- Admin
- April 27, 2025
- Guides
Bilingual Menus in Canada: Why English and French Both Matter
Canada has two official languages, and millions of customers prefer to read a menu, place an order or get a receipt in French. If you operate in Quebec, French isn't optional: the Charter of the French language requires that menus, product information, websites and other commercial documents be available in French.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For specific obligations, check the guidance of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).
Why bilingual pays off everywhere
- Trust: customers order more confidently when they fully understand what they're buying, including ingredients, allergens and options.
- Reach: French-speaking customers in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and beyond notice the businesses that make the effort.
- Tourism: visitors from France, Belgium, Switzerland and North Africa read French too.
Doing it well
- Translate the whole experience, not only the dish names: descriptions, options, checkout buttons and confirmation messages.
- Don't rely only on machine translation for food names and allergens. Have a fluent speaker review them.
- Keep prices and items in sync between languages, so one menu doesn't advertise a dish the other no longer has.
- Let customers choose. A visible language switcher beats guessing from the browser.
How OrderPoint handles languages
Your OrderPoint website can run in several languages at once. Each language has its own menu text, pages and content, and customers switch with one click. Plans include from 5 languages (Basic) up to unlimited (Business).
Our own site is available in English and French. Use the language switcher at the top of the page.