Running a takeaway menu drop that fills the delivery diary

Menus are the highest-retention piece of print a local business can produce. The campaign question is not whether to drop them, but how often, where, and with what on the front.

Start with the honest delivery radius

Drop only where you can deliver hot food within your own service standard. A menu in a household you will decline to serve costs you twice: the print and the disappointed caller.

Timing the drop around ordering behaviour

Menus that arrive close to the weekend tend to be in front of people at the moment they are deciding what to eat. New-opening drops are the exception - go early and repeat, because the first menu establishes that you exist and the second gets used.

What to put on the front panel

The cuisine, the area you serve, the phone number and one reason to try you tonight. Keep the full dish list inside. A front panel crowded with every item competes with itself.

  • Cuisine and business name, readable at arm's length
  • Phone number and ordering method, large
  • Opening hours - the most-checked detail on any menu
  • One introductory offer with clear terms

Repeat cycles beat one big drop

Three drops into the same postcodes across a season generally build more recognition than one drop across three times the area. Households replace the menu on the fridge with the newest one they receive.

Track orders back to the menu

A code word at the till, a menu-only offer, or a dedicated number all work. Ask every caller how they heard about you and log it - after a month you will know which postcodes deserve the next drop.

Frequently asked

How many menus should a new takeaway print?

Enough to cover your delivery radius at least twice, so you can repeat into the same area rather than reprinting after one drop.

Should the menu be folded?

For anything beyond a short list, yes. A4 folded to DL is the standard because it holds a full menu and posts cleanly.

Can you print and distribute together?

Yes - print, bundling by postcode and GPS-tracked delivery can all run as one job.

Planning a menu drop this season?

Give us your delivery postcodes and we will price the print and the rounds together.