Your menu is not a price list; it is a strategic map. If you fail to design coffee shop menu with intent, you are essentially guiding your customers straight to the cheapest item on the page. In the competitive Saudi coffee market, where rent is high and margins are tight, you cannot afford ‘passive’ design.

You need ‘Menu Engineering’—the science of using layout, psychology, and typography to increase your average ticket size. Based on our analysis of high-performing cafes in Riyadh and Jeddah, here are the 5 menu design rules that actually drive profit.

1. The Verdict on QR Codes: Bring Back the Paper

Since 2020, we have seen a flood of QR codes glued to tables. It’s convenient, sure. But is it profitable? The Expert View: For a sit-down specialty cafe, Physical Menus win.

• The Logic: When a customer looks at a QR code, they are on their phone. They get a WhatsApp notification; they check Instagram. They are distracted.
• The Shift: A physical menu commands attention. The texture of the paper, the weight of the card—it signals “Luxury.” Data suggests that physical menus can increase ticket size by 15-20% because customers linger longer on the descriptions.

2. The “Hero Shot” Rule (Visuals in KSA)

Saudi Arabia is a visual culture. We eat with our eyes. However, there is a fine line between “appetizing” and “cheap cafeteria.”

• The Mistake: Putting a photo next to every single item. This creates clutter and lowers the perceived value.
• The Fix: Use “Hero Shots.”
• Select the one item in each category with the highest profit margin and the best look (e.g., your Signature French Toast). Give that item a beautiful, high-quality photo. Leave the rest as text.
• The Hero Shot sets the quality expectation for the entire page, without making the menu look like a flyer.

3. The Bilingual Layout Challenge

Designing for English (Left-to-Right) and Arabic (Right-to-Left) on the same page is a typographer’s nightmare.

• The Expert Fix: Avoid the “Center Gutter” where prices sit in the middle and text floats on the edges. It’s hard to read.
• The Solution: Use Visual Stacking.
• Place the Arabic title above the English title. Use a slightly heavier font weight for the Arabic to ground it.
• Use a discreet column for prices on the far side. This treats the two languages as a unified block rather than two fighting sides.

4. Banish the “Leader Dots”

You know those menus with a line of dots connecting the burger to the price? Burger ………………………………………………. 45

• The Problem: These dots are a highway for the eye. They encourage the customer to scan down the price column on the right, looking for the lowest number, rather than reading the descriptions on the left.
• The Fix: “Nested Pricing.”
• Place the price at the end of the description paragraph, in the same font size.
  • Ex: “A double shot of espresso over chilled milk and rose syrup. 24”
• This forces the customer to read the delicious description before they see the cost.

5. The “Signature Box”

In KSA, we don’t just drink coffee; we drink “Signatures.” The Spanish Lattes, the Saffron Infusions, the Pistachio mixes. These are your high-margin items.

• The Strategy: Do not hide these in the list of “Cold Coffees.”
• Create a dedicated “Signature Box” or a highlighted zone in the Top Right corner of the menu (the “Prime Real Estate” where the eye naturally looks first).
• Use a graphic border or a shaded background color to separate this section. This tells the customer: “If you only try one thing, make it this.”

Conclusion

A good menu doesn’t just tell people what you have. It tells them what you want them to buy. Audit your menu today. Are you selling the experience, or are you just listing prices?

Read more : How to design a coffee shop brochure