Mellly is a online platform that allows you to easily create stunning digital galleries. You can use these galleries as menus for restaurants, product catalogs, brochures, guides, portfolios, and much more.

Is Mellly easy to use?

Mellly is designed with an intuitive interface, making it incredibly easy to use. No coding or design experience is required. You can build professional-looking galleries in seconds.

Are the Mellly generated galleries mobile-friendly?

All galleries created with Mellly are fully responsive and optimized to look stunning and function perfectly on any device, from desktops to tablets and smartphones.

Can I update my gallery after it's published?

Yes, you can make changes to your gallery content, design, and structure at any time. All updates are applied in nearly real-time, so your audience always sees the most current version.

What mean for gallery?

A gallery is a page where you can organize items into sections for easy accessibility. You can add images, descriptions, and pricing to each item.

Digital Menu vs PDF Menu: Which Is Better?

October 25, 2025

In today’s digital-first world, restaurants are transforming how they present their menus to customers. While many have moved away from traditional printed menus, there’s still a debate between PDF menus and QR digital menus. Both serve the same purpose, showing what’s on offer, but they provide very different experiences for both restaurant owners and diners.

Choosing the right type of menu can influence how customers perceive your brand, how efficiently you operate, and even how much you sell. Let’s break down the key differences to help you decide which option suits your restaurant best.

A PDF menu is essentially a digital copy of a printed menu. Restaurants often upload it to their website or link it through a QR code that customers can scan.

Pros:

Maintains design consistency: Keeps the look and feel of your printed materials.
Quick to share: Easily link it to social media, email, or QR codes.

Cons:

Device compatibility issues: On some devices, it can be difficult to download or even open a PDF menu properly.
Harder to create: Requires proper formatting and layout tools to look professional.
Not mobile-friendly: Users need to zoom and scroll to read items.
Hard to update: Any change requires editing and re-uploading.

A PDF menu works best for small cafés or restaurants that rarely change their offerings, but it’s a limited tool for those wanting flexibility and engagement.

A digital menu is a fully interactive, web-based version of your menu. It’s accessible through a link or QR code, optimized for smartphones, and can be updated in real-time.

Pros:

Responsive and mobile-friendly: Adapts perfectly to any device.
Instant updates: Change prices, add specials, or remove items instantly.
Enhanced visuals: Add images, descriptions, and allergen info.
Easy to share: Accessible instantly via links or QR codes, no need for downloads.

Cons:

Requires internet access: Offline viewing isn’t possible.

Digital menus are ideal for modern restaurants that value flexibility, design, and customer experience.

User Experience: Interaction and Accessibility

When it comes to user experience, the difference between the two is huge.

PDF menus are static and often hard to navigate on mobile screens. Customers have to zoom in and scroll awkwardly.
Digital menus, on the other hand, are designed for easy browsing. Users can easy navigate and see dish photos.

Digital menus also excel in accessibility, they can provide features like image support for dish visualization, large text options for easy reading, and compatibility with screen readers to assist customers.

Management and Maintenance

A PDF menu needs manual updates every time you make a change. That means editing the file, exporting it again, and re-uploading it everywhere, a time-consuming process.

Digital menus can be edited directly through a management dashboard. Any change you make, price, name, or ingredient, is live instantly. This not only saves time but also avoids confusion among staff and customers.

Marketing and Customer Engagement

Digital menus aren’t just for displaying food, they double as dynamic marketing platforms. With a digital menu, you can:

Add contact information and social links directly to your menu.
Instantly showcase promotions, limited-time offers, or daily specials.
Suggest complementary items or encourage upsells.
Feature high-quality images to boost specific dishes or combos.

PDF menus, by contrast, are static documents. They offer no interactive capabilities and no opportunities to actively engage or influence customers once the file is uploaded.

Cost and Implementation

A PDF menu is technically free, you just need to design and upload it. But over time, the inefficiencies and limited features can cost more in missed opportunities.

With Mellly, digital menus are free, yet still deliver a much higher return on investment through saved time, real-time updates, and increased sales from better presentation.

If you're interested in making the switch to a digital menu, check out our step-by-step tutorial on how to create a digital menu easly and free. It will guide you through the whole process, from setting up your menu to sharing it with your customers.

Sustainability and Eco-Friendliness

Both PDF and digital menus reduce paper waste, but digital menus go a step further. You never need to reprint or redesign, just update the menu online. They align perfectly with eco-conscious dining trends and sustainability initiatives.

Conclusion

Digital menus clearly outshine PDF menus. Digital menus offer immediate benefits like easier updates, interactive features, and a smoother experience for customers, while also delivering ongoing advantages such as time savings, professional presentation, and much more.

If you want the best overall value and a future-ready solution for your restaurant, choosing a digital menu is the smart move.

Create Your Digital Menu Today

Upgrade from PDF to an interactive digital menu that delights customers.

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