Introducing Design Studio: Custom Themes & Branded QR Codes for Your Restaurant

Your restaurant's brand tells a story. From the moment guests walk through your door, every detail matters: the lighting, the music, the table settings, the way your staff greets them. Your menu is no different. It's not just a list of dishes and prices. It's an extension of your brand, a silent ambassador that speaks to your customers before they even take their first bite.

That's why we built Design Studio.

Today, we're excited to announce two powerful new features that put complete creative control in your hands: the Theme Editor and QR Code Studio. Whether you run a cozy neighbourhood cafe or an upscale fine dining establishment, you can now create digital menus that look and feel authentically yours.

Why Design Matters for Digital Menus

Before we dive into the features, let's talk about why this matters.

When customers scan a QR code at your table, they're forming an impression within seconds. Research shows that it takes just 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about a website, and the same applies to digital menus. A generic, template-looking menu can undermine the premium experience you've worked so hard to create.

Consider this scenario: A couple walks into your elegantly decorated Italian restaurant. The ambient lighting is perfect. The tablecloths are crisp white linen. They sit down, scan the QR code, and up pops a menu that looks like it was designed for a fast-food chain. The disconnect is jarring. The spell is broken.

Now imagine the opposite. They scan the code, and a beautifully designed menu appears with warm cream backgrounds, elegant serif fonts, and your logo proudly displayed at the top. The colours match your restaurant's aesthetic perfectly. It feels intentional. It feels like you.

That's the power of Design Studio.

Theme Editor: Your Brand, Your Way

The Theme Editor gives you complete control over how your menu looks to customers. No design skills required. No need to hire an agency. Just intuitive controls that let you see changes in real-time.

30+ Professionally Designed Templates

We've partnered with professional designers to create over 30 templates across six distinct categories. Each template has been carefully crafted to suit different restaurant styles and cuisines.

Minimal Collection Perfect for modern cafes and contemporary restaurants that value clean aesthetics. Templates like "Clean White", "Soft Gray", and "Swiss" strip away unnecessary decoration to let your food speak for itself. These designs feature generous whitespace, simple typography, and subtle colour accents.

Elegant Collection Designed for fine dining establishments, wine bars, and upscale venues. "Gold & Black" features luxurious gold accents against a dark background. "Champagne" uses soft, sophisticated tones perfect for brunch spots. "Bordeaux" brings deep wine-red hues ideal for French or Italian restaurants.

Bold Collection For restaurants that want to make a statement. "Electric Blue" brings vibrant energy to modern eateries. "Neon Nights" combines dark backgrounds with eye-catching neon accents, perfect for bars and late-night venues. "Cherry Red" demands attention while remaining appetising.

Rustic Collection Warm, inviting designs for farm-to-table restaurants, bakeries, and country-style eateries. "Farmhouse" uses earthy tones that evoke comfort. "Chalkboard" recreates the beloved aesthetic of handwritten specials boards. "Herb Garden" brings fresh greens that complement organic and vegetarian menus.

Modern Collection Contemporary designs for forward-thinking establishments. "Glassmorphism" features trendy frosted glass effects. "Gradient Mesh" uses beautiful colour transitions. "Aurora" combines dark backgrounds with subtle northern lights-inspired gradients.

Dark Collection Sophisticated dark themes that reduce eye strain in dimly lit environments and look stunning on mobile screens. "Midnight" offers deep blues perfect for evening dining. "Espresso" brings rich coffee tones ideal for cafes. "Forest Night" uses deep greens for a mysterious, natural feel.

Complete Colour Customisation

Every colour in your menu can be adjusted to match your exact brand specifications. No more "close enough". If your brand uses #2D5445 as its primary green, your menu will use that exact shade.

You can customise:

• ★Primary colour: Used for buttons, highlights, and key interactive elements
• ★Secondary colour: For supporting elements and accents
• ★Background colour: The main canvas of your menu
• ★Surface colour: Used for cards and elevated elements
• ★Text colours: Both primary and secondary text for optimal readability
• ★Border colours: For subtle definition between elements
• ★Price colour: Make your prices stand out or blend in as you prefer

Our colour picker includes preset palettes curated by designers, or you can enter your exact hex codes. A live preview shows exactly how each change affects your menu's appearance.

Typography That Sets the Tone

Fonts carry emotion. A playful script font says something very different from a bold sans-serif. With our Typography controls, you can choose from 23 carefully selected fonts that render beautifully on all devices.

Sans-Serif Options Fonts like Inter, Poppins, and Montserrat offer clean, modern readability. These work well for contemporary restaurants, fast-casual dining, and tech-forward establishments.

