Table of Contents
- Elements of a Good Birthday Menu
- Simple Birthday Menu Example
- Modern Birthday Kitchen Menu
- Minimalist Birthday Menu Format
- Birthday Dinner Menu Template
- Minimal Birthday Dinner Menu
- Pretty Birthday Menu Template
- Editable Birthday Menu Template
- Blank Birthday Menu Template
- Modern Birthday Menu Template
- Downloadable Birthday Menu Template
- Pink Birthday Menu Template
- Party Birthday Menu Template
- Basketball Birthday Menu Template
- Blue Birthday Menu Template
- Healthy Birthday Menu Template
- Disney Birthday Menu Template
- White Birthday Menu Template
- Toddler Birthday Menu Template
- Orange Balloons Birthday Party Menu
- Clean Birthday Party Menu Template
- How to Designing a Great Birthday Menu (6 Steps)
- Simple Tips for an Excellent Birthday Menu Layout
- Types of Menus
- Sizes of Menus
- FAQs about Menus
- What is a menu?
- What is the purpose of food menus?
- What does the menu engineering process mean?
- What is menu analysis?
Birthday Menu Designs
Are you planning to throw a birthday party? Don’t just settle with birthday party invitations, you should also prepare a birthday party menu to inform your guests what food and drinks you intend on serving them. You may either send this along with the invitation, or you may hand them out only during the party.
Unless maybe you’re planning to have a birthday party in a restaurant or any food establishment, birthday party menus can really help in making the party much more organized. If you agree with us on that, then you might find our birthday menu designs and menu templates below interesting and useful.
Elements of a Good Birthday Menu
Elements are also referred to as components or sections, and this part of the article talks about the elements that should be found on a birthday menu in order for it to be called good or effective. These menu elements may seem very self-explanatory, but they are still worth emphasizing in order for you to always be reminded of them.
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1. Menu cover page:
This is the first element seen from the menu, and this should already convey what the menu might be about. In cases when the menu consists of only one page, you may use the panel opposite from where the menu items are listed down for the cover page.
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2. Title of a menu:
This element can either be written on the cover page of the menu or right above the lists of menu items. Since we are talking about birthday menus, your menu title should be [name of birthday celebrant]’s birthday. Indicating the age of the birthday celebrant is optional, you may or may not include it.
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3. List of menu items:
The central part of the menu card should be the list of the different menu items. To make this element easier to read, you should arrange the menu items according to categories such as appetizers or starters, main dishes, desserts, and beverages, just to name a few.
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4. Graphical elements:
Always remember to include graphical elements to keep your menu from looking dull. It is not entirely necessary to fill up the entire design with elements, just enough to attract attention from readers. Also, don’t use too many graphics since it may clutter up the design.
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5. Date of the birthday party:
Along with the birthday party invitation, guests may choose to treasure your menu for a keepsake or as a souvenir. This is why it is best to include the date of the birthday party on the design, and you may place this somewhere on the bottom part of the menu.
When you try searching for birthday menu templates on the internet, you’ll be presented with a lot of choices. Some may seem mediocre while others are also worth downloading. To keep you from having to go through that stress, we’ve gathered some of the best ones for you. Check out the gallery below for those menu templates.
Simple Birthday Menu Example
Modern Birthday Kitchen Menu
Minimalist Birthday Menu Format
Birthday Dinner Menu Template
Minimal Birthday Dinner Menu
Pretty Birthday Menu Template
Editable Birthday Menu Template
Blank Birthday Menu Template
Modern Birthday Menu Template
Downloadable Birthday Menu Template
Pink Birthday Menu Template
Party Birthday Menu Template
Basketball Birthday Menu Template
Blue Birthday Menu Template
Healthy Birthday Menu Template
Disney Birthday Menu Template
White Birthday Menu Template
Toddler Birthday Menu Template
Orange Balloons Birthday Party Menu
Clean Birthday Party Menu Template
How to Designing a Great Birthday Menu (6 Steps)
We always ask what needs to be done in order for the birthday menu to end up great and worth showing off, but the question should be “how it should it be done?” There is actually a difference in the sense that the latter is more concerned about making the process easier while the former leans more towards the process itself.
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Step 1: Write a draft of the menu items
The main feature of food menus are the lists of food and beverage items, and under each item should be a short description of what that dish or drink is made of. To ensure that the menu items are well-written and kept relevantly, it would be best to prepare a rough draft on a sheet of paper.
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Step 2: Download a birthday menu template
After preparing your draft, go through our gallery of menu templates (shown above), and download the template that best represents your purpose. Using a draft can help save you a lot of time because they come pre-designed, and the elements can serve as your guide.
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Step 3: Gather some relevant images or illustrations
There may be times wherein the elements that come with the menu template aren’t enough, which will lead you to add more to the design. Stock images are available on the internet, but you may also use your own photos if you have any.
