What Menus Should I Be Using To Deal With COVID-19?
Posted by Philip Wilson on
Which are the best menus to use during a pandemic? We take you through the pros and cons of each to help you decide...
by Philip Wilson - The Inventor - SuperTuffMenus
Is it worth changing your menus to help you do business during the COVID-19 pandemic? If you're worried about doing business in the current climate you're probably wondering just that. In this bit of our chat, we compare different menu styles so that you can best understand which is going to suit your operation.
Whatever the government decides to be required is one thing but the truth of the matter is your customers and staff won't stick around if they don’t feel safe in the dining environment you create. Make your customers comfortable and they will come back. It is more than just the menu but the menu is important.
Disposable Paper Menu
Pros
well, it is in government guidelines,
easy to keep clean - just bin it after every customer uses it
easy to get hold of - lots of grateful printers ready to help
customers will see that it is a single-use
hell, you can print them yourself
Cons
It may not suit your style - you could always upgrade the paper but then the costs quickly climb
How many will I need? That’s tricky - who knows. Always cheaper to print more at once though
Storage - you need to keep a pile of paper somewhere - clean and dry
Trees! Yes, lots of trees. A lot of waste paper to be recycled or binned.
Laminated Paper or Card Menus
Pros
They can be wiped clean with a damp cloth
A bit more upmarket than a simple sheet of paper
Lots of willing printers ready to make them for you
You have them already?
Cons
Wiping these clean with a damp cloth is going to get them soggy at the edges
You will still have to buy quite a few to have enough to keep them clean.
Pre-ordering really? Isn’t ordering part of the fun?
Technology can fail and can be glitchy - how good is your WiFi?
Considerable investment in setting up and ongoing maintenance… probably really only for chains or operations with geeks as part of the family.
Nobody is ever going to leave their phone again
Conventional Plastic Menus - plastic with print
Pros
Washable until they wear out
Long-lasting
Cons
Not a lot of plastic printers out there - at least not many that want to print a few menus - you are not going to get small quantities.
plastic not to everyone's taste
While waterproof, the ink is on the surface and so will scuff after some time
SuperTuffMenus
Pros
We print as few as five simple menus
Waterproof and washable. the print is protected by the wrapping
Classy feel does not compare to typical plastic
Can be washed daily, even after every customer use.
Guaranteed not to go soggy or peel within a year
Cons
They just don’t fold nicely
Initial cost unit cost is very high but when compared with alternatives over time SuperTuffMenus show great value.
Not everyone’s cup of tea - they are not suited to changing every week or month. For these to work for your operation they need to have 3-4 months use.
So there you have some different menu styles to consider. All these need to be assessed with your operation and service style in mind. I’ve kept the best to last but I do understand that the SuperTuffMenu is not for everyone.
Please do post anything you felt I have missed or your alternative point of view.