Digital Menus

Best Digital Menu Setup for Cafés

By Thmenu Team · Published 28 October 2026 · Reviewed by Kerim Sağlam, Founder, Synaltix LLC — approved for publication in bulk (owner decision 2026-11-06)

The best digital menu setup for a café is short and built around how people order: a few clear categories, one item per drink with sizes and milks as options, breakfast and lunch that appear only at their time of day, allergens on every item, and the Wi-Fi details one tap away. Decide early whether guests order from the menu or only read it — that choice shapes everything else.

1. Keep the categories short

On a phone, the category bar is the menu. Five to eight categories that match how guests think — coffee, tea and other drinks, cold drinks, breakfast, sandwiches, cakes and pastries — work better than a long list split by supplier or by kitchen. Put the category most people come for first.

2. Use options, not duplicates

A café menu explodes when every size and milk is its own item. Keep one "Flat white" and add the choices to it: size, milk, an extra shot, syrup, decaf. Give each option its own price where it costs more. The menu stays short, and the order that reaches the bar says exactly what to make.

3. Show each menu at its time

If breakfast stops at eleven, the menu should stop offering it at eleven. Set categories to appear only on certain days and hours — breakfast in the morning, a lunch menu at noon, a weekend brunch — so guests never order something the kitchen has stopped making.

4. Fill in allergens and dietary tags

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency says food businesses must tell customers if food contains any of the 14 listed allergens as an ingredient; for food that is not prepacked, the information can be written or from staff, and written information plus a conversation works best. A digital menu makes the written part easy: tag each item once and guests see it every time. Rules differ by country, so check what applies where you trade.

5. Make it look like your café

• Use your own colours and a readable font; test it outside in daylight.
• Photos for the items people choose by eye — cakes, pastries, the daily special — not for every espresso.
• Choose a layout that suits the menu: a photo grid for the cake counter, a compact list for drinks.

6. Put the Wi-Fi in the menu

In many cafés the second question after "what can I order?" is "what's the Wi-Fi?". Putting the network details in the menu saves staff answering it all day.

7. Decide: read only, or order too?

• Read only: the menu replaces the board; guests still order and pay at the counter.
• Order at the table: good for cafés with table service or a large seating area.
• Order ahead for pickup: good for commuters and a busy morning rush.

For where to put the codes and how coffee orders flow, see QR menus for coffee shops.

Setting up a café menu in Thmenu

In Thmenu you add categories and items, attach options and add-ons with their own prices, and set categories to show only on certain days and hours. Each item can carry the 14 EU allergens, which guests see on the item page in their language. A theme, colours, a font and a grid, list or compact layout make the menu match the café. The menu can show a Wi-Fi card that connects with one tap or lets guests copy the password. Leave ordering off for a view-only menu, or switch on table ordering or pickup when you are ready; mark items sold out by hand or let a stock count do it.

See how a Thmenu digital menu works.