Table of Contents
- Chinese Menu Card Template
- Chinese Restaurant Menu Template
- Retro Chinese Menu Template
- Minimalist Chinese Takeaway Menu Template
- Elements of a Good Chinese Menu
- Lotus Chinese Food Menu Layout
- Chinese New Year Menu Example
- Chinese Characters Food Menu Sample
- Oriental Chinese Food Menu Design
- Chinese Cafe Food Menu Design
- Special Chinese Food Menu Example
- Yang Chinese Food Menu Template
- Beijing Chinese Food Menu Sample
- How to Designing a Good Chinese Menu (7 Steps)
- Simple Tips for an Excellent Chinese Menu Layout
- Types of Menus
- Sizes of Menus
- FAQs about Chinese Menus
- What is the purpose of the menu?
- How do you plan a food menu?
- What is MP on some menus?
Chinese Menu Designs
Chinese dishes are famous all over the world mainly because of how simple they are to prepare. But despite their simplicity, Chinese food is actually very flavorful and comforting to the soul. Globally, Chinese dishes are recognized and are even adopted by different countries, with each one incorporating their own twist based on their culture.
If you’re planning to open up a food establishment, then you will need to make a food menu to list down the different dishes that you will be offering. And if you’re planning to serve Chinese dishes, then the food menu design and menu templates below are what you need for your food place.
Chinese Menu Card Template
Chinese Restaurant Menu Template
Retro Chinese Menu Template
Minimalist Chinese Takeaway Menu Template
Elements of a Good Chinese Menu
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1. Page size matters:
The first element that should be considered on every good menu is the page size, and this will depend on the number of dishes as well as your preferred look.
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2. Menu columns should make a statement:
In order to make your menu look clean and presentable, it would be best to arrange it in columns while also observing a good amount of margin space.
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3. The arrangement of elements affect visual appeal:
Indeed, the arrangement of the content matters since it can help to make it easier for the customer to find what they need. The arrangement is best done by starting with the appetizers and ending with either the drinks or the desserts.
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4. Emphasize areas to draw attention:
There are times wherein the best sellers are being emphasized on the menu, and when this happens, it tends to draw attention from the customer. Highlighting or enclosing certain aspects in a box is a simple but highly effective way of doing this.
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5. Sections to signify choice:
Break up sections evenly, and make sure that the sections contain food items that have similarities. This will also help increase your menu’s level of readability, while also informing customers that they do have choices.
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6. Create a sense of balance in the design:
Again, break sections equally and make sure that the elements on one side somewhat mirror the opposite side. This will create a sense of balance in the design and will help promote its beautiful features.
Lotus Chinese Food Menu Layout
Chinese New Year Menu Example
Chinese Characters Food Menu Sample
Oriental Chinese Food Menu Design
Chinese Cafe Food Menu Design
Special Chinese Food Menu Example
Yang Chinese Food Menu Template
Beijing Chinese Food Menu Sample
How to Designing a Good Chinese Menu (7 Steps)
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Step 1: Prepare a list of the possible menu item.
Before you can start designing you Chinese food menu, the first thing that you will need to do is to decide on what food items you want to include on it. Since this involves all the possible ones, you can write as much as you want.
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Step 2: Download a food menu template.
Instead of having to starts all the way from scratch, take some of the burden away by downloading and using a menu template instead, we even have a few of them in this article.
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Step 3: Edit the menu template.
Now that you have downloaded a template, you are already halfway done with your Chinese food menu. The remaining half involves editing the design and filling in all the necessary details.
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Step 4: Price the items on the menu.
After you have edited the design and added the food items, the next thing that you will need to do is to add the prices for each item.
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Step 5: Enhance the design of the menu, if needed.
This is the time to do some last minute enhancements to the design if you think it’s necessary. If not, then you can proceed to the next step in the process.
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Step 6: Evaluate the design and proofread the content.
Before making it final, you will need to evaluate the design of the menu and proofread its content. If you want, you can also ask another person to evaluate and proofread it with you.
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Step 7: Print out your Chinese food menu.
Once you have finalized your menu design and its contents, you can then proceed to print them out so you can start using it for your Chinese restaurant.
