A menu isn't a price list — it's the most-read sales document in your restaurant. Before you spend €1,500 on print, read these 7 points. They save money, lift your average ticket by 10–15%, and stop you printing 1,000 menus you'll bin in May.
Every summer, hundreds of restaurants in Mykonos print menus that don't work. Not because they're ugly — but because they were designed by someone who didn't grasp that the guest reads it in 15 seconds under the Cycladic sun, wine in hand and 3 kids shouting.
1. Design FOR the moment of use
Where will your menu be opened? Outdoors at 2pm at sunset, or inside the dim-lit dining room at 11pm? That answer decides everything: type size, colours, paper finish.
- Outdoor / day: large type (≥11pt), high contrast, matte finish (not glossy, which glares).
- Indoor / evening: you can go tighter on typography, premium textures, even metallic accents.
2. No more than 7 dishes per category
The brain freezes when there's too much choice. Paradox of choice: 12 starters = the guest picks 0 and asks "what's good?". 5–7 starters = they decide in 90 seconds and the waiter doesn't lose time.
If you have 20 dishes in the kitchen, organise them into a seasonal rotation or a "Today's specials" on a separate card. Don't cram them into the main menu.
3. Drop the € symbol
Research (Cornell School of Hotel Administration) shows that menus without the € symbol next to prices lift average spend by 8.15%. Why? The symbol "stings" — it reminds the guest they're spending.
Write 24 instead of 24€. Same price, less emotional resistance. Try it — it works right across Mykonos.
4. Highlight 3 "star items"
On each page, pick 2–3 dishes with the best profit margin or that are signature, and give them a visual highlight: bold type, a small icon beside them, a boxed border with an underline. The eye goes there first, and they get ordered more often.
Don't: highlight 8 dishes — then nothing is a highlight.
5. Mind the paper choices
| Material | Cost | Lifespan | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laminated card | €2–4/ea | One season | Casual, beach bar, lunch spot |
| Synthetic paper (tear-proof) | €3–5/ea | Several seasons | Mid-range changing menu 2x/year |
| Uncoated premium + leather cover | €8–20/ea | Seasonal + reusable cover | Fine dining, signature restaurants |
| QR code on wood/metal | €15–40/ea | Permanent | Restaurants that change the menu often |
In Mykonos, laminated is the most common for outdoors. But if you change the menu 3 times a season, QR + wood saves you €600+ in reprints.
6. Always have a digital version too
With a QR on the table, the guest opens the menu on their phone. That gives you 3 superpowers:
- Change prices/dishes without reprinting.
- Break out allergens and more languages (EN, FR, DE, IT) without cluttering the design.
- Measure which dishes get the most clicks → data for menu engineering.
7. Print in Mykonos, not from Athens
The #1 mistake: you print in Athens, get delivery in 5 days, and if you need a reprint you're offline for a week in peak season. In Mykonos there are local printers (like cmykonos.gr) that deliver same-day or next day.
The cost difference is 10–15% more, but the availability saves your season.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost in total?+
How many menus should I print?+
When do I start the design?+
Is a QR menu enough, or do I need print too?+
Ready for a menu that works?
We design here. We print in Mykonos via cmykonos.gr. From design to paper in 7–10 working days.