How to write a menu that sells: categories, dish names and descriptions
Published
A menu is not a price list. It is the first waiter your guest meets. A clear menu saves everyone time and gives guests the confidence to try something new. Here is a simple way to rewrite yours in one evening, whether it lives on paper or on a phone.
Start the free trialStart from what guests actually order
Before you write anything, look at your tickets or notebook for the last two weeks. List the ten items that sell the most and the ones that hardly ever sell. The first group deserves a prominent place. The second group deserves a question: do we keep them?
A long menu tires people out. They read, hesitate, call the waiter, and end up ordering a nus-nus because they gave up choosing. Removing five items that do not sell often makes the menu sell better, and it also makes the kitchen and your buying simpler.
Short categories, in the order of the meal
Arrange the menu the way guests experience their visit. In a café: hot drinks, juices and smoothies, breakfast, pastries and msemen. In a snack bar: sandwiches and shawarma, tacos, plates, drinks, desserts. In a restaurant: starters, mains, desserts, drinks.
Aim for five to eight categories. If a category holds only one or two items, merge it with another. Use names everyone understands: 'Breakfast' works better than something clever like 'The chef's wake-up call'.
Dish names people understand at a glance
A good name tells you what is on the plate. 'Chicken and cheese tacos' is understood in a second. 'House Special Tacos' forces a question. If you love a house name, follow it with what it is: 'The Berkani, msemen stuffed with kefta and onions'.
Keep the names your guests already know. Harira, bissara, rghaif, panaché: Moroccan guests recognise them instantly. In the English version, add a short explanation for visitors, for example 'Harira, Moroccan tomato and lentil soup'.
One line of description, not a novel
A good description answers three questions: what is in it, how it is cooked, and what it comes with. For example: 'Marinated grilled chicken, homemade fries, sauce, side salad.' Short, concrete and appetising.
Skip empty words like 'delicious', 'amazing' or 'exceptional'. Nobody believes them. Use one true detail instead: 'bread baked every morning', 'juice pressed to order', 'served with amlou'. One honest detail beats three adjectives.
Prices, sizes and extras with no surprises
Write prices the same way everywhere, in DH, without pointless decimals. If an item comes in two sizes, show both prices on one line. List extras (cheese, egg, fries) with their price, so the bill never surprises anyone.
Set menus should say exactly what they include: 'Lunch deal: any sandwich, fries and a 33 cl drink'. A guest who discovers an extra charge at the till rarely leaves happy.
Photos: fewer, but better
A blurry or dark photo does more harm than no photo at all. Shoot your dishes in daylight, near a window or on the terrace, from slightly above, on a clean table. A recent phone is enough.
Start with your best sellers and your best-looking dishes. You do not need a photo of everything: a plain black coffee is fine without one.
One menu, three readers
In Morocco, the same terrace hosts guests who read Arabic, French or English. Write each language for its reader rather than word for word. Keep Arabic simple and everyday, and explain Moroccan dishes in a few words in English.
If you move to a phone menu such as Tablilo, guests pick their own language (French, Arabic, English), and you can add photos, short videos and diet and allergen tags. Marking one ingredient sold out greys every dish that uses it until the next day. Your account starts with a ready Moroccan starter menu for your type of venue, so you edit instead of facing a blank page.
Mistakes that cost you orders
The usual ones: a menu that is out of date (old prices, dishes you no longer make), spelling mistakes in names, mixed-up categories, and unavailable items that guests order and then have to change. Reread your menu once a month with one of your waiters. They know exactly which questions guests ask, and every repeated question is a line that needs rewriting.
Related features
- QR code menu for restaurants and cafés in MoroccoA QR code menu on every table: guests scan, choose and order from their phone, no app needed. Digital menu in French, Arabic and English.
- Menu in Arabic, French and EnglishA QR menu in Arabic, French and English: guests pick their language, each waiter works in their own, and tickets print in Latin letters.
- Three menu looks: Moderne, Élégant, SoiréeModerne, Élégant or Soirée: pick the look of your QR menu, add your venue colour and change it whenever you like.