Restaurant Merch Ideas (That Aren't Just a Hat)
By The Merch Counter team · Updated · 3 min read
Restaurant merch sells best when it celebrates what people love about your food. Start with a hat and a tee, then build designs around your signature dish, add an apron for home cooks, and put a tote or stickers in front of your takeout regulars.
The classics
1. The hat. Restaurant hats are a classic for a reason. Example: $32, you earn $10.60 †.
2. The logo tee. Example: $30, you earn $12 †.
Food-first designs
3. The signature dish tee. An illustration of the thing everyone orders: the taco, the slice, the burger.
4. The menu tee. Your menu (or a favorite section of it) printed on the back.
5. The "regulars only" shirt. The off-menu item, the staff nickname for a dish, the table everyone wants.
6. The hot sauce or secret sauce shirt. If you're known for it, put it on a shirt.
For home cooks
7. The apron. For people who love your food and cook at home. Example: $48, you earn $18.40 †.
8. The tote. For takeout and grocery runs. Example: $26, you earn $9.80 †.
9. The mug. For a café-restaurant or brunch spot.
Small things
10. Stickers. Drop one in every takeout bag.
11. A neighborhood design. Your street or neighborhood, with your logo.
12. An anniversary shirt. "Serving since 2009."
Designs built around your food
People fall in love with restaurants. They have a usual order, a favorite table, and a place they take everyone who visits from out of town. The merch that sells is the merch that's about that food, not just the name over the door:
- Illustrate the food. Commission a local illustrator to draw your signature dish, and get the rights in writing: a copyright transfer isn't valid unless it's written and signed.
- Menu typography. Your menu, or a single section, printed in your menu's own font.
- Retro and diner styles. Classic restaurant logos often suit vintage-style prints.
- Neighborhood pride. "[Neighborhood] since 2009."
- Staff favorites. The dish your kitchen team loves, or the nickname they use for it.
Today's catalog at our suggested prices:
| Product | Customer pays | Printing and blank | Our fee (20%) | You earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Dad Hat | Yupoong 6245CMHats | $38.00 | −$14.94 | −$7.60 | $15.46 |
| Unisex Basic Softstyle T-Shirt | Gildan 64000T-shirts | $25.00 | −$9.63 | −$5.00 | $10.37 |
| Embroidered Apron | Liberty Bags 5502Aprons | $45.00 | −$17.64 | −$9.00 | $18.36 |
| Eco Tote Bag | Econscious EC8000Tote bags | $45.00 | −$17.75 | −$9.00 | $18.25 |
 Kiss-Cut StickersStickers | $8.00 | −$2.95 | −$1.60 | $3.45 |
Today’s catalog at our suggested prices. Larger sizes cost a bit more to make; your dashboard shows every size before you list, and you can price higher or lower.
Selling it at the table and in the bag
- Order samples and put servers in the hats or tees.
- Add a line to the menu: "Love us? Wear us — scan for merch."
- Put a QR code on table tents and receipts, and a QR card and a sticker in every takeout bag for the first week.
- Post a photo of the dish next to the shirt it inspired.
- Mention it to regulars, who are often the first to buy.
Common questions
Can I sell merch for a dish with a well-known brand's name in it?
Only if it's your own name. Avoid anything that uses another brand's logo or trademark.
Should merch be in the restaurant or online?
Both work together: a sample on display and a QR code in the restaurant, with every size and color available online.
Does merch work for small, casual places?
Often. Taquerias, pizzerias and diners with loyal regulars are exactly the places people want to rep.
Related: Merch for restaurants
† Worked examples. They use our real 20% fee and suggested 2.5× price on an illustrative cost to make; real costs vary by product, size and print. Bulk-order figures are illustrative too. Today’s numbers for every product are in the profit calculator and in your dashboard before you list anything.