As a restaurateur, you know that first impressions matter. Whether customers are walking past your storefront or scrolling through delivery options, your menu often makes — or breaks — their decision to order.
According to the 2024 Restaurant & Alcohol Online Ordering Trends Report, menu selection is the top reason diners try a new restaurant. A well-designed menu does more than list dishes — it tells your story, captures attention, and builds appetite.
Below, explore seven restaurant menu examples and learn practical ways to design a menu that satisfies customers, strengthens your brand, and increases profits.
1. Improve your menu with mouthwatering photography
A high-definition photo of a vibrant salad with fresh ingredients or cheese melting over hand-cut fries doesn't just make your stomach rumble. The data speaks for itself:
Menus with photos can see up to 44% more monthly sales, according to DoorDash data.
38% respondents across all age groups consider food photography to be an important factor when deciding to try a restaurant.
To optimize your menu's design with photography:
Use photos that are appealing and representative of the dish being served.
Keep in mind that the presentation, lighting, and angles are important — but consistency and authenticity matter too. Your customers should be able to see a dish online and receive the same presentation and quality in real life every time they order.
Unsure how to capture your dish in the best light with visually appealing menu photography? Partner with DoorDash and get a free professional photo shoot to help you market your offerings more effectively. For inspiration, check out how Modern Market, a healthy fast-casual chain, uses bright, bird’s-eye photos to showcase vibrant ingredients and freshness.
2. Add delicious, descriptive language to your restaurant menu
Appetizing visuals catch the eye — but great writing seals the deal. Use short, flavorful descriptions that reveal how dishes are prepared and what makes them special. Your dishes tell a story, and so should your menu descriptions. For excellent menu descriptions:
Give customers insight into the ingredients, preparation, and flavorful taste of your food with hearty descriptions that answer the questions they might have asked their waiter when dining in-person.
Note how the dish is prepared, then share its popularity, origin, or unique flavor with descriptive adjectives and playful verbs.
While it's easy to get carried away talking about food, remember to keep your descriptions short to avoid information overload.
Consider using tools such as the Item Description Generator to create compelling menu descriptions with one click.
At Bellingham, Washington-based AB Crepes, the food descriptions are short and sweet — yet still creative. With witty dish names like "Wake N' Crepe" and "Crepe N' Daise," you're more likely to remember their brand too.
3. Create a mission-driven restaurant menu
Eating, preparing, and gathering around food has a lot to do with who we are and what we care about. Show customers your true colors with a mission-driven menu that highlights your core values and brand aspirations.
For example, the California seafood restaurant, Pacific Catch, offers a wide range of delicious food while subtly weaving environmental responsibility into their menu. They advocate for sustainable seafood that has been thoughtfully sourced, "from wave to table."
4. Experiment with menu engineering and pricing
The next ingredient in building the perfect menu? Analyzing the profitability and popularity of your menu items, then adjusting to meet the changing needs of customers, through menu engineering.
Start by breaking down the cost of each of your dishes to determine your expenses.
Next, categorize menu items by profit and popularity levels to understand what you should remove from the menu or give extra attention to — this way, you can maximize profits and stock your kitchen accordingly.
Round the prices of your dishes to the nearest whole number, rather than including decimal points — this will help with food cost percentage.
Adjust the pricing for dishes according to wholesale costs of food items, the cost of labor and plating, market volatility, customer perceptions, as well as demand and competition.
Think strategically about how you include pricing on your menu too. Some online restaurant menus, like B. GOOD, focus on food and flavor — rather than how much customers are going to spend. Their website menu doesn't feature any dollar signs until you take action to order — so instead of worrying about spending, customers are first drawn to the delicious taste.
5. Promote your menu options on social media
There's a reason why #food is one of the top 50 most-used hashtags on Instagram — people love seeing and sharing tasty photos and videos. The data backs this up:
17% turn to social media influencers when looking for new restaurants, so it's important that your restaurant is prepared with a strong social media presence.
Playa Bowls does an excellent job of this, with vibrant menu photography and evocative captions that leave customers thinking: "I need to try this." Create a brand voice and visual design that is consistent across your website and social media channels, so customers learn what to expect from you.
6. Strengthen your website menu and online ordering
Your online restaurant menu needs to accommodate customers with a user-friendly website and online ordering platform. 41% of consumers in the US prefer ordering delivery from a restaurant's website or app directly, according to the DoorDash Delivery Trends Report. It’s easy to get started with online ordering:
With the DoorDash Commerce Platform Starter package, you can attract customers and grow direct store sales with a branded website and commission-free* online ordering (*2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee applies). All you need is your existing DoorDash Marketplace account to get set up.
The Commerce Platform Starter Package is included in your Marketplace plan, but you can unlock more advanced tools to power your online growth and build a loyal fan base with the Boost and Pro packages.
As you set up online ordering, consider how you can best display your products. Port of Peri Peri's Online Ordering menu is organized according to their unique offerings: small bites, signature chicken, veggie delights, lamb specialties and more. Customers can order pickup or delivery with this visually appealing and easy-to-use setup.
When designing your website menu, be sure to also consider SEO best practices so more customers can find your restaurant. One easy strategy for improving your rankings is including keywords in page titles and descriptions. Wondering where to get started? Learn how to improve your restaurant's ranking on Google Search.
7. Bolster your delivery menu with your best items that travel well
Last but not least, be prepared with a thoughtful delivery menu. In the 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends Report, 75% of survey respondents ordered delivery in the past month. Some tips include:
Adjust your delivery menu to focus on higher-margin items, best-sellers, and dishes that travel well.
Lighten your team's load by offering items that can be prepped in advance — and avoid sogginess at all costs with proper packaging and testing beforehand.
You can also increase order sizes by offering add-ons to your menu, including meal kits, family-style meals, dinner for two, and alcohol— not to mention popular categories like sides, desserts, and other drinks.
Online Ordering can help you increase sales with recommended add-ons and modifications, features like on-page checkout, and rich menu photos and descriptions — so your delivery menu satisfies everyone.
Naan and Kabob, a Great Toronto Area-based business offering authentic Afghan food, is the perfect example of this. Their delivery menu offers a wide range of add-ons and unique categories, including group platters, signature dishes, grilled kabob plates, kids' meals, and catering options.
Enhance your online restaurant menu and increase profits
The main ingredient in building the perfect menu for every customer? Seeking out their feedback and observing trends as their cravings inevitably change.
With DoorDash's Merchant Portal, you can see what customers want by tracking your sales, analyzing your menu's top-performing items, and responding to customer feedback. High-quality customer service is equally important for off-premise customers, so be sure to respond regularly to earn a higher rating as a Most Loved restaurant — and inspire new business along the way.
With your menu designed, you can use Online Ordering to offer online ordering directly through your website, native apps, social media, and Google page. Ready to get started? Sign up for a demo, included in every DoorDash partnership plan. Not a DoorDash partner yet? Start your free trial today.
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