A printed menu is out of date the moment a price changes. A digital menu board fixes that problem, but only if the screens are placed well, the content is easy to read, and someone owns the job of keeping it correct. This guide covers what to decide before you buy, what to put on the screen, and the mistakes that cause the most rework.
Where menu boards earn their place
Digital menu boards suit any venue where customers decide what to order while standing in front of the menu.
- Counter-service restaurants and cafes. The board above the counter is the main menu. It needs to be readable from the back of the queue.
- Food courts and food halls. Each stall can run its own board, or a shared set of screens can rotate between vendors.
- Drive-through and takeaway windows. Screens here face drivers and pedestrians, so brightness and weather protection matter more than detail.
- Dine-in restaurants. A screen near the entrance or bar can show specials, set menus and the day's availability without reprinting anything.
Placing screens so people can read them
Start with the longest viewing distance, not the screen size you like the look of. Stand where the last person in the queue will stand and check whether item names and prices would be legible on a screen of that size. Larger text on fewer items nearly always beats smaller text on many.
A few placement points to settle early:
- Height. Mount screens high enough that queued customers can see past the people in front of them, but not so high that people strain to read prices.
- Glare and windows. A screen facing a window or a bright entrance can wash out. Measure the room at the brightest time of day, and choose displays with enough brightness for that spot, or move the screen.
- Heat, steam and grease. Screens near fryers, grills or dish pits need ventilation and a plan for cleaning. Keep players and cabling out of the splash zone.
- Orientation. Landscape suits a long counter. Portrait works well for a narrow wall or a column and can hold a single category clearly.
What to put on the board
A menu board is read in seconds. Give the eye a clear path.
- Group items by category and keep the order consistent across screens.
- Limit what appears at once. If a category has too many items, split it across two screens or rotate it, rather than shrinking the type.
- Make prices easy to find. Align them, and keep the same format everywhere.
- Use photography with a purpose. Show your best sellers or the items you most want to sell. Photos need to look like what the kitchen actually serves.
- Schedule by time of day. Breakfast, lunch and evening menus can switch automatically, so staff do not change anything by hand.
- Mark sold-out items promptly. An item customers cannot order should not stay on the board.
- Use motion sparingly. A short loop of a signature dish is fine. Constant animation behind prices makes them harder to read.
If you show allergen or nutritional details, decide who is responsible for checking them and how changes get approved. Wrong information is worse than none.
Keeping prices and items accurate
The main benefit of a digital menu is central control, and it only holds if the process is clear.
- Name one owner for menu content at each site or for the whole group.
- Use templates so that a price change means editing a field, not redesigning a screen.
- Schedule changes ahead of time, such as a seasonal menu that starts on a set date.
- Require a quick approval step for price and allergen changes before they go live.
For groups with several locations, decide what stays the same everywhere and what each site can change, such as local specials. Setting those rules up front avoids screens drifting out of step.
Network and IT considerations
Menu boards are often the first thing customers look at, so a blank or frozen screen is noticed straight away.
- Prefer a wired connection to each player where you can. Wi-Fi in a kitchen or a busy dining room is less predictable.
- Plan for connection loss. Players should keep playing the last schedule they received if the network drops, and show something sensible rather than an error.
- Monitor remotely. Someone should be told when a screen goes offline, not find out from a customer.
- Keep point-of-sale links in mind. If prices or availability come from another system, agree how often they sync and what happens when the link fails.
Accessibility
Choose high contrast between text and background, avoid thin type on photographic backgrounds, and keep type large enough to read from a distance. Do not rely on color alone to mark dietary tags or specials. If an item can only be ordered through a touch screen, make sure there is another way for customers who cannot use it.
Common mistakes
- Choosing screen size before measuring the viewing distance.
- Putting every menu item on one screen at a small size.
- Placing screens opposite windows without checking glare.
- Letting several people edit prices with no approval step.
- Forgetting to remove sold-out items or ended promotions.
A planning checklist
- Which counters, queues or entrances need a screen?
- What is the longest viewing distance at each?
- How bright is the room at its brightest?
- Who owns price changes, and who approves them?
- How will menus switch by time of day?
- Is there a wired network drop at each screen?
- Who is told when a screen goes offline?
How ChannelSay helps
We supply commercial displays, media players and mounts chosen for your counter, queue and lighting conditions, and our team builds menu board templates and motion graphics that match your brand. We can also run your screens through our managed services, including scheduling and remote monitoring. See more on our restaurant signage page, or get in touch to talk through your site.