According to BrightLocal (2026), 73% of US consumers started their most recent local search on a phone. For a restaurant, that means your menu is read on a six-inch screen, often one-handed and in a hurry. These are the most common mistakes we see when reviewing restaurants.
1. The menu is a giant PDF
It loads slowly, forces zooming and sometimes downloads instead of opening. If a PDF is all you have, keep it light (under 2 MB) with large type. Better: a simple web page with the menu as text.
2. The Google link doesn’t go to the menu
The “Menu” button on your listing points to your homepage, an old site or a broken link. Tap it yourself from a phone once a month.
3. Photos of the menu instead of a menu
A photo of the chalkboard can look nice, but it’s hard to read, can’t be translated and Google can’t understand it. Use it as a complement, not as the main menu.
4. No prices, or old prices
Publishing prices isn’t required, but it helps people decide. If you publish them, keep them current: an outdated price causes arguments at the register and negative reviews.
5. Only one language when your customers speak two
If you serve English and Spanish speakers, a bilingual menu, even with just a short description of each dish, removes doubts (“what’s in a pupusa revuelta?”). See our guide to writing a bilingual menu.
6. It’s unclear how to order
Takeout? Phone, an app, WhatsApp? Put one clear button above the menu with your main way to order, and make sure it works on a phone.
7. Different information everywhere
The menu on Google, on your website and on the delivery app don’t match. Pick one as the “official” menu and link to it from everywhere else.
A quick test
Ask someone you trust to find your restaurant and place a test order from their phone, with no help. Time it and note where they hesitate. That’s your fix list.
In LocalDual’s free review we test your menu and links on a phone like a customer would and tell you what to fix first.
What would we see in your restaurant?
The free review uses only public information and gives you 5 observations and your number one priority. No passwords, no commitment.
Get my free review →