What must a restaurant's online menu show in the UK? Under the Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003, a price subject to VAT shall be inclusive of the tax, and restaurant food is standard-rated at 20%, so a dish costed at £10 before VAT is shown at £12. Any additional charge, like a cover charge or a minimum spend, must be shown at least as prominently as the price, and when a dish is no longer available its price must be withdrawn as soon as is reasonably practicable. For online orders, the CMA says the customer must get the total price: a £12 cheeseburger with a £2.49 delivery fee is £14.49. Sold online, allergen information on the 14 specified allergens must be given before the purchase is completed and when the food is delivered; the FSA's best practice, not law, is to put it on the main menu or no more than one click away.
What the film covers
- The menu that is wrong everywhere except the till
- HTML page, PDF, photo, menu host or marketplace: which digital menu for a restaurant?
- QR code menu: a link, not a format
- Menu hosts and marketplaces: a copy, not the source
- What an online menu must show: prices, VAT and charges
- Is VAT included in restaurant menu prices?
- Legible, unambiguous and withdrawn when the dish goes
- Drip pricing and the total price
Questions the film answers
- How do I update restaurant menu prices online?
Change the price in the source copy, then update every other copy in a fixed order: the website, the Google Business Profile, the print and any third-party listing. Google says Profile menu changes can take 24 to 48 hours to show. With a live menu on your own site, the website and the QR link update together when you save.
- How do I edit my restaurant menu online without a developer?
Use a menu editor in which each dish is a record with a name, price, description and allergens, rather than a design file. Open the dish, change the field and save. A PDF needs the design file, a re-export and a re-upload, which is why it usually ends up with a web person or a delay.
- Is VAT included in restaurant menu prices?
Yes. The Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003 says a food price subject to VAT shall be inclusive of the tax. At the 20% standard rate, a dish costed at £10.00 before VAT is shown at £12.00. A service charge is also standard-rated, whereas a tip freely given above the total charge carries no VAT.
- Do I have to put allergens on an online menu?
For food sold online or by phone, the FSA says allergen information must be provided before the purchase is completed and when the food is delivered. How to present it is best practice: on the main menu or no more than one click away, with an alternative route for guests who are unable to use the digital version.
- How do I put a drinks menu online?
Give the drinks their own section of the menu page, with sizes in the line, a dietary and allergen key, and sold-out bottles marked. Wine, beer and cocktails change more often than food, so check the list weekly. Sulphites count among the 14 allergens where they exceed ten parts per million.
- Is a QR code menu enough, or do I need a website menu?
A QR code only opens an address, so it needs a good page behind it. If the code opens a PDF or a third-party page, the menu is only as good as that file. Pointing the code at a menu page on your own site means a price change never needs a reprint, and the FSA advises an alternative route to allergen information.