Whenever you collaborate with On trade outlets, e.g. a restaurant or a bar, you have a vested interest in providing them with your branded menu holders. After all, outlets need to present their products and a menu holder is an essential Point of Sale material with which to do that.
In today’s blog post I’ll explain all the reasons why a menu holder is important, the different types that exist and present a few product ideas to get your creative juices flowing. I will talk about them in terms of relevance to someone who is managing a brand, be it within the organisation that is the brand owner, e.g. Diageo, or be it as their marketing execution partner who is taking care of designing, developing and/or sourcing menu holders for them, e.g. HH Global.
Menu holders serve several purposes. Not only do they help present menus in an organised way, so that customers can make more informed decisions. They protect menus from scratches, spills and stains, too.
Menu holders are one of the top Point of Sale objects that you’ll want to manage. Typically located on tables and bar tops, menu holders are easily visible to consumers. They’ll actively use them to read what products/services are being offered. It is in your interest to use menu holders to communicate with consumers and position your brand as the top choice.
An aspect that is often neglected is that your menu holders should not only represent your brand and appeal to your target audience, but they need to work well for the outlet owner, too. In terms of the interior design and what the brand of the outlet stands for. Too often I’ve been in outlets where this aspect has been completely neglected. A sleek, minimal menu holder in a steampunk themed bar? Yeah, that does not work well. A custom solution will work well here.
A personalized model is different. Some people refer to them as custom or, in Britain, they call them bespoke keyrings. They are unique, in the sense that nobody else is using the exact same model. They might even go beyond that, containing e.g. the name or the person that is receiving it.
Within the world of menu holders, there exist three main categories.
Tabletop menu holders represent the most common menu holder category. As the name itself already reveals, these are menu holders that are placed on top of the tables customers sit at. It is important that they do not occupy too much of the table surface. Otherwise there wouldn’t be enough space space for plates, cutlery, glasses and, last but not least, for guests to rest their arms, keys, wallets or phones on.
Some restaurants prefer to use wall-mounted menu holders. It is typical in fast food type of restaurants. Whilst consumers wait in line to place their order they are reading the information about the menu on holders that are hanging on the wall behind the cashier(s).
The most common menu board you’ll come across is the so-called A-board. Looking at it from the side, its shape looks like the letter A. I’m referring to the boards you often run into whilst passing by a restaurant or bar. More often than not these are either made from a white plastic panel one can write on with a marker, with an aluminium frame, or from a black chalkboard panel that has a wooden frame.
There are a lot of different menu holders out there. The easiest way to categorise them is by material. Here are five options.
Wood is a high quality, robust option. From lighter to darker wood types, it offers a broad range of color options, particularly since one can tone wood. The most common wood types for menu holders used in Europe are beech, alder and walnut. Personalizing them is easy and done via printing, hostamping or engraving.
MDF stands for Medium-Density Fiberboard and is an engineered wood product where wood fibres and resin are compressed at high temperatures. Natural wood is more durable than MDF and withstands wear and tear better. MDF, though, is the more economic option. It is easier to cut and shape, too, and less prone to cracking when drilled or screwed into. From a sustainability perspective it is considered to be better than wood, since MDF is made from recycled wood fibres. Although one has to point out that the production of MDF involves chemicals that can emit harmful gases. In any case, you’ll find a lot of menu holders are made from MDF.
Another economic option for menu holders is acrylic glass. These are typically laser cut from premade, flat acrylic glass plates. These exist in many different colors and thicknesses, e.g. 3mm, 5mm and 10mm. One can bend flat acrylic glass pieces via applying heat and easily print onto them. If you need a true 3D shape, plastic menu holders are the way to go.
With plastic menu holders we are referring to 3D shaped menu holders. These are often not made by laser cutting premade acrylic glass plates but rather by first developing a stainless steel mould and then using a manufaturing technology called injection moulding. By using this technology one injects heated material into a mould. It is akin to baking muffins. You need a mould to create the desired shape.
Menu holders made from metal are even more robust than wooden ones and extremely durable. The most common types of metal used are aluminium, stainless steel, copper and brass. Metal versions are a good choice if your goal is to use modern looking menu holders.
Managers building a new brand that focuses on the On Trade distrubition channel, think e.g. a beer or soft drinks brand, often consider menu holders as one of their first investments into Point of Sale material. It is that important of a product category.
After all, since menu holders are placed in the middle of tables, it is the promotional product that is the closest to the actual consumer. It stares him or her right in the face when they are about to make their purchasing decision.
Ivica Baraba - Sales & marketing management
"In PES I get to work on many custom branded merchandise projects. I’ve been doing this since 2004. It intrigues me to delve into brand worlds and determine what products can help a client achieve their business goals. It is an exceptionally creative and dynamic industry to be a part of.”
