Digital Menus
Fine Dining Menus: Wine Lists, Courses, Tasting Menus
In fine dining the menu is part of the experience, and a QR code on the table is not always welcome. A digital menu still earns its place: as the wine list and allergen reference staff use at the table, as the menu guests read before they book, and as an option for guests who want to read in their own language. Most fine dining restaurants keep the printed card and use the digital menu alongside it, not instead of it.
Where a digital menu fits
| Use | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Before the visit | Guests read the menu when they decide where to book, and arrive knowing what to expect |
| The wine list | A long list changes often; a digital list is current without reprinting |
| Allergens and diets | Staff can check a dish's allergens at the table instead of asking the kitchen |
| Guests from abroad | A guest can read the menu in their own language on request |
| Seasonal and tasting menus | A new course is online the day it changes |
Where the printed card still wins
- The moment the menu is handed over is part of the welcome; a phone cannot do that.
- Guests who came to put their phones away should not be asked to take them out.
- A tasting menu presented by staff often needs no menu at the table at all.
A sensible middle path: a printed card at the table, and the digital menu offered quietly — by staff, on request, or on a small card with the code — for the wine list, allergens and other languages.
Make it look like the room
- Choose a restrained layout: a list reads more like a printed card than a grid of photos.
- Use the restaurant's own type and colours, and fewer photos than a casual menu would.
- If you show photos, show the real plate; label any illustrative image clearly.
- Write descriptions the way your staff would describe the dish — sourcing, technique, what it is served with.
Ordering: usually off
Few fine dining restaurants let guests order from their phones; the server takes the order and guides the meal. A digital menu can stay view-only, so it informs without changing the service.
Venue-specific ideas: Thmenu for fine dining.
A fine dining menu with Thmenu
In Thmenu you choose a theme preset, colours, a font and a layout — grid, list or compact — so the menu matches the room. Each dish has its own page with photos, description, price, options and allergen information for the 14 EU allergens, and a photo that is illustrative rather than the real dish is labelled "Illustrative image". You can keep several menus — the à la carte, a tasting menu, the wine list — and choose which one is live, or show a category only on certain days and hours. Ordering is a separate switch: leave it off and the menu stays view-only. The guest menu is available in 31 languages.