Frequently Asked Questions

• Why buy from the Menu Shoppe?

  We're a family company, started by our late patriarch Marvin Doerfler in 1973. Marvin grew up in a multiple-generation family of New York City restaurant supply and menu-printing professionals, and if you've heard of a fancy-schmancy New York City restaurant in the 1930s into the 1990s, chances are diners were ordering from menus produced and printed by a Doerfler. 

  Our current owners are Marvin's wife and their sons, along with a smattering of in-laws and friends. We're a close-knit family, a ohana, where no one gets left behind -- or unscathed for that matter -- and a life-celebrating mishpacha. 

  But most of all, we believe in friendly service and quality products at the lowest possible prices. 

  We guarantee the life of our menu covers.  On most product pages on our web site you will find our estimate of the use life of our cover before it starts to show signs of wear.

  If your cover shows premature wear we will replace it at a pro-rated cost. (If your covers last half the time we estimate, we replace them for half the cost. If your covers last two thirds the life we estimate, we'll replace them for two thirds the cost.) Burn marks from being held too close to an open flame, shriveling due to covers accidently put through the dish washer, or similar events are not covered, of course. We're generous, but not crazy..

  So in a nutshell, we've got:

  • Best quality at competitive prices = guaranteed best values for you.
  • Awesome family vibes and a true commitment to eating, drinking and selling great menu covers and other products.
  • We offer a large selection of styles, colors and sizes.
  • Custom sizes available at no extra cost.
  • We stand behind our products and will bend over backwards to make it right.
• How long will my menu covers last?

  Our covers are custom made in the United States. They should last as long or longer than any other menu covers being sold on the internet today. The length of time they will actually last will depend on how often they're used and how well you take care of them.

  Cafe Style Menu Covers with vinyl binding and Leatherette Jackets with clear inside pockets should last 1 1/2 to 2 years. Click here to find out more about our menu covers and why we can make this claim.

  Fine Dining Menu Covers, with or without padding, made of washable, heavy duty bookcloth material with turned and finished edges should last 3 to 5 years.

  We don't know how long our heavy duty, sealed and stitched menu covers will last. So far no one has ever reordered because their first order of menu covers wore out. We've had new restaurant owners ask us if we can replace the old name on the front cover with their new name (sorry, we can't). We've had reorders because of theft, fire and flood, but not because the menu covers were worn or started to look shabby.

  Padded and sealed menu covers made of the same heavy duty vinyl as our sealed and stitched menu covers should last about the same length of time, however the clear inside pockets may start to crack after a year, depending on how often you change your paper menu inserts and how heavy the usage to which the menu cover is subjected. This is not recommended as a full service menu cover.

  Crystal clear, heat sealed menu covers are perfect for 'special' menus for after hours, at the bar, weekends, etc., where frequent changes make lamination impractical. They are NOT recommended for heavy duty use. You should expect to have some seam tears now and then and have to replace a few of them every six months.
• What are your credit terms?

  Terms: Our prices are FOB from our factory and do not include shipping/freight costs, which are paid by the customer. We accept PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

  We collect sales tax in California and Georgia.

  We offer credit terms of net 30 days (from order) to firms who have previously established credit with us and placed at least one pre-paid order. Please contact us by phone or email to inquire.
• When can I expect my order?

  IN STOCK items are generally marked as such and ship within 1-3 business days from our Georgia warehouse (in some cases, orders are fulfilled from distribution centers, all in the US).

  MADE TO ORDER items, whether personalized or not, generally take ten to fifteen business days to produce in our New Jersey factory. If your order contains an art imprint, this time starts once your art proof has been sent to you and approved.  This usually take 2-5 business days. Note that some items ship faster (like sewn-edge menu covers which take about 10 days) and some materials take longer (allow for 4 weeks for genuine leather and cork or for any item with a metal embossed logo design).

