How to make a multilingual restaurant menu (step by step)
If a good share of your guests are visitors, a menu they can read is part of service. This guide covers the decisions that matter, in the order you'll face them.
1. Pick languages from your actual guests, not from a list
Start with the languages you hear at your tables. A simple way: for two weeks, ask staff to tick a sheet with the language of each table that asks for help with the menu. In most European tourist cities the shortlist ends up being some mix of English, Spanish, French, German and Italian plus your local language — but your own sheet beats any generic advice.
Tips:
- Always include English as the fallback language.
- Prefer 5–7 well-maintained languages over 15 that nobody checks.
- Let the guest's phone language choose automatically, with a visible switcher to change it.
2. Translate dish names carefully — sometimes, don't
Machine translation is a good first draft for descriptions, but short dish names are where it fails most. In our own tests an offline translation engine turned codfish fritters into Italian shrimp fritters. Rules that work:
- Keep iconic local names (pastel de nata, bacalhau à brás, pan con tomate, bœuf bourguignon) and add a short translated description underneath.
- Show the original name in small type under the translation, so guests can point at it and staff recognise it.
- Explain unfamiliar ingredients in a few words ("farinheira — smoked sausage made with flour and pork fat").
- Have a native speaker review dish names and allergens before printing a QR code.
3. Put allergens on every dish
In the EU, information on the 14 allergens in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 is mandatory for non‑prepacked food too, including restaurants (Article 44). Countries set how it must be shown — see our EU allergen guide. Showing allergen icons with names in the guest's language reduces mistakes at the table.
4. Structure the menu once, publish everywhere
Keep one master menu (sections, dishes, prices, allergens) and generate each language from it. When a price changes, it changes in every language at once. Avoid maintaining separate PDF files per language — they drift apart within weeks.
5. Make it easy to open: QR codes
- Put the QR on table tents, the window and receipts.
- Use one QR per venue that always points to the current menu, so you never reprint when prices change.
- Test it with older phones and on mobile data — a light web page beats a heavy PDF.
6. Keep a printed fallback
Some guests won't scan. Keep a few printed copies (English + local language at least).
7. Own your data
Whatever tool you use, make sure you can export your menu (JSON/CSV or similar) and leave with it. Your menu is your business.
8. Let guests ask questions in their language
A translated menu answers most questions, but not "can you do this without nuts?" or "is there a table for six on Friday?". Guests who don't share a language with your staff often don't ask at all, or they phone and struggle.
A simple fix needs no app and no server: a button on the menu where the guest picks a topic (booking, allergy question, something else), fills in the basics (date, time and party size, or the allergens and the dish), and the page writes the message in your language from pre-written templates. The guest checks a preview, then it opens in WhatsApp (via a wa.me click-to-chat link) or email, already addressed to you. You reply in your own language; the guest can use WhatsApp's built-in translation.
Two details matter: - For allergy questions, keep the guest's original words next to the translation. Templates can mistranslate, so the restaurant should see exactly what the guest wrote. - Store nothing. The message goes from the guest's own phone to yours; the menu page never keeps a copy.
TableLingo menus include this as the "Ask us in your language" button. Try it on the Lisbon demo: in demos it only shows the message and sends nothing.
Checklist
- ☐ Languages chosen from real guest data
- ☐ Local dish names kept where they matter, with translated descriptions
- ☐ Native-speaker review of names and allergens
- ☐ 14 EU allergens tagged per dish, in every language
- ☐ One master menu; every language generated from it
- ☐ QR code tested on mobile data
- ☐ Export/backup of your menu
Want to see the result? Open one of our unofficial demo menus or try the free menu builder.