Serif Options Playfair Display, Merriweather, and Cormorant Garamond bring classic elegance. These fonts excel in fine dining contexts, wine menus, and establishments with historical character.

Display & Specialty For unique personalities, fonts like Caveat add handwritten charm, while Space Mono brings technical precision perfect for craft cocktail bars or industrial-chic spaces.

Beyond font selection, you can control:

• ★Font sizes for menu titles, category headers, item names, descriptions, and prices
• ★Font weights from light to bold
• ★Line height for optimal readability

Layout Options That Fit Your Content

Different menus benefit from different layouts. A tapas bar with many small plates might want a compact grid view. A steakhouse with detailed descriptions for each cut might prefer an expanded list view.

List Layout The classic menu format. Items are displayed vertically with images alongside (if enabled). Perfect for restaurants with longer descriptions or when you want customers to read carefully about each dish.

Card Layout Each item gets its own card with a large featured image. Ideal for Instagram-worthy dishes where visuals drive the decision. Works beautifully for dessert menus, brunch spots, and any cuisine where presentation is paramount.

Grid Layout A compact display showing more items at once. Great for cafes with many options, tapas restaurants, or any establishment where customers like to browse quickly.

Magazine Layout A hybrid approach featuring a hero item at the top with a grid below. Perfect for highlighting daily specials or signature dishes while still showing your full range.

Additional layout controls include:

• ★Item spacing (compact, normal, or relaxed)
• ★Image shapes (square, rounded, or circular)
• ★Image sizes (small, medium, or large)
• ★Category display styles (tabs, sections, or accordion)
• ★Card styling (border radius, shadows, borders, hover effects)
• ★Header configuration (logo, restaurant name, alignment)

Background Customisation

Set the stage with the perfect background:

• ★Solid colours: Clean and consistent
• ★Gradients: Add depth with smooth colour transitions in any direction
• ★Images: Upload a subtle pattern or texture that reinforces your brand

QR Code Studio: Scannable Branding

Your QR code is the gateway to your digital menu. It's printed on table tents, stuck on windows, featured on business cards, and shared on social media. Yet most restaurants use generic black-and-white codes that miss a huge branding opportunity.

QR Code Studio changes that.

30 Professional QR Templates

We've designed templates for every use case:

Table Tents (6 designs) Stand-up displays perfect for table placement. Designs range from the elegant "Gold & Black" for upscale venues to the playful "Colorful Fun" for family restaurants. Each is sized at 4×6 inches for standard table tent holders.

Wall Posters (6 designs) A4-sized designs for wall mounting or window display. "Bold Impact" demands attention from across the room. "Luxury Gold" adds sophistication to your entrance. "Fresh Green" communicates healthy, organic values.

Stickers (6 designs) 3×3 inch circular and square designs perfect for sticking on menus, counter surfaces, or packaging. "Circle Sticker" is minimal and versatile. "Gold Circle" adds premium flair. "Coffee Cup" is perfect for takeaway cups.

Table Cards (6 designs) Horizontal 5×3 inch cards that lay flat on tables. "Dark Premium" suits upscale environments. "Retro Diner" brings nostalgic Americana. "Beach Vibes" is perfect for coastal and holiday-themed venues.

Counter Signs (3 designs) Larger 5×7 inch designs for counter placement. "Order Here" guides customers at ordering points. "Scan to Pay" facilitates contactless payment. "Pickup Here" directs collection.

Window Decals (3 designs) 6×6 inch designs made for window application. "We Are Open" welcomes passersby. "Free WiFi + Menu" combines two customer needs into one scan.

Customise Every Element

Each template is fully customisable:

QR Code Styling

• ★Choose between square, rounded, or dot-pattern QR styles
• ★Set foreground and background colours
• ★Add borders with custom widths and colours
• ★Embed your logo in the centre (our QR codes use high error correction to remain scannable)

Text Elements All text automatically uses your restaurant name, but you can edit taglines, calls-to-action, and helper text. Change fonts, sizes, colours, and positioning.

Background Adjust colours, gradients, and patterns to match your brand or the specific location where the code will be displayed.

Print-Ready Downloads

Export your designs in multiple formats:

PNG Format High-resolution images perfect for digital use and standard printing. We export at 2x resolution for crisp results on modern high-DPI screens and printers.

PDF Format Vector-based files with exact print dimensions. Hand these directly to your print shop for professional results. Includes crop marks and bleed areas.

SVG Format (Coming Soon) Infinitely scalable vector files perfect for large format printing like banners and wall graphics.

