Every busy bar knows the moment. A guest orders the special, and it sold out twenty minutes ago. A cask runs dry, the kitchen stops serving food at nine, or a new cocktail goes on that nobody can see. The printed menu on the table cannot keep up, so the team ends up explaining the same thing at every table.
Why printed menus fall behind
Printed menus are designed once and used for weeks. That works for the core menu, but not for the things that change during a shift: specials, availability, kitchen times and drinks that come and go. The result is disappointed guests and staff repeating themselves.
What a live menu looks like
A live menu is a page guests open on their own phone by tapping a tag on the table or scanning a QR code. Because it is a web page, someone on the team can change it in seconds:
- Mark a dish or drink as sold out.
- Add tonight's special when it is ready.
- Show when the kitchen closes.
- Swap the drinks list when a cask or keg changes.
Make one person responsible
A live menu only helps if someone keeps it live. Give one person on each shift the job of updating it, usually whoever runs the pass or the bar. A quick check at the start of service and after each sell-out is usually enough.
Keep it simple for guests
- Put the most-ordered items and the specials at the top.
- Keep allergen information easy to find from every dish.
- Use short descriptions that read well on a small screen.
- Keep a printed menu or a member of staff available for guests who prefer it.
How TAPP helps
TAPP tags and stands sit on tables, bars and counters. Guests tap or scan to open your menu with no app, and you update it from your TAPP account. When you publish a change, it is live straight away for everyone who taps.