Menu Cover Info

So, you are looking for menu covers for your restaurant’s menus and you are wondering what options are available.  Considering what to use for your cover choices is a step that will pay big dividends for you in the way that your guests enjoy their food and time in your restaurant.  You don’t want to spend too much on the menu cover, but spending wisely is a smart move.

The one thing you should keep in mind, then, is what image and sense you want to portray to your guests.  A simple no-frills menu cover is an option and it portrays a certain feeling to your guests.  Something with more substance and presence about it will convey a very different feeling to your guests.  Again, these are some subtle distinctions that ultimately will affect their experience in your establishment.

Whether you own or manage a restaurant or cafe, your menu cover matters.

Think about it from a dining experience.  When you go out to eat, you notice the little things.  This is partly because you are either intimately involved in the industry or have been and you know how these things matter.  Well, they matter to all of your guests too, they just don’t have the same level of conscious attention or awareness about such things.  But, one thing they will know is how they feel.  If their first impression is one of elegance or comfort, then they will be more inclined to carry this attitude with them regarding your restaurant.

Now, let’s not get carried away and think that the food has less importance than the cover that tells your guests what is available.  That would be silly to assume or try to suggest such a thing.  When we go out to dinner or a nice lunch, we are looking for both a quality meal but also great service.  Part of great service involves helping a guest have a more pleasant experience in your establishment.  They are partly there to be entertained.  Not entertained in a dance around and sing sort of way, but by the way they are treated.  Being greeted by a less than present young server with a plastic menu cover is one way to set a tone, it just isn’t the one I would recommend.  Age has little to do with how well someone feels treated.  A quite young person could deliver superb service and quite honestly wow your guests.  In fact, this would be a great way to make an even greater first impression.  Many people will be making all sorts of judgments about your restaurant, the food, the decor, etc.  If you wow them by surprise, they will remember you.

So, we’ve discussed how restaurant menu covers are part of the picture and a bit about how to make your guests get a great first impression with them.  But, what if you have more of a café style dining establishment?

Cafe Menu Covers

There are only some slight modifications from the restaurant menu cover with a cafe menu cover.  Mostly, these differences have to do with size.  With a traditional menu cover for a dinner establishment, the menu will usually measure like a standard sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11”) or slightly larger.  With the cafe menu, the size is typically made to be thinner and sometimes the same height, but can be taller than a regular menu.  This makes the menu options stand out differently and gives one the impression that they are there for a lighter meal.

Cafe menu covers come in essentially the same types of materials.  One thing we haven’t really discussed is fabrics.  Often, with a larger menu, it isn’t as conceivable to use a fabric that has a burlap-type texture or silky feel to it.  With use, these will simply wear out and break down.  Also, a dinner restaurant is not really the best place to utilize such fabrics.  However, they can still be used.  They would work great in a themed restaurant where you want a bamboo covered menu at that Asian restaurant.  For a cafe menu, you can get away with more playful ideas and use more single sided covers.  It is also possible to utilize the more costly metal menu covers because you don’t need as large a surface area to cover.  They may or may not be a different price due to this, but you can always inquire.   In the end, think about the message you are trying to portray.  Whether you own or manage a cafe or a more formal restaurant, the types of covers you utilize will make a difference, so choose wisely.