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Step 4: Edit the downloaded template
Once you have all the resources you need for designing your birthday menu, it’s time for you to edit the template that you have just downloaded. Editing a menu template involves adding, removing, or rearranging the elements, and adding in the necessary content.
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Step 5: Proofread the content
Proofreading the content means checking and ensuring the everything written on the menu are spelled correctly, and the grammar is spot on. You may be allowed to proofread your work during the early stages in the process, and you are also allowed to ask another person to proofread your work with you.
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Step 6: Print out copies of your menu
Once everything is ready, you can then proceed to the last step in the process, which is printing out your birthday food menu. If you choose to print them out yourself, make sure to always use high-quality, durable paper stock and ink toner, and always print more copies than intended.
Simple Tips for an Excellent Birthday Menu Layout
If you really want to know how you can make the entire process easier while also pulling off an excellent layout for your birthday menu, then you may check out the list of tips below. These tips may be very simple and easy to follow, but they can actually help you out a lot in your process of designing a birthday menu.
- Make the photos of your food items look fun by ramping up the colors.
- Use patterns to effectively add a lovely decorative touch to the layout.
- The presence of negative space has been proven to leave a lasting impression.
Types of Menus
When it comes to the types of food menus, there are actually a lot of them out there. When you go through the list of menu types below, you’ll notice that each one is intended for a specific purpose, theme, and cuisine. Check out the list below and decide which one works best for your birthday party.
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1. À la carte menu:
This type of menu is probably the easiest to create and manage among the ones on this list, and you simply need to list down the dishes and drinks. À la carte menu translates to “according to the menu”, and its items are listed individually so that they can be ordered individually as well.
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2. Du jour menu:
There are several factors leading to restaurants choosing this type of menu, and one of them is due to the availability of their ingredients. Other factors include the season and the demand from customers. Du jour translates to “on the day”, and this type of menu lists down the dishes that are being served for that day only.
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3. Prix fixe menu:
This type of menu offers several options to their customers, and under each option, they are allowed to choose from among a selection of starters, main dishes, and desserts. The best thing about this menu type is that regardless of what they chose for the individual entries, they will still be paying a fixed price.
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4. Table d’ hôte menu:
Oftentimes, people consider this type and the prix fixe synonymous because of the fixed price. However, there are actually slight differences between the two. Table d’ hôte translates to “the host’s table”, and whatever food the host is having, it is being shared with the guests.
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5. Cycle menu:
This type of menu is very common in hotels, resorts, schools, and office cafeterias. As the name suggests, this type of menu uses their foods and drinks repeatedly over a definite period of time. Once the cycle is expired, the menu items are revamped and then the cycle is repeated.
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6. Dessert menu:
It already makes perfect what this type of menu is all about. The dessert menu lists down only the sweets and coolers that are being offered by the food establishment. Many would incorporate their list of desserts on their primary menu and place it on the last pages, but you may also have it as a separate menu.
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7. Beverage menu:
Here is another type of menu that may or may not be treated as a separate menu. Just like the dessert menu, the list of beverages can also be written on the last few pages of the main food menu, but this will usually end up getting overlooked by the customer.
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8. Captain’s book menu:
The captain’s book menu is a type of menu that not all food establishments use. The reason behind that is because they are used only by restaurants that have their own wine cellar or those that specifically encourage their customers to drink wine with their meals.
Sizes of Menus
Menus also come in different sizes, ranging from 4.25 by 11 inches to 11 by 25.5 inches. One thing to consider when choosing a size for your food menu is that it should always be big enough to hold all the menu items without making them look cramped, but not too big that it might overwhelm the reader.
- 4.25″ x 11″
- 5.5″ x 15″
- 8.5″ x 11″
- 8.5″ x 14″
- 11″ x 17″
- 11″ x 25.5″
FAQs about Menus
What else do you need to learn about food menus? What are they actually? And why is there a need to use them? There may still be questions regarding food menus that are bothering you, and here are some sample questions that have been frequently asked. Hopefully, the answers to these will shed some light on the matter.
What is a menu?
In food establishments, a menu is a list that contains all the food and beverages that are being offered to the customer or guest.
What is the purpose of food menus?
The purpose of menus is more than just to give choices to the customer, it also communicates what the food establishment is about and what kind of dishes are being served. Also, menus reflect what the kitchen can handle as well as bring consistency in terms of the products.
What does the menu engineering process mean?
Menu engineering refers to the study of the profitability and popularity of the menu items and how these factors influence their placement on the menu.
What is menu analysis?
Menu analysis refers to the steps taken in order to identify the profitability and popularity of each menu item. Also, this includes the strategy used to enhance the sales of the establishment.
If there’s one thing about our birthday menu templates, it’s that they were designed by actual professional graphic artists. In addition, they also have exceptional quality that couldn’t be compromised even after editing. With regards to editing, these templates are also easily and fully editable. If those details were enough to entice you, start downloading a template now.
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