Table of Contents
- Elements of a Good School Menu
- Sample School Menu Template Download
- Blank School Menu Template
- Downloadable School Menu Template
- Printable School Menu Template
- Simple School Menu Template
- Basic Kids School Menu Template
- New High School Menu Template
- Middle School Design Menu Template
- Elementary School Creative Menu Template
- Sample Primary School Menu Template
- Standard 5 Day School Menu Template
- New Nursery School Menu Template
- Editable Pre School Menu Template
- Modern School Flyer Menu Template
- Standard School Poster Menu Template
- Printable Preschool Menu Design
- New Preschool Canteen Food Menu
- Preschool Food Menu Layout Template
- Simple Preschool Food Menu Format
- Chalkboard School Menu Card Design
- Blank Chalkboard School Menu Template
- Simple Preschool Food Menu Format
- Simple Preschool Food Menu Format
- Basic Preschool Food Menu Format
- Basic Chalkboard School Canteen Menu Template
- Basic School Lunch Meal Menu Example
- How to Designing a Great School Menu (5 Steps)
- Simple Tips for an Excellent School Menu Layout
- Types of Menus
- Sizes of Menus
- FAQs about Menus
School Menu
Students require more than just determination and the will to study in order to succeed in school. No matter how much they keep studying and reviewing the topics if they’re not eating the right kind of food, they won’t be able to absorb the information or retain the knowledge inside their minds.
Students also need to get the needed hours of sleep in order to de-stress their brains and to eat properly. Eating the right food can fuel the brain and make it work more effectively. School Menu should make it a point to have their students eat properly, and we have menu templates to use that with.
Elements of a Good School Menu
We are already familiar with the basics of food menus and what they are used for, they consist of a list of foods and they provide customers with options, respectively. But food menus should be more than just that in order for them to be considered good and effective. Below is a list of some elements that should be seen on school and other food menus.
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Name and Logo of School
Just like food menus used in restaurants and other food serving business, the name and the logo design of the school should be included on the daily menu. You may want to place this on the cover page if you’re using one; if not, then you may either place this on the back page of the menu or on the topmost area. These two elements should go hand in hand and should communicate the menu’s identity.
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Sections or Categories
Regardless of how many items you will be including on your school menu, it is always best to organize them into sections to make it easier for customers to read. Usually, these sections serve to segregate the menu items according to their order in the meal—appetizer, main course, side dish, dessert, drinks.
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Lists of Menu Items
And of course, each section of the menu should have its contents, and these are the menu items which enumerate what the school is serving its students and guests. These are usually aligned on the left of the layout if you’re planning to list down the corresponding prices. If not, you may be allowed to align these centrally.
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Descriptions of Menu Items
Not all people are familiar with the names of foods and drinks, especially those in a different language. In order for the customer to know what these are, you should include a short description of that menu item. The description should briefly identify the ingredients and explain how that dish or drink was made.
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Price Lists
As mentioned earlier, there are menus that have a price list and there are also others that don’t. And if you’re planning to include a price list, they should be aligned on the right to mirror the list of the menu items. However, the price list should be less emphasized than the list of menu items to prevent the customers from becoming too conscious with their expenses.
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Photos of Menu Items
Aside from simply describing the menu items, you may be allowed to include a photo of the food or drink as well. However, you shouldn’t do this with all items on the list since it will tend to clutter the layout. Simply choose the menu items that you want to highlight and add a photo of it.
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Graphical Enhancements
And of course, a little graphical element here and there wouldn’t harm the layout if used sparingly. These are different than the photos since these only serve to enhance the appearance of the layout. These graphics include illustrations, color gradients, patterns, and shapes.
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Contact Details
Usually, the contact details indicated on the menu are the school’s, but if the school’s canteen has it’s own contact number, it should also be included on the menu. There may be times wherein a customer wishes to make inquiries regarding the food or the services, which is why the contact details are an essential element.
In order for you to get started with your process of creating your own school food menu, here are some menu templates that you can download and use. You may want to download one and use it to give you a head start, or you may also simply use this as a reference or as a guide if you choose to make your school menus from scratch.
Sample School Menu Template Download
Blank School Menu Template
Downloadable School Menu Template
Printable School Menu Template
Simple School Menu Template
Basic Kids School Menu Template
New High School Menu Template
Middle School Design Menu Template
Elementary School Creative Menu Template
Sample Primary School Menu Template
Standard 5 Day School Menu Template
New Nursery School Menu Template
Editable Pre School Menu Template
Modern School Flyer Menu Template
Standard School Poster Menu Template
Printable Preschool Menu Design
New Preschool Canteen Food Menu
Preschool Food Menu Layout Template
Simple Preschool Food Menu Format
Chalkboard School Menu Card Design
Blank Chalkboard School Menu Template
Simple Preschool Food Menu Format
Simple Preschool Food Menu Format
Basic Preschool Food Menu Format
Basic Chalkboard School Canteen Menu Template
Basic School Lunch Meal Menu Example
How to Designing a Great School Menu (5 Steps)
Even though you’ve already downloaded a template and are already familiar with what templates to include, you might still mess it up if you’ve no idea what you’re doing. Below is a list of instructions on how you may be able to design your school menus more effectively, these might even simplify the entire process.
