A multilingual menu for visitors and pilgrims: which languages to offer and how to get them right

A guest who can't read your menu orders less, asks more questions, or simply points at the photo of the next table. In Saudi Arabia, that guest is common. Pilgrims, tourists and many residents read their own language far better than Arabic or English.

This guide helps you pick the right menu languages for your place, translate dishes so they still make sense, and keep the important details the same in every language.

Why one or two languages is often not enough

Look at who is in your city. According to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the 2022 census counted 32.2 million people in Saudi Arabia, and 13.4 million of them (41.6%) were not Saudi citizens (Argaam, citing GASTAT). The largest groups were citizens of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Yemen and Egypt, followed by Sudan, the Philippines, Syria and Nepal (GLMM table from the GASTAT census).

Visitors add to this. GASTAT reported 35.7 million Umrah performers in 2024, of whom 16.8 million came from outside the Kingdom (Argaam, citing GASTAT). Many of them spend time in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, and eat out every day.

So a café near the Haram, a restaurant on a busy Jeddah street, or a shawarma shop in an area with many workers may serve guests who read Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian or Turkish more easily than English.

Step 1: choose your languages from your real guests

Don't add ten languages because you can. Each language is text you have to check and keep up to date. Start with the guests you already have:

1. Ask your staff. Which languages do guests speak at the counter? Which guests struggle with the menu?
2. Look at your area. Near hotels for pilgrims, guests may come from Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Türkiye, Malaysia or Bangladesh. In residential areas, think about the communities who live nearby.
3. Look at your orders. Which dishes need the most explaining? Those are the ones that lose sales when guests can't read them.
4. Start with two or three extra languages, then add more if guests ask.

A simple rule: Arabic and English for everyone, plus the one to three languages your staff hear most often.

Step 2: translate dish names so they still make sense

Word-for-word translation is where most menus go wrong. A few rules help:

• Keep the original name, add a short explanation. "Mandi" or "Kabsa" are names guests may search for. Keep the name, then add one line: "slow-cooked rice with lamb and spices".
• Say what is in the dish. The main ingredients matter more than a poetic name. "Chef's special" tells a visitor nothing.
• Use the same name everywhere. If the dish is "Chicken mandi" on the menu, use the same words on the offer banner and the receipt.
• Keep it short. Guests read on a phone, often standing in a queue. One line of description is enough for most dishes.
• Ask a native speaker to read it. A staff member, a regular guest or a friend can catch a wrong or funny word in a few minutes.

Step 3: keep the facts the same in every language

Some details must never change between languages:

• Prices. One price per item, shown the same way in every language, with a clear note on whether VAT is included.
• Calories. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requires calorie information on restaurant menus. Read our guide to SFDA calorie labelling rules for the details.
• Allergens and dietary tags. Nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs, seafood, spicy, vegetarian. Use icons or tags that look the same in every language, so a guest can spot them even before reading.
• Sizes and options. "Small / medium / large" and extras must match, or the kitchen gets confused orders.

When these facts live once in your menu system and only the words change per language, you avoid a translated menu that shows an old price.

Step 4: let guests pick their language easily

A great translation is useless if guests can't find it.

• One QR code for all languages. The guest scans once, and the menu opens in their phone's language when you have it, with a clear language button to switch.
• Show the language names in their own script. "اردو", "Bahasa Indonesia" and "Türkçe" are easier to spot than "Urdu", "Indonesian" and "Turkish".
• Put a short sign next to the QR code. "Scan for the menu. Arabic, English, Urdu, Indonesian…" in a few words. Our guide on how to print and place menu QR codes covers size and placement.
• Test it on a phone set to another language. Check that the right language opens and that the text fits.

Step 5: keep every language up to date

The biggest risk with many languages is an old menu. A new dish appears in Arabic and English, but the Urdu menu still shows last month's items.

• Make one person responsible for the menu and its translations.
• When you add or change a dish, update every language the same day.
• Mark sold-out items once so they show as sold out in every language.
• Review each language every few months, or after a big menu change.

A quick checklist

• Two or three extra languages chosen from your real guests
• Original dish names kept, with a short explanation
• One price, one calorie number and the same allergen tags in every language
• VAT note shown in every language
• One QR code that opens the guest's language, with an easy switch
• A native speaker has read each language once
• One person keeps all languages up to date

How our platform helps

Restu Menu builds your menu in Arabic and English, and can add extra languages for guests, such as Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Filipino, Indonesian, Nepali, French, Turkish and Malay. AI drafts the translation, you review and edit it, and guests pick their language on the menu.

• Prices, calories and allergen tags are stored once, so they stay the same in every language.
• One QR code per table for every language, with table ordering and pickup.
• Sold-out switch that updates every language at once.

Try everything free for 30 days, no card needed (extra-language translation comes with the paid plans). See the QR menu page or our pricing, and browse our free tools.

Common questions

How many languages should my menu have? Arabic and English, plus the one to three languages your guests speak most. Add more only when you can keep them up to date.

Is machine translation good enough? It is a good first draft. Always have a native speaker check dish names and allergens before you publish.

Do I need a separate QR code for each language? No. One code can open the menu in the guest's language, with a button to switch.

Do calories have to appear in every language? Show the same calorie information in every language you offer, so every guest gets the details SFDA requires.

Create your free menu

A bilingual QR menu for your restaurant in minutes. No card needed.

Start free