1. Promotional Print Ideas for Cafes, Bars and Restaurants

    For hospitality businesses, print is one of the most direct and cost-effective promotional tools available. Every menu, table talker, loyalty card and poster in your venue is a touchpoint with a customer — an opportunity to upsell, promote, inform and reinforce your brand. Used well, print increases average spend, builds customer loyalty and communicates the quality and character of your venue more effectively than any digital channel can at the point of service.

    In this guide, we share the most effective promotional print products for cafes, bars and restaurants and how to use them to best effect.

    Menus

    Your menu is your most important sales tool — and most hospitality businesses significantly underinvest in it. A well-designed, professionally printed menu on quality stock communicates the standard of your venue before a single dish is ordered. It guides customers towards your highest-margin items, uses descriptive language to make food sound more appealing and builds confidence in your offer.

    For daily-use menus in a busy hospitality environment, we recommend a minimum of 350gsm with lamination for durability. Matt lamination gives a sophisticated, premium feel; gloss lamination is more resistant to marks. See our folded leaflet printing for menu options and our guide: How to Design a Professional Menu.

    Table Talkers

    Table talkers are three-sided freestanding displays that sit on tables and counters, visible from every direction. They are one of the most effective point-of-sale tools for hospitality — communicating specials, promotions, new dishes, upcoming events and upsell offers directly at the moment when customers are making decisions about what to order.

    Available in DL, A6 and 1/3 A3 sizes. Arrive flat and assemble in seconds with easy sticky tabs. Available with optional lamination for durability and spill resistance. See our table talkers.

    Tent Cards

    Tent cards are a simpler, two-sided alternative to table talkers — a pre-creased card that folds into an A-frame display. Ideal for table number displays, simple specials announcements and reservation notices. Available in two sizes with optional matt or gloss lamination. See our tent cards.

    Strut Cards

    Strut cards are freestanding A4 or A5 cards with a fold-out backing strut — placed on counters, bars and shelves to promote specific offers, new products or seasonal specials. Printed on 450gsm silk with optional lamination and spot UV. See our strut cards.

    Loyalty Cards

    A stamp loyalty card is one of the most effective customer retention tools for cafes and coffee shops — simple, understood by everyone and genuinely motivating for repeat visits. A well-designed loyalty card on quality uncoated stock communicates that your loyalty scheme is worth participating in. See our loyalty card printing and our design guide: How to Design a Loyalty Card.

    Paper Placemats

    For casual dining venues, bistros and any establishment where disposable table covers are used, printed paper placemats provide a branded surface on every table at a very low cost per unit. Use them to communicate your brand, promote specials, share your social media handles or provide entertainment for families. Disposable and recyclable. See our paper placemats.

    Custom Coasters

    A branded coaster on every table is a small but effective brand presence that guests handle every time they pick up a drink. Use them to promote your social media handles, a QR code linking to your menu or loyalty scheme, or simply as a branded touchpoint that reinforces your identity. See our custom printed coasters.

    Beer Mat Printing

    For bars and pubs, branded beer mats are a classic hospitality print product — functional, brand-reinforcing and handled repeatedly throughout an evening. Available on 500gsm absorbent cardboard. See our beer mat printing.

    Outdoor Signage

    Outside the venue, print is working to attract customers who haven't yet decided to come in:

    Promotional Flyers

    For events, new menu launches, seasonal promotions and special offers, printed flyers distributed locally — on the street, in neighbouring businesses, through letterboxes — are one of the most cost-effective ways to drive footfall for Brighton & Hove hospitality businesses. See our flyer printing range.

    Gift Vouchers

    Printed gift vouchers are a straightforward additional revenue stream for hospitality businesses — sold as gifts, redeemed as future visits, with some inevitably unredeemed. A well-designed gift voucher on quality card stock communicates that the experience it represents is worth giving. See our correspondence card printing for a suitable stock option.

    Building a Complete Table Experience

    The most effective hospitality print programmes create a cohesive branded table experience — every touchpoint using the same colours, fonts and overall design language:

    • Menu — folded leaflet or booklet
    • Table talker or tent card — daily specials and promotions
    • Custom coaster or beer mat — branded table presence
    • Paper placemat — branded table surface
    • Loyalty card — tucked into the bill folder or handed over with the receipt

    Each individual element is modest. Together, they create a professional, considered branded environment that communicates quality before the food even arrives.

    Hospitality Print in Brighton & Hove

    Dipol Print is based on St James's Street, Brighton — at the heart of one of the city's most vibrant independent hospitality areas. We supply print to cafes, bars, restaurants and hospitality venues across Brighton & Hove and the wider UK. Collect from our print shop at 97 St James's Street, Brighton BN2 1TP or order online for UK-wide delivery.

    Want advice on the most effective print for your venue? Get in touch or pop in — we're happy to help.