AI Menu Import: Turn Paper Menus into Digital Catalogs

Snap a photo of your existing paper menu or upload a PDF to create your digital menu automatically.

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Illustration · Menu Creation

Review extracted menu items before adding them to your private draft.

Quick Steps Summary

1Navigate to Menu Studio and click 'Import Menu'.
2Upload high-quality photos or a PDF of your existing paper menu.
3Wait for the import to finish. Larger or harder-to-read menus may take longer.
4Review the parsed items in the visual side-by-side editor.
5Accept and merge the items into your draft menu with one click.

MenuMinute menu import review interface in the demo environment (mobile layout) — **Demo interface capture.** Menu import review workspace — not available in the public demo. Screens and available features may differ by restaurant and deployment.

MenuMinute menu import review interface in the demo environment — **Demo interface capture.** Menu import review workspace — not available in the public demo. Screens and available features may differ by restaurant and deployment.

1. Taking Great Menu Photos for Best Results

The clearer your photograph, the more accurately our scanner can read prices and dish names.

Ensure bright, even lighting without harsh reflections or heavy shadows falling across the page.

Keep the camera steady and parallel to the menu surface to avoid angled distortion.

If your paper menu has multiple folds or pages, take a separate photo of each page.

Have the Designer PDF?

If your menu was created by a graphic designer, uploading their original PDF file yields the cleanest, fastest import results!

2. Reviewing the Parsed Candidate Draft

MenuMinute never publishes imported items automatically. Your restaurant reputation is paramount, so the scanner always prepares a private Candidate Draft for your review.

In the review screen, you can verify dish names, adjust any prices, reassign categories, and confirm dietary tags.

Once you are satisfied, click 'Accept Items' to import them directly into your Menu Studio draft.

Ready to put this guide into practice?

Jump into your MenuMinute dashboard and make changes directly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does the AI scanner understand multi-column menus and handwritten specials?

It handles multi-column layouts very well. For handwritten specials, neat handwriting is usually recognized, but you can easily correct any unrecognized words in the review screen.

Can I import a menu in a non-English language?

Yes! The scanner supports menus in numerous languages including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and more.

Still have a question?

If this guide does not answer your question about AI Menu Import: Turn Paper Menus into Digital Catalogs, browse the common questions or ask a member of your restaurant team for help.

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