The winner of a major competition has proved that design is just as important an ingredient as quality food and drink when it comes to cooking up the perfect menu.
Digital firm just-Menus.com has announced the winners of its search to find the best menu in Darlington, after being inundated with entries.
The Darlington-based business, which acts as an online guide and listings service for people eating in or out in the North East, offered food-serving businesses the chance to win free membership to its service for a year by proving their menus are as pleasing on the eye as their food is on the palette.
The winner of the competition, takeaway establishment Siciliano’s, was judged by just-Menus.com founder Alex Redpath and special guest judge Stuart Short of Shorts Associates.
Mr Redpath said: “The phrase ‘we eat with our eyes’ is very relevant when picking an establishment to eat in and on what to choose once in the establishment. It can help a struggling restaurant or takeaway really stand out from the crowd and get a customer through the door which is the first challenge.
“I think it’s becoming more and more important with the advancement of technology, menus can be posted all over social networking sites and it’s just as important to catch and keep a viewer’s attention as one click and you can be on another page or have the window closed.”
Owner of Siciliano’s Faz Aljabory feels there are not many opportunities like this around for small takeaways, he said: “It is an honour to have won this award; it has given us added confidence in how our menu looks. We will be hanging the award on our wall with pride as it will help us stand out from the crowd.”
Just-Menus.com was launched last year by Northumbria University student Mr Redpath with the aim of keeping diners informed of all eating places while being environmentally friendly.
The site hosts hotel, restaurant and takeaway contact details plus local taxi numbers alongside menus – thus helping to minimise the need to print and distribute menus to customers.
Although the firm is currently North East-focused, ahead of the London Olympics, it is expected to be expanded to cater for towns and cities across the country.
For more information please visit www.just-menus.com.
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