Digital Menu Boards for Cafés and Restaurants — A Practical Guide
How to set up a digital menu board on an ordinary TV. Layout, sizes, dayparting, hardware and costs for cafés, restaurants and takeaways.
By the onday team · · 4 min read
A digital menu board is a TV that shows your menu. That simple swap removes the two worst things about printed boards: the cost of reprinting and the delay before a change appears. This guide covers how to set one up well, using equipment you may already have.
Why switch from print
- Prices change. With a screen you edit a number and it is live in seconds.
- The day changes. Breakfast, lunch and evening menus can swap automatically.
- Items run out. Take a dish off the board the moment it is gone.
- Promotions move. A rainy-day soup offer can be up in a minute.
There is also a quieter benefit: a board that is always correct stops the awkward conversation at the till.
What you need
A TV. Any modern TV works. For a board behind a counter, 43 to 55 inches suits most rooms. Customers standing a few metres away need large type more than they need a large screen.
A player. A smart TV's browser, an Android TV or Fire TV stick, or a tablet for a small counter display. See how to turn a TV into a digital sign.
Software. To upload menus, schedule them and update them from your phone. onday is free for one screen, and built for exactly this.
A design tool. Whatever you already use. Canva, PowerPoint and Google Slides are all fine.
Designing a menu people can read
Most menu boards fail on legibility, not looks.
Use fewer items per screen. If the menu is long, split it across two or three screens, or rotate between two slides. A wall of small text is slower to order from than a short list.
Make type big. As a working rule, the smallest text on the board should be readable from the back of the queue. Test it: stand where your customers stand.
Use high contrast. Light text on a dark background, or the reverse. Avoid text over busy photographs.
Group and order. Put categories in the order people decide: drinks, then food, then extras. Put the items you most want to sell at the top of each group.
Show prices consistently. Align them, use the same format, and include any information your local rules require.
Limit motion. A gentle change between slides is enough. Constant animation makes a menu harder to read.
Sizes and formats
| Screen | Image size |
|---|---|
| Landscape TV | 1920 × 1080 pixels |
| Portrait TV | 1080 × 1920 pixels |
| 4K TV (optional) | 3840 × 2160 pixels |
Export as PNG for sharp text or JPG for photographs. Full HD is enough for nearly every menu board, including on a 4K TV.
Portrait screens suit long lists and narrow walls. Landscape suits a row of screens above a counter. Our portrait vs landscape guide explains the trade-offs.
Dayparting: the right menu at the right time
Dayparting means scheduling different content for different parts of the day. A typical café might use:
| Time | Menu |
|---|---|
| Open to 11:00 | Breakfast and coffee |
| 11:00 to 15:00 | Lunch |
| 15:00 to close | Afternoon and evening |
In onday you create a playlist for each menu and give each a schedule with its days and times. Screens switch on their own, using the timezone set for your workspace. Weekend brunch is one more schedule.
Allergens and required information
Rules on allergen and calorