Restaurant Menu Planning 101: Step-by-Step for Beginners

Step 1: Start with your concept, your guests and your kitchen

Before naming a single dish, write down what kind of place you are. What cuisine, at what price level, for which occasion: a quick lunch, a long dinner, a coffee and a dessert? Who lives or works nearby, and what do they already have plenty of? A menu that fits its neighbourhood starts with an advantage.

Then be honest about your kitchen. Look at your equipment, your team's skills and your prep space. A dish that needs a station you don't have will slow down every order. Also check which ingredients your suppliers can deliver reliably, because a menu you can't stock is just a wish list.

Step 2: Build a focused list of dishes

Group your dishes into clear categories such as starters, mains, desserts and drinks. In general, a shorter menu made of dishes you cook well beats a long one. A long menu tends to mean more stock, more waste, a slower kitchen and more to teach every new cook and waiter.

Reuse ingredients across dishes so that what you buy gets used before it spoils. Offer a range of price points, so that a guest on a budget and a guest celebrating both find something. Include options for vegetarian guests and other common dietary needs, and give the menu one or two signature dishes that people remember.

Balance the kitchen's workload as well. If every main comes off the grill, the grill becomes your bottleneck on a busy night. Spread the dishes across cooking methods and stations.

Step 3: Cost every dish and set prices

For each dish, add up the cost of everything on the plate, plus an allowance for waste. That is your plate cost. Then choose a target food-cost percentage and divide. If a dish costs €3.00 in ingredients and you aim for 30%, then 3.00 ÷ 0.30 = €10.00. These numbers are hypothetical, and 30% is a rule of thumb rather than a standard.

Our companion article, How to Price Menu Items Using the Restaurant 30/30/30/10 Strategy, walks through the method in more detail. Whatever percentage you choose, compare the resulting price with similar restaurants nearby and adjust where the numbers and the market disagree.

Step 4: Lay the menu out so guests can read it

Group items logically, use clear names, and write short, honest descriptions. Mention the main ingredients and how the dish is cooked, and skip vague adjectives. A guest should understand what they are ordering without asking.

Don't try to highlight everything, because then nothing stands out. Pick a few dishes to feature, keep the page uncluttered, and use photos only if they are good and load quickly.

If your menu will be viewed on phones, check it on a small screen with ordinary lighting and an ordinary connection. Make sure the text is readable and scrolling is quick. If you serve tourists or expats, consider more than one language. ChargeM3's menu is mobile-optimized, supports multiple languages and can be branded with your colors, fonts and logo.

Step 5: Test, launch and keep revising

Before launch, have your team taste every dish and time how long each one takes at speed. A soft opening for friends, family or regulars is a low-risk way to find problems, such as a dish that takes too long or a description that confuses people.

After launch, watch what actually sells. Ask staff and guests what they think, and review the menu at least once a season. Remove dishes that consistently underperform, and don't be afraid to change prices as supplier costs move.

A digital menu makes this loop easier. ChargeM3's analytics dashboard shows order trends and best-sellers, items can be added, edited or removed in minutes, and we offer product catalog setup guidance and staff training. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions