An interactive menu doesn’t just describe dishes; it streamlines ordering and elevates the guest experience.
Today’s diners expect more than a PDF or static webpage. They want an interactive experience that’s visual, informative, and convenient to use from their phone.
An interactive menu helps customers explore your offerings, order confidently, and engage with your brand, whether they’re dining in or ordering out. Keep reading to learn why having an interactive menu is crucial in 2025 and beyond and how DoorDash can help you build and launch your interactive menu quickly.
What is an interactive menu?
An interactive menu is a digital, user-friendly version of your food and beverage list that can live on your website, inside your restaurant ordering app, and more. Unlike a static PDF or print menu, it allows:
Real-time menu updates
Filtering or tagging (e.g., vegetarian, dairy-free)
Integrated ordering and checkout
Integration with loyalty and restaurant CRM systems
How an interactive menu enhances guest experience
Restaurant guests don’t want to squint at a laminated trifold or scan a blurry PDF. They want to browse dishes the same way they shop for everything else—online, fast, and with confidence.
Here’s what makes interactive menus such a powerful tool for modern hospitality:
Visual appeal drives decision-making
46% of Gen Z rely on food photos when considering a new restaurant. Well-designed digital menus showcase your dishes with high-resolution images. When guests can see your food before they order, they can try new items and add extras with confidence.
Frictionless ordering experience
Interactive menus can help support and boost direct orders on your website. With Online Ordering, you get access to an interactive menu for your restaurant optimized for checkout. From saved account information to flexible payment options, the interactive menu available with Online Ordering makes it easy for customers to place orders quickly.
The numbers don't lie—adding Online Ordering to your website and social channels can increase sales by up to 8% of your current Marketplace sales.* Plus, all orders are commission-free!**
Details that answer questions
Interactive menus provide all the information customers might normally ask your staff. Specify when dishes are vegan, gluten-free, or spicy. Add notes on ingredients, sourcing, and allergen warnings. When guests have everything they need to make an informed decision, they’re less likely to need support, which can mean fewer phone calls during your lunch and dinner rush.
Recommendations based on popularity
With interactive menus, you can highlight your most-ordered items, giving new customers insight into the dishes that keep customers coming back again and again.
Built-in loyalty
In addition to making the ordering process simple, the best interactive menus have a built-in loyalty program, making it easy for customers to sign up and earn rewards.
Cross-channel loyalty, included in the DoorDash Commerce Platform Pro package, allows you to reward customers no matter where they order—through your website, in-store, on your app, and on DoorDash.
How an interactive menu improves operations and revenue
Beyond guest experience, interactive menus offer significant behind-the-scenes advantages for restaurants.
Reduce order errors
When customers input orders themselves, there’s less room for miscommunication. That can mean fewer incorrect items, less waste, and less time spent on corrections.
Easy updates in real time
Unlike printed menus, digital menus can be updated in minutes. Sold out of a dish? Need to adjust pricing or promote a seasonal special? Make the change once, and it will go live across your online ordering website, restaurant app, DoorDash, and more, depending on your POS integration provider.
Upsell with ease
Interactive menus make upselling more effective. With smart design, you can suggest sides, drinks, or upgrades during the checkout process, helping to increase your order size and volume.
Sometimes [Online Ordering] is [more] successful in increasing the ticket size with modifiers than employees.
Data that informs smarter decisions
With digital menus, you don’t just sell food, you collect insights. See which items get ordered the most, which are underperforming, and more. Use this data to adjust pricing, streamline offerings, and refine your operations.
When you use Online Ordering to power your interactive menu, you can access the reporting tools you need to make better business decisions directly from the Merchant Portal.
Why every restaurant needs an interactive menu now
The shift toward digital ordering isn’t temporary; it’s the new standard. Here’s why restaurants can’t afford to ignore interactive menus:
Consumer expectations have changed: Guests expect the convenience and control they get from e-commerce in their dining experience. Static menus or clunky ordering systems feel outdated.
Digital-first = discovery: Interactive menus enhance your visibility on Google and other search engines. SEO-driven layouts and integration with your Google Business Profile mean your menu becomes a gateway for more direct orders.
Staffing pressure makes self-service valuable: Many restaurants are operating with leaner front-of-house teams. Interactive ordering reduces the burden on servers without sacrificing the guest experience.
In short, an interactive menu isn’t just a nice touch. It’s a necessity for meeting today’s customer expectations and staying competitive. If you're ready to get your interactive menu up and running, sign up for Online Ordering, powered by DoorDash’s proven technology.
How a branded mobile app takes your interactive menu further
Having an interactive menu is a great start, but housing that experience inside your own branded mobile app takes things to the next level.
With the DoorDash Commerce Platform Pro package, restaurants can create a branded mobile app for iOS and Android that can help you drive repeat business. Best of all, DoorDash engineers do the heavy lifting for you, building your app behind the scenes, so you can focus on day-to-day restaurant operations.
"We're always looking to meet our customers where they are and make the online ordering experience easy to use. Through our partnership with DoorDash, which powers both our Online Ordering experience and mobile app, customers can now seamlessly place orders for pick-up and delivery, while also earning and redeeming loyalty points through our new bb.q rewards program. This is a huge step forward in bb.q's digital transformation, making things more convenient and enjoyable for our customers and driving business for bb.q Family franchisees."
A restaurant ordering app unlocks:
Streamlined guest experiences
Customers can browse your menu, reorder favorites, apply rewards, and get notified about deals, all from one app.
Increased repeat business
A recent study shows that guests who order on a mobile app are 30% more likely to reorder.*** That means more lifetime value and more predictable revenue.
Full brand ownership
With a branded mobile app, you can create a brand-first experience that looks and feels like your business. Not only is this helpful in building brand awareness, but it can also positively impact your bottom line.
Mobile app customers drive 25% of first-party digital volume,**** which means without one, you could be missing out on tons of orders.
How DoorDash helps you launch your interactive menu
Building a custom tech stack from scratch isn’t realistic for most restaurant operators. That’s where DoorDash Commerce Platform comes in.
With the Pro package, you get everything you need to launch, manage, and grow your interactive ordering experience:
An interactive menu, powered by Online Ordering
A branded website, driven by local restaurant SEO and optimized for conversions
Branded mobile app, customized to your restaurant’s identity
Cross-channel loyalty, rewarding customers no matter where they order
Automated email marketing to make customer engagement easy
Customizable email and text marketing for targeted and timely messages
How to get started with your interactive menu
Thinking about launching your own interactive menu or branded app? Here’s a simple path forward:
Audit your current menu: Look at your photos, item descriptions, and categories. Are they clear, helpful, and appealing? If not, it's time to go back to the drawing board to ensure you have the building blocks you need for a great interactive menu.
Get started with Online Ordering: Available with all packages of the DoorDash Commerce Platform, Online Ordering enables you to get your interactive menu up and running in a day!
Use insights to fine-tune your strategy: Once live, track performance and use that data to make informed updates to your interactive menu.
Interactive menus and beyond
Your menu is more than a list of items; it’s the digital storefront of your restaurant. When your menu is interactive, visual, and embedded into your website, it becomes one of your most valuable sales tools.
The DoorDash Commerce Platform makes creating and launching an interactive menu easy.
Ready to launch your interactive menu and grow your direct sales?
* Based on internal DoorDash data from Jan 2025 through May 2025
**2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee applies
*** Compared to customers using web ordering channels. Based on internal DoorDash data from January 2025 to June 2025
**** Based on internal DoorDash data from January 2025 to June 2025 for merchants with mobile apps