  We ship by UPS Ground, unless otherwise requested at time of checkout (other methods do cost more and menus can be heavy).. Time in transit will vary by distance from our shipping location. Customs fees into Canada are the responsibility of the customer and are generally collected by UPS at delivery. Delays caused by CBSA are uncommon but do occur and are beyond the control of The Menu Shoppe, Inc. or UPS. We do not ship outside of the US and Canada or to post office boxes.
• How do I sent art?

  If you have already read the following guidelines, you can submit artwork using our online form.

  How to Supply Art for Personalized Imprints

  We require art submissions electronically.  PC compatible vector file formats are preferred - AI or EPS but we can work with PDF and TIFF files most of the time. Other formats may or may not require extra work to convert. One color art should be in black. Grayscale or colored art does not reproduce well. Full color art should be submitted only if the image is to be reproduced in full color.

  Foil Stamping and/or Debossing

  Foil stamping is a surface decoration. Debossing is below surface engraving. Art should be submitted in line art form. We charge a $95 fee to create the plates and to set up the press for each item run. 

  The easiest and quickest way to send us art is to use our online form but art can also be emailed to us at sales@menushoppe.com. For best results, send vectored files prepared as EPS files or in Adobe Illustrator or a similar graphics program. If you are sending bitmapped files, prepared in Adobe Photoshop, MS Word, Pagemaker or some other word processing program please make sure your illustrations are at least 600 dpi. It will be be helpful if you include the fonts (type faces) that you used, or at least include their names and the name of their foundry, with your file (if you do not, it's possible our system will change the font!)

  Make sure your images are in black (no colors and no gray scale tones, please)

  However you choose to send us art, please keep the following in mind: In order to make sure that your image won't rub off your menu cover we have to force it into the material of your cover. When we do this, your image will spread. This will not be noticeable with normal type or illustrations, but will become noticeable your image is too detailed or crowded. Try to avoid: thin lines and fine detail as well as large areas of solids with reversed type. Absolutely no tints, tones or shadows. The foil stamping process has no way to reproduce tones or tints.

  Proofs

  We will provide you a proof of your order for approval. This can take 2-5 days, depending on our order volume and the complexity of your design. Note that production does not begin until you approve the proof, so the art process will add to the production turnaround time.

  Please submit artwork using our Online Form
• How can I order a sample?

  Samples of most of our products are available. Call Our Customer Service Department at 888-222-7796 opt. 1 or email sales@menushoppe.com and we will be happy to help find the right menu cover for you. Our selection of samples might not include the exact size, color or configuration you have in mind, but we should be able to help you see the general look, feel and quality of our products.

  For some (but not all) materials we have swatch decks available. We charge a $25 deposit to ship you one of these, refundable when you return the deck to us.

  Custom Samples

  We understand that before placing a large custom order, you might need to see the finished product. We can produce and sell you a single sample. In addition to the price of the item, shipping, and applicable art fees, you pay a service fee of $25 for sewn edge, $50 for most case-bound and Dynasty products, and $75 for wood, metal and leather. 

  If you place an order for 50 or more covers within 90 days of receiving the sample, the service fee will be credited toward the order (and you won't re-pay any art fees if you use the same, unchanged logo). 

  Note that normal production times apply, however -- both for the production of the sample and for the subsequent order.
• What are your hours?

  Our website is open 24/7/365.

  We are a family-run business. Members of our family share roles, some on a part-time basis. We all strive to give excellent and friendly customer service. One or more of us is working on most business days. Our phones are answered by a short auto-attendant message, but if you press 1 for sales or 2 for the business office, there's a good chance your call between 11am and 5pm on weekdays will be live answered. If you get voicemail, expect a return call  by the next business day. 

  Emails are usually answered by the next business day.
• Where do you ship?

  We ship to all US and Canadian street addresses via UPS. This includes AK and HI, PR and other US territories.

  We CANNOT ship to post office boxes or outside of the US and Canada.