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Step 1: Prepare the concept of the menu
This is the planning phase of the process which requires you to write a draft of the content and write down ideas for the menu’s design. With this, you’ll have a clearer picture on what to write on your menu and how to arrange its elements.
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Step 2: Gather the needed resources
Speaking of elements, this step involves gathering photos and other graphical elements that you wish to include on your menu. This phase already includes downloading the needed preschool menu template that you will be working with.
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Step 3: Edit the downloaded template
After gathering the needed resources, the next step in the process is editing the design of the template and adding the necessary content. If you have written down notes for the content and the design, you may refer to that in order to make the process easier.
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Step 4: Finalize the design and content
This step involves evaluating the design for its neatness and visual appeal, and checking the content for any error. You will need to ensure excellent quality content and design in order for your menu to have high value and credibility.
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Step 5: Print out the school menu
The final step in the process is printing out copies of your school menu. The only thing to ensure when printing out your menu is to use high quality, durable materials. But then again, you can always have your menus printed by professional printing businesses.
Simple Tips for an Excellent School Menu Layout
There is always a trick to everything, even designing school menus. When designing one, it is a must that the menu’s layout is able to grab the readers full attention, which can only work if the layout is pleasing. Below are some simple tips that might help you in pulling off an excellent school menu layout.
- Make the menu look livelier with colors.
- De-clutter the layout through the use of white space.
- Put more emphasis on the legibility of the text.
Types of Menus
If this is your first time designing your own food menu, then you might be surprised to find out that there is actually more than just one type of food menu. The various menu types listed below differ according how and where they are used on, which may prove very useful if you’re planning to make food menus for other purposes in the future.
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A la Carte Menu
Translated to English as “according to the menu”, the menu items on this type of menu are listed separately in order for customers to order them individually. The a la carte menu is considered to be the most convenient type for both food industries and customers since it allowed the latter to choose only the dishes and drinks that they want.
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Du Jour Menu
This menu type is referred to as “on the day” menu in English, which means that its menu items vary from day to day depending on the available ingredients, the demands of customers, or the season. This is also known as the chalkboard menu due to the fact that this type of menu is almost always presented via a chalkboard.
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Table d’Hote Menu
This French term translates to English as “the host’s table”, and this menu type provides customers and guests various options for a pre-determined price. This is also known as the prix fixe menu, which translates to “fixed price”. This menu type provides customers with set meals and each dish comes with various options to choose from. Regardless of the individual choices, the customers will only be paying the amount as indicated for that set meal.
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Buffet Menu
A buffet is defined as a system wherein the food is placed in a common area and diners will have to serve the food for themselves. But even if this is the case, the use of a menu is still a good practice since it actually informs the customers what food and drinks are available.
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Event Menu
This type of menu ranges from wedding menus, engagement menus, and even birthday menus, just to name a few. While this type of menu doesn’t require a price list because the meal is already paid for by the host, they are still quite useful since they provide the guests with something to choose from.
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Dessert Menu
We did mention that some other types of menus contain sections that segregate the menu items according to their order in the meal, you may be allowed to separate some of them. One of them is the list of desserts, wherein you may write them down on a separate menu card for the customer’s convenience.
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Beverage Menu
Another meal category that is commonly placed on a separate menu card is the beverage. Just like the dessert menu, the reason why this is separated from the main food menu is that it often gets overlooked by the customers. Under this type of menu is the Captain’s Book, which lists down the wines, champagnes, and other fine spirits being offered by the restaurant.
Sizes of Menus
Aside from the menu types, there are also different menu sizes, although these are not as important as the former. When choosing a menu size, make sure that it is big enough to accommodate the lists of menu items, but not too big that it might overwhelm the customer or guest. Use the list of sizes below as your reference.
- 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
If you feel like you need to learn more about food menus, we have gathered some questions that have been frequently asked around the internet. These questions may be enough to educate you more regarding food menus, they might even encourage you to design your menus properly in order for it to really serve its purpose.
What is a menu?
It is a list used in food service that enumerates the food and drinks being offered.
What is menu planning?
It is the system of deciding what food and drinks to offer to customers, and this involves various factors including the budget, resources, and manpower.
By this point, you should already have set your sights on at least one of the menu templates in this article. There’s nothing to lose if you choose to download any of them, they are all professionally-designed and they are also fully editable. Don’t waste any more time, start downloading a menu template now.
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