What the weekly menu is for
A daily menu is decided each morning; a weekly menu is decided the Friday before. It makes sense if you cook by the day (soup on Monday, curry on Thursday, fish on Friday) and have customers who come back: offices, workshops, building sites, people from the neighbourhood.
- Customers plan. They know which day it’s the roast and which day they’d rather eat at their desk.
- You plan. With the week written down, ordering and prep fall into place.
- Fewer questions. “What’s on today?” is answered by a photo that’s already on the door and on your social media.
It doesn’t replace the daily menu: it complements it. Many places put the weekly menu in the window and still put each day’s printed menu on the tables.
The structure: one day per column
The easiest layout to read is a Monday-to-Friday table, like the ones school canteens have always used:
- One column per day, with the day’s name at the top.
- Starter, main and dessert, in the same order every day. That way the eye finds what it’s looking for quickly.
- The price once, in the header, with what’s included.
- Notes at the bottom: serving times, whether a vegetarian option is available on request.
On landscape A4 each column is about five centimetres wide. Three or four dishes a day fit well, with names of three to six words. If you offer four starters and four mains each day, the sheet gets crowded: put the main dishes on the weekly menu and keep the full list for each morning’s set lunch menu.
Short names people understand
In a narrow column, every word counts:
- “Battered haddock”, not “Line-caught North Sea haddock in a crisp beer batter with mushy peas and tartare sauce”.
- No descriptions. They don’t fit on a weekly menu and aren’t needed: it’s a list for choosing a day.
- What defines the dish, first: “Chicken tikka masala”, “Roast pork”, “Cottage pie”.
- No odd abbreviations. “Cauli chs w/ crisp tpg” is harder to read than “Cauliflower cheese”.
Price, “includes” and supplements
In the header, as on the daily menu, one price and one line that leaves no doubt:
Two courses £14.50 · Three courses £17.50 · Tea or coffee included
If the price changes on a particular day (Friday fish, for example), say so in the footnote or with a supplement next to the dish. Customers need to know about anything extra before they order; there’s more detail in the guide to menu labelling rules. In the US, remember that set prices are usually shown before sales tax.
The week’s dates
A weekly menu without dates is out of date the moment Friday is over. MenuDesign puts the current week’s range in the header, “Week of 19–23 October”, or whatever text you type, for example if you prepare it in advance or the week has a bank holiday.
If there’s a bank holiday or a public holiday midweek, remove that column or leave it with “Closed for the bank holiday”. Better that than an empty day that looks like a mistake.
Allergens for every dish
Your duties are the same as for the main menu: you must be able to give information on the 14 allergens in each dish, even when the dishes change every day. In a narrow column, numbers are the most compact; icons are recognised at a glance. Either way, the key goes at the bottom of the sheet.
Pay particular attention to dishes that come back with variations: meatballs may contain breadcrumbs and egg one week and follow another recipe the next. There’s more in allergens on the set lunch menu.
Where it goes and how to share it
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Window or door | Landscape A4, or enlarged to A3 at a print shop |
| Bar or till | Landscape A4 in a sleeve |
| WhatsApp and social media | PNG or JPG image that you post on Monday |
| Office customers | PDF that you email to anyone who asks |
MenuDesign doesn’t send anything for you: you download the PDF or the image and share it through your usual channels.
Your Friday routine
- Duplicate this week’s menu. It stays saved in your browser, no account needed.
- Change the dishes day by day. As you type, the app suggests dishes you’ve used before, with the allergens you marked. Check them if you’ve changed the recipe.
- Check the dates, the price and the “includes” line.
- Export the PDF to print and the image for social media.
In five minutes, the week is ready.
Design
The template uses the Tablecloth style: homely, warm and easy to read. If your daily menu already uses Chalkboard, use the same style for the weekly one so people recognise it as yours. You’ll find all 50 styles in the menu designs gallery.
Make it with MenuDesign
Open the weekly menu template, change the venue’s name, the price and each day’s dishes, mark the allergens and download the PDF on landscape A4. Free, no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
What's the point of publishing the whole week's menu?
Regulars can plan: they know which day it's fish and chips or curry and choose when to come. It helps you organise ordering and prep, and saves you answering the same question by phone or message every morning.
What if I change a dish one day?
It happens often: the fish doesn't arrive or something runs out. Change the dish on the menu, reprint that sheet and update the image you posted. And check the allergens of the new dish, which may not be the same.
Can I include Saturday and Sunday?
Yes. The template starts with five days, Monday to Friday, and you can add Saturday and Sunday. Each day is another column, so with seven the dish names need to be shorter.
What paper size should I use for the weekly menu?
Landscape A4, with one day per column. For the door or the window, the same PDF can be enlarged to A3 at any print shop, because it has the same proportions.