Digital signage for restaurants replaces the chalkboard and printed menus with one or more screens that play your menu, specials and promos on a loop, updated remotely from your browser. A counter screen sells the daily special; a window screen stops passers-by; a wall menu board replaces the laminated card. Here is how to make it pay off.
Why a screen instead of a chalkboard or printed menus?
A restaurant screen works where paper stops. Motion draws the eye: a dish photo fading in or an animated price catches attention far better than a static poster. Updates are instant: a sold-out dish, a price change, a new set menu are fixed in seconds, with no trip back to the printer and no rewritten board. You save on repeated reprints and avoid wrong prices on display. And you sell more: putting the daily special or the house dessert on screen, in a photo, mechanically lifts orders of those items.
What should you show on a restaurant screen?
There is no shortage of useful content:
- Daily menu and prices, lunch set menu, evening card;
- Chef specials and seasonal dishes, in photos;
- Happy hour with a countdown that creates urgency;
- Desserts and drinks shown large for impulse buys;
- Google reviews and social feeds for social proof;
- QR code to the full menu, online ordering or guest WiFi;
- Ambient video or an announcements banner (closing, event, Sunday brunch).
How do you lay out a readable menu board?
A good menu board reads in three seconds, at three metres. Group by clear categories (starters, mains, desserts, drinks), align prices to the right, and limit items per screen: two airy screens beat one crammed board. Mind the contrast (light text on a dark ground) and a generous font size. In portrait you show the menu; in landscape you can split the screen into zones: menu on the left, ambient video on the right, promo banner along the bottom. Ready-made templates give you a clean layout with no designer.
How do you switch the menu between lunch and dinner automatically?
That is what scheduling (dayparting) is for: prepare a “lunch set menu” slideshow and an “evening card” slideshow, set the switch time, and the screen changes by itself. A one-off fix (a sold-out dish, today's special) happens live from your account, and applies to all your screens at once if you have several (dining room, terrace, window) thanks to screen groups. You run everything from your browser, between services.
What hardware, and how much does it cost?
No proprietary hardware: a smart TV or an Android box is enough — open the player address and enter a code. On budget, you start with 1 free screen for life, then from €6/screen/month, against the recurring cost of prints and boards. See pricing and the comparison.
To go further: what is digital signage, how to set one up in 3 steps, and the other use cases by industry (including retail).