MenuPalWhy a PDF is hard to read on a phone
A menu PDF is laid out for an A4 or A3 page. On a phone the text starts tiny, so guests pinch, zoom and drag sideways to read each line. Some phones open a PDF in a separate viewer or download it first, which takes the guest away from the page they scanned. Large files with photos can be slow on mobile data.
Translation and accessibility
A browser's own translate option works on web pages, but usually not on a PDF opened in a viewer. A designed menu exported to PDF often has no accessibility tags, so screen readers read it out of order or not at all. And the larger text setting on a guest's phone has no effect on a PDF.
Keeping it up to date
Every change to a PDF means editing the design file, exporting it and uploading it again. If the new file ends up at a different address, the printed QR codes still open the old menu.
What a web menu does
- Fits the screen with no zooming
- Follows the guest's own text size
- Shows a change the moment you save it
- Works with screen readers
- Can hide sold out dishes and show the right menu for the time of day
- Can open in the guest's own language
When a PDF is fine
Keep the PDF for printing and as a download on your website. Just do not make it the thing a guest at the table has to read.
Turning your PDF into a web menu
MenuPal can import your existing menu from a PDF or photos. It builds a draft for you to check, then turns it into a web menu each guest reads in their own language.