Restaurant menus and PDFs: making them accessible online
Why image and PDF menus are hard to use, and simple ways to publish menus and documents everyone can read.
Many restaurants, salons and clinics upload a photo or scanned PDF of their menu or price list. Screen readers can't read the text in a picture, and PDFs are awkward on phones.
Best option: an HTML page
Type the menu into a normal web page using headings for sections and lists for items. It's readable on any device, easier to update, and helps your search ranking for dish names.
<h2>Starters</h2> <ul> <li>Garlic bread – $6</li> <li>Soup of the day – $8</li> </ul>
If you must use a PDF
- Export from Word, Google Docs or Canva as a tagged PDF with real text, not a scan.
- Set the document title and language.
- Use built-in heading styles.
- Add alt text to images in the source document.
- Link to it with descriptive text: “Dinner menu (PDF, 200 KB)”.
Image-only menus
If a designed image is important to your brand, keep it but also provide the same information as text on the page.
Related guides
- Squarespace vs Wix vs WordPress vs Shopify: accessibility compared
- Free website accessibility checkers compared
- Accessible links and buttons: fix “click here” and empty icon links
- Free ADA website checker: what a free scan can (and can't) tell you
This guide is general technical information, not legal advice. Following it does not certify ADA or any legal compliance. Automated checks find only part of accessibility barriers.
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