, margin from food cost, and where to place the winners.
ReadHow to write menu descriptions that sell (with before/after examples)
Sensory but honest words, provenance that justifies the price, two lines at most. What to avoid — adjective soup, “delicious”, ALL CAPS — and rewrites to copy.
ReadMenu pricing psychology: what actually works (no tricks)
Why to drop the € sign and dotted leaders, when 9.50 beats 10, how a premium anchor dish works, grounding prices in food cost, and when to raise them.
ReadOpening a restaurant: the operating checklist, from concept to the first 90 days
Concept, rent your revenue can carry, licences with a pro, team, suppliers, a short costed menu, soft opening and three weekly numbers. Not legal advice.
ReadDelivery and takeaway menus: what actually changes (dishes, prices, allergens)
Which dishes survive transport, what to say about packaging, prices after commissions, a direct menu link that is always current, and allergens that travel too.
ReadIncreasing your restaurant's average check: 7 honest levers (no pushing)
A better sales mix and one more moment at the table: menu structure, descriptions, printed pairings, dessert, set lunch — measured on covers, not receipts.
ReadThe wine list that sells: structure, honest markups and no ghost bottles
The right order, how many references a small venue needs, glass versus bottle without waste, trade-practice markups and a list that stays current.
ReadFrozen products on the menu: what you must disclose, and how to say it without shame
The principle of EU Regulation 1169/2011, how practice differs by country, why raw fish is frozen first and how to word the menu note. Not legal advice.
ReadReplying to restaurant reviews: the method, with ready-to-adapt examples
Your reply is read by future guests: the 24–72 hour window, a four-move structure, when to go private, and how to turn a complaint into a reason to trust you.
ReadFree QR code menu: the 7 real options in 2026 (an honest comparison)
Free QR code menu and free digital menu: 7 real routes compared on price, allergens, translations and who owns the page. The hidden cost of free.
ReadWhat redoing your menu really costs (and why you've put it off for months)
A designer (€150–400), print and every edit paying the same bill again, plus the hidden cost of a menu nobody updates, and an alternative.
ReadA menu in English (and German, and French): translating your menu without the cringe
Why Google Translate breaks on regional dishes, how to render signature dishes in other languages and how to translate culture, not words, for tourists.
ReadHow to create a digital menu for your restaurant: the complete guide
What a digital menu is, why it beats print (no reprints, clear allergens, translations, a QR at the table), the mistakes to avoid and how to set it up.
ReadQR codes in restaurants: the practical guide to using them well
Where to place them, how to print them (size, contrast, quiet zone), a stable link and a fast page, and the mistakes: a dead PDF, a tiny code, no fallback.
ReadPhotographing your menu dishes with a phone: the practical guide
Dish photos with just a phone: natural light, the right angle (45° or top-down), background, styling, the mistakes that ruin the shot, then the fix.
ReadThe digital daily menu: change it every day without reprinting
Daily specials change every day; print can't keep up. A digital QR menu updates instantly: edits by voice, sold out in one tap, allergens kept right.
ReadVegan and vegetarian menu options: how to design them properly
Often the whole table moves for one person. Design real vegan and vegetarian dishes, label them clearly, avoid cross-contamination.
ReadGluten-free menu in restaurants: serving coeliac guests safely
Treat gluten as an EU allergen, manage cross-contamination in the kitchen, label honestly, train staff and keep the information accurate with a digital menu.
ReadRestaurant allergen menu: the 2026 guide to EU Regulation 1169/2011
Getting allergen information right: what EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires, the 14 allergens with real dishes, where to show them and the costly mistakes.
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