Real-World Impact

Let's look at how real restaurants are using Design Studio.

Case Study: The Green Kitchen

Sarah runs a farm-to-table restaurant in Bristol. Her brand centres on sustainability and natural ingredients. She chose the "Herb Garden" theme, customised the primary colour to match her logo's sage green, and selected Merriweather for its organic, approachable feel.

For her QR codes, she used the "Fresh Green Poster" template for the entrance and "Simple Card" table cards with her logo embedded. The result? A cohesive brand experience from the moment customers approach her door to when they browse the menu.

"Before, our digital menu looked like every other restaurant's. Now it feels like us. Customers have actually commented on how beautiful the menu is."

Case Study: Noir Cocktail Bar

James operates an upscale cocktail bar in Shoreditch. The space features exposed brick, dim lighting, and a sophisticated aesthetic. He chose the "Midnight" theme with deep navy backgrounds, customised the accent colour to match his bar's signature copper fixtures, and used Playfair Display for that refined edge.

His QR codes use the "Gold & Black" table tent template with "DRINKS MENU" as the headline. The codes themselves use gold on black, matching the venue's aesthetic.

"The QR codes are now part of our decor, not an afterthought. People actually photograph them for Instagram."

Case Study: Sunny Side Cafe

Maria runs a family-friendly breakfast cafe. The space is bright, cheerful, and welcoming to children. She chose the "Playful Colors" theme with warm yellows and oranges, selected Quicksand for its friendly rounded letters, and opted for a card layout to showcase her photogenic pancake stacks.

Her QR codes use the "Fun Emoji" sticker design, placed directly on tables with a laminate coating for easy cleaning.

"Kids love scanning the codes. Parents appreciate that the menu loads instantly with big pictures. It's made ordering with little ones so much easier."

Getting Started with Design Studio

Ready to transform your digital menu? Here's how to access these new features:

1. ★Log in to your MenuGo dashboard at menugo.live
2. ★Navigate to the menu you want to customise
3. ★Click "Design & Theme" in the left sidebar to open the Theme Editor
4. ★Browse templates by category and select one as your starting point
5. ★Customise colours, fonts, and layout using the intuitive controls
6. ★Preview your changes in real-time on the right panel (toggle between mobile and desktop views)
7. ★Save when you're happy with the result

For QR codes:

1. ★Click "QR Studio" in the menu settings
2. ★Browse templates by category (Table Tents, Posters, Stickers, etc.)
3. ★Select a template and preview it with your restaurant's name
4. ★Customise colours, text, and styling as needed
5. ★Download as PNG or PDF, ready for printing

What's Next?

Design Studio is just the beginning. Here's what's on our roadmap:

• ★Custom theme saving: Save your customised themes to apply to other menus instantly
• ★Brand kit: Upload your logo, set brand colours once, and apply them across all features
• ★Animation options: Add subtle animations to your menu for a premium feel
• ★Seasonal templates: Holiday-themed designs for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and more
• ★Custom QR shapes: Move beyond squares to rounded and custom-shaped codes

Start Designing Today

Your restaurant is unique. Your menu should be too.

Design Studio is available now on all MenuGo plans, including Free. While Free plan users have access to 10 templates, Pro and Business subscribers unlock the full collection of 30+ themes and all QR templates.

We can't wait to see what you create. Share your designs with us on social media using #MenuGoDesign, and we'll feature the best ones in our gallery.

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Ready to make your menu beautiful? Start customising at menugo.live — it's free to get started.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need design skills to use Design Studio? Absolutely not. We've done the hard work by creating professionally designed templates. You simply choose one and tweak the colours and fonts to match your brand. The preview updates in real-time, so you can see exactly what customers will see.

Will my QR codes still work after customising them? Yes. Our QR codes use high error correction levels, which means they remain scannable even with logo overlays and custom colours. We recommend testing any code before printing, but in our testing, all designs scan reliably on all major smartphones.

Can I change my design later? Anytime. Your design choices are never permanent. Feel free to update your theme seasonally, try different options, or completely overhaul your look. Changes take effect immediately.

What file formats can I download QR codes in? Currently PNG (high-resolution) and PDF (print-ready with exact dimensions). SVG support is coming soon for those who need infinitely scalable vectors.

Is Design Studio included in my plan? Design Studio is available on all plans. Free users have access to 10 templates and basic QR designs. Pro and Business subscribers unlock all 30+ themes and the complete QR template library.

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Have questions about Design Studio? Contact our support team at hello@menugo.live or use the chat widget in your dashboard.