Ordinami.itCreating a digital menu doesn't require a website, a graphic designer, or a tech-savvy person. All you need is your existing menu, some quiet time, and a platform that handles the technical work for you. Here's the complete procedure, in the right order, with common mistakes to avoid from the start.
1. Start with your paper menu, but clean it up
Before transcribing everything, take the opportunity to tidy up: remove dishes that sell only a few times a month, merge duplicate categories, and check prices. A digital menu with 120 entries is just as confusing as a paper one with 120 entries. Practical rule: if a category has more than 10-12 dishes, consider dividing or trimming it.
2. Create categories before dishes
Appetizers, main courses, pizzas, desserts, drinks: structure comes before content. Put what you want to sell the most at the top — categories at the top of the page get much more attention than those at the bottom, just like on paper.
3. Insert dishes with criteria
- Name: clear, without internal kitchen abbreviations.
- Description: one line that mentions main ingredients and preparation. No need for poetry, just clarity.
- Price: double-checked on the management system, not from memory.
- Allergens: mandatory by law, and easy to mark on digital menus.
- Photo: not mandatory everywhere; better to have ten good photos of strong dishes than fifty poor-quality photos.
4. Generate and print the QR code
The platform generates the QR code automatically. Print it at least 3x3 cm, on a rigid or laminated support, and place it where the customer's hand can reach without getting up: on the table, not just at the entrance. Before printing thirty copies, test it with two different phones and make sure it opens the correct menu.
5. Update, which is the real advantage
The digital menu gives its best after going online: dish sold out, hide it; new arrival, add it; error, correct it from your phone while you're in the dining area. If the menu remains identical for a year, you're only using half of the tool.
In the first two weeks, collect feedback: ask a few regular customers if they found everything easily and observe the dining area. If many people stop on the same screen or ask questions about the same dishes, there's something to fix — a poorly named category, an ambiguous description, a missing photo.
How much time does it really take?
For a menu of 40-60 entries, including uploading a few photos, one or two hours the first time. The technical part — web page, QR, updates — is handled by the platform: on Ordinami, the guided procedure is designed for those who have never done anything similar, and you can find it explained step by step on the create digital menu page. The final tip is just one: don't wait until you have the perfect menu to publish it. Put a correct and complete version online, then refine photos and descriptions one category at a time.