Simple Tips for an Excellent Chinese Menu Layout
- Be careful when using images, go for those that showcase the best qualities of the dish.
- Using bold text will work, it enables customers to focus on those aspects of the menu.
- Apply colors to the menu, and choose hues that fit the branding personality of your restaurant.
- Organize the menu into sections, and use boxes to increase the readability.
- Go minimal to put more emphasis on the text and photos of the dishes. Also, going minimal can help in making the menu look luxurious.
- Hand-drawn elements are perfect if you opt to go trendy and cool.
Types of Menus
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1. À la carte menu:
The word “à la carte” actually translates to English as “by the menu”, which therefore means that items listed on this type of menu are priced and should be ordered separately. The advantage of using this type of menu is that it allows customers to choose their dishes and beverages more freely, as opposed to some other types wherein each entry on the menu already consists of different items.
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2. Du jour menu:
This type of menu has a great chance of changing their items every day, and is a perfect choice for small and busy food establishments. “Du jour” literally means “on the day”, and is not limited to just soups or side dishes. This type of menu is commonly seen written on a chalkboard or on a digital display, which will allow for easy changing of content. Du jour menus will include anything from single items to a list of various entrees, depending on the business.
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3. Cycle menu:
As the name suggests, a cycle menu is one that rotates their items every week, month, season, or in a pre-determined time period. As opposed to the du jour menu type wherein the items are changed every day, cycle menus actually have a complete list of their items for the entire time period. Establishments that use this type of menu include cafeterias, cruise ships, hotels, and hospitals.
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4. Prix fixe menu:
“Prix fixe” is actually French for “fixed price”, which obviously means that regardless of the individual items that a customer chooses, they will still be paying a fixed price. This type of menu offers customers multiple options for each course, but in the end, they will still be receiving the same number of courses which include an appetizer, main course, and dessert. And no matter what courses are being selected, they will still be paying the same price.
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5. Table d’ hôte menu:
Among the different menu types listed here, this is the last one that uses a French culinary term. “Table d’ hôte” translates to English as “the host’s table”, which refers to food items that are shared among the hosts and their respective guests. Many consider this type of menu similar to the prix fixe, but is actually different in the sense that the prices for each item may vary. This type of menu is perfect for holidays and events wherein the hosts will be encouraged to share their food with their guests.
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6. Beverage menu:
If you are planning to offer various drinks to your guests such as wines, cocktails, sodas, and fruit juices, you might as well make a separate menu for all of those. This type of menu is referred to as a beverage menu, which is ideal if you want your other menu to be focused mainly on food. This way, customers will easily be able to find what they are looking for since one menu is solely for food and the other for drinks.
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7. Dessert menu:
Most menus have a dessert section somewhere along the last pages, which is often overlooked by customers since they will only look at the pages that show them the main dishes. If you want your desserts to get as much attention as the other courses, you might want to have it printed on a separate menu card, and this is specifically referred to as a dessert menu.
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8. Captain’s book menu:
Some restaurants—particularly the luxurious ones—have their own wine cellar, and these restaurants strongly encourage their customers to accompany their meals with any of their finest wines. Unlike other restaurants that have their drinks listed on a separate menu, these ones actually have a separate menu solely for their wines, and this menu is known as a wine captain’s book.
Sizes of Menus
- 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 Chinese Menus
What is the purpose of the menu?
The menu provides the customers with useful information regarding what the food establishment is offering. This information is more than just what foods and drinks are offered, it also contains a description of each food, the goal of the establishment, and even the chef’s food philosophy.
How do you plan a food menu?
- Spend time looking for different recipes.
- Do a survey by asking people regarding their food preferences.
- Keep a meal journal.
- Plan what to do with leftovers.
- Always have a shopping list and choose the best day to go shopping.
What is MP on some menus?
In some restaurants, they write MP instead of the specific price. This stands for “market price”, which means that the price of the dish will depend on the market price of the ingredients, and the price is only given to the customer upon request of the dish.
Even though this article focused on food menu templates revolving around Chinese dishes only, you may be able to find menu templates here for any other cuisine as well. We can assure you that our templates are all professionally designed, and can all be edited as much as necessary without compromising the quality.
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