Digital menu or paper menu: what suits your venue

The advantages of a digital menu

• Prices and dishes change from your phone, with no reprints.
• Sold-out dishes are marked as such and guests don't order them.
• Tourists read the menu in their own language.
• Dish photos help guests who don't know the cuisine choose.
• Allergens sit next to each dish, and guests with allergies can filter them.
• The same menu is on your Google profile and social media, bringing in guests before they even walk in.

Where paper is still handier

• For guests without their phone or who don't want to use it at the table, often older people.
• In venues where the menu is part of the experience, like a bound wine list in a fine restaurant.
• When the connection in the venue is weak and phones struggle to load the page.
• For very short menus that rarely change: a blackboard may be enough.

The costs, worked out calmly

A paper menu costs money at every reprint: design, printing, laminating, and the time to replace the copies. You reprint for a changed price, a new dish, a stained copy.

A digital menu costs little or nothing to start: there are free services, and paid ones usually cost a few tens of euros a month. You also need the printed QR codes, once.

To do the maths, think of how many times you reprinted the menu last year and how much it cost each time.

What the rules require

Digital menus are allowed. For allergens, though, the 2015 circular of the Italian Ministry of Health requires that with a digital system there is also written documentation easy to find for guests and inspectors: in practice a printed copy at the counter.

Many Italian municipalities and regions also require prices to be displayed at the entrance or in the window. A QR-only menu doesn't replace that obligation: check your local rules.

How to choose

The solution that works for most venues is the digital menu as the main menu, with a few paper copies printed from the same menu for guests who ask. You get the advantages of both, without keeping two different menus in sync.

• Do you change prices or dishes more than two or three times a year? Digital saves you money.
• Lots of tourists? Digital with translations is hard to beat.
• Many guests who don't use their phone? Always keep a few paper copies at hand.

Both with Platevo

With Platevo the digital menu is the starting point, and paper is printed from it: the copy at the counter is always the same as the one on the phone.

• Digital menu, QR code and allergens free with the Free plan.
• From the Pro plan you print the menu as a PDF, with prices and allergens always in sync.

Frequently asked questions

Is a digital menu mandatory?

No. You can use paper only, digital only or both. With digital only, keep a written copy for allergens anyway.

Can I drop the paper menu entirely?

From the tables yes, but keep a few copies at the counter: for guests who don't use their phone and because allergens need written documentation that's easy to find.

Do older guests use QR menus?

Many do, some don't. Just keep a few paper copies ready to bring to the table when asked.

Does a digital menu increase sales?

Dish photos, descriptions in the guest's language and highlighted suggestions help people choose. How much it counts in your venue you'll only see by trying.

How much does a digital menu cost?

You can start for free. Paid services usually cost a few tens of euros a month, depending on features like languages, photos and bookings.