Keep Menu as the obvious route to your regular food and drink choices. Give the seasonal menu a clearly named second route, such as Spring Menu, either beside it or near the top of the main menu page. Guests can discover the special offering without having to guess where the everyday menu went.
The right placement depends on how much of your offering changes, whether the seasonal dishes can be ordered online, and who can update the site when the season ends. Decide those details before adding a new button.
Start with the jobs guests need to do
Most visitors arrive with a simple task: find something to eat, check a price, see whether a dish is available, or place an order. A seasonal promotion adds another task, but it does not replace the others. Someone looking for your regular lunch menu should not have to open a page called “Spring Specials” to find it.
Ask the kitchen or menu manager for the current list of seasonal dishes, prices, availability dates, and any differences between dine-in and takeout. Ask whoever handles the website which pages and navigation labels staff can edit. If online ordering is managed separately, the person responsible for that menu should check how the seasonal items will appear there.
Then agree on a few basic inputs:
- Scope: Is this a handful of specials, a full seasonal menu, or a temporary replacement for the regular menu?
- Guest action: Can guests only browse the dishes, or can they also order them online?
- Timing: When should the link appear, and who will remove or update it?
- Maintenance: Who can change an item or price when the kitchen makes a last-minute adjustment?
For a few additions, a seasonal section on the regular menu page may be enough. A full seasonal menu may deserve its own page. If the seasonal menu replaces the usual menu, say so plainly on the Menu page rather than keeping a prominent link to dishes guests cannot currently buy.
Think about the whole journey on your restaurant website, not just the homepage. A guest may enter through a menu page or an ordering link and never see the seasonal promotion on the homepage.
Choose placement and labels guests understand
Start with a stable top-level Menu label. It is a familiar destination and leaves room for your regular categories. If the seasonal offering matters enough to promote separately, add a descriptive link such as Spring Menu in the main navigation, or place a clear link near the top of the Menu page.
Use the first option when the seasonal menu is a major reason to visit and your navigation has room. Use the second when the offering is smaller or another top-level link would make the mobile menu crowded. A homepage callout can add visibility, but it should supplement these routes rather than be the only way to find the seasonal dishes.
The following hypothetical map assumes a restaurant has a regular menu and a separate spring menu. The spring dishes are available for dine-in, while only some are available for online ordering. It is a planning example, not a claim about any particular website setup.
| Guest starting point | Label or destination | What the guest should find |
|---|---|---|
| Main navigation | Menu | Regular menu, with a visible link to Spring Menu |
| Main navigation or Menu page | Spring Menu | Seasonal dishes, prices, and a note about availability |
| Spring Menu page | Order Online | Ordering menu, with the available spring dishes identifiable there |
| Homepage callout | Explore the Spring Menu | A direct route to the seasonal menu, not a replacement for Menu |
The map gives regular and seasonal visitors their own clear paths, then connects browsing to ordering. The availability note matters: if a dish is dine-in only, say that beside it or in a prominent note. Do not send guests to an order page with the expectation that every spring dish is available there.
Avoid labels such as “Discover,” “Our Favorites,” or “What’s New” as the only route. They may sound inviting, but they do not tell a hungry guest whether the link leads to food, news, or an event. “Spring Menu” also gives staff a useful prompt to revisit the label when spring ends.
Check the destination as well as the wording. A prominent seasonal link that opens an outdated file or a page with no prices creates more work for guests. If you use a downloadable menu, make sure the link is recognizable and the file is readable on a phone. A page with readable text can make quick scanning easier than a document that requires zooming.
Plan the change before the season ends
Set an owner and a review date when the seasonal link goes live. The owner does not need to do every edit personally, but should know who can update the website and who can update the ordering menu. Put both tasks on the same checklist so one does not quietly fall behind the other.
For the spring example, the transition might work like this:
- The kitchen confirms which spring dishes are ending and which, if any, will stay on the regular menu.
- The ordering manager updates the available items and checks that descriptions and prices match the intended offering.
- The website editor removes the Spring Menu navigation link and homepage callout, then updates the Menu page.
- If the spring page is still reachable through an old bookmark or shared link, it shows a short message that the spring menu has ended and points guests to the current Menu page.
- The owner checks the main paths on a phone and a desktop browser.
Ask your website provider how old page addresses can be updated or redirected, and whether staff can make those changes without a support request. The practical goal is to give a guest who arrives at an old seasonal page a useful next step. Do not leave an expired menu looking current merely because the promotion has ended.
Also decide what happens if the season changes early. A supplier issue or a sold-out dish may require an edit before the planned review date. Give the person responsible a way to reach the kitchen and the ordering manager quickly, and make sure the restaurant knows which version is the current source for prices and availability.
If your site and ordering system are separate, ask how updates move between them. Do staff edit each location independently? Can they preview changes? What happens to an item that is removed from ordering but still appears on the website? Those answers affect the amount of upkeep, even if the navigation itself is simple.
Check the map on mobile before making it live
A good desktop layout can become a long list of tiny links on a phone. Walk through the navigation map at a normal mobile screen width, using a preview or a safe staging version where available. Start each check from the guest’s point of view, without relying on knowledge of where the editor placed the link.
- From the homepage, find the regular menu. Is Menu easy to spot after opening the mobile navigation?
- Find the spring dishes from both the homepage and the Menu page. Is the seasonal label descriptive, and does it open the intended content?
- Read the seasonal menu without excessive zooming or sideways scrolling. Are prices and availability notes close enough to the dishes to be useful?
- Follow Order Online. Can you identify which seasonal dishes are offered for ordering, and is the distinction from dine-in-only dishes clear?
- Return to the regular menu. Can you do so without repeatedly using the browser’s back button?
For a simulated check, stop before submitting an order or sending any message. Do not make a real payment or trigger a courier dispatch. If you later run a live service pilot, plan it separately with staff, explain which actions are real, and use the restaurant’s normal controls for any actual transaction.
Ask someone who did not build the page to try the same tasks and describe where they hesitated. That is a useful navigation check, not proof that every guest will behave the same way. Repeat it after a major menu change and when the seasonal link is removed.
When comparing tools, ask whether staff can edit navigation labels, maintain a separate seasonal page, control an old page destination, and connect the menu to online ordering. If you are replacing a site rather than adjusting it, the restaurant website builder comparison offers more questions to consider. Review Fleksa plans for pricing details; pricing was checked in November 2026, so confirm current terms and setup costs in a quote.
Next step: Sketch your current Menu and seasonal paths, assign an owner for the end-of-season update, and run the mobile checks above. Then ask Fleksa about its restaurant website and verified US availability for the setup you need.
Frequently asked questions
Should a seasonal menu replace the main Menu link?
Usually, keep Menu as the stable route and add a seasonal link beside it or on the Menu page. If the seasonal menu actually replaces your regular offering, make that clear on the Menu page and remove outdated choices.
Where should a short list of seasonal specials go?
A clearly labeled section near the top of the regular menu may be enough. Add a direct homepage link if you want to promote it, but keep the regular menu easy to find.
What should happen to a seasonal page after the season?
Remove its promotional links and give visitors who reach the old page a clear route to the current menu. Ask your provider what page updates or redirects your setup supports.
