Reference guide
Multilingual restaurant menus: choose and maintain languages
A useful multilingual menu first translates what guests need to choose: sections, descriptions, relevant ingredients, allergens and offer details. Start with languages guests actually request, define a shared glossary and update every active version after a product or price change.
How should languages be selected?
Review guest questions, group bookings and seasonal visitor patterns. One well-maintained English menu is more useful than several incomplete versions. SimplyRestau provides French on Free, English on Essential and up to ten languages on Pro.
What should be translated first?
- Sections, so guests can navigate.
- Descriptions and relevant ingredients.
- Allergen terminology using reviewed wording.
- What is included in set menus and supplements.
- Prices must remain identical across languages.
How can versions stay aligned?
- Stabilise the French record.
- Maintain a glossary of recurring culinary terms.
- Review sensitive wording with a competent speaker.
- Publish all affected versions in the same cycle.
- Check sample products on the customer phone view.
What should be avoided?
- Literal translations that change the culinary meaning.
- Old prices in one language.
- Unreviewed absolute allergen claims.
- Forgetting drinks, sides or supplements.
Sources and review
Reviewed by Tristan Sébillet. AI assistance is used for coverage checks, not as a legal authority.
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