How to make a digital menu for your restaurant (free and paid options)

Short answer: the best digital menu is a live web page — real, structured text that loads instantly on a phone, can be updated in seconds, and is readable by Google and AI search. Avoid PDFs and images: they're slow, hard to update, and largely invisible to search. ## Your options, ranked 1. Live menu page (best). A real web page with structured items and prices. Fast, updatable, and discoverable. This is what Kitch builds. 2. Website-builder menu (okay). Squarespace/Wix can host a menu page, but every edit needs a desktop login — so it goes stale. 3. PDF or image (avoid). Cheap, but slow on phones, painful to update, and search engines can't read it well. ## How to make a live digital menu 1. List your items with names, short descriptions, and prices as real text. 2. Group by section (starters, mains, drinks) with clear headings. 3. Publish it on a fast page at your own domain or subdomain. 4. Add a QR code on each table that points to it. 5. Keep it current — update the moment something changes. ## Why "findable" matters When a guest asks Google or an AI assistant "what's on the menu at [your restaurant]," the answer is pulled from readable text on a current page. A PDF or photo can't reliably feed that answer — so you lose the placement to an aggregator. ## FAQ ### How do I make a digital menu for free? You can paste a PDF on a free site, but it'll be slow and unsearchable. A purpose-built live menu page (like Kitch) is inexpensive and far more effective for discovery and updates. ### What's the best format for a restaurant menu online? A live HTML page with structured text — not a PDF or image. Text is fast to load, accessible, and readable by search and AI engines. ### How do I update my digital menu? With Kitch you message the change in plain language and the page updates in seconds — no CMS login. With a website builder you log in and edit on desktop. ### Do I need a QR code for a digital menu? A QR code is the easiest way to get guests from the table to your menu. Point a dynamic code at your live page so you never reprint when the menu changes. Kitch gives you a live menu page, QR codes, and hours — updated by message. See how it works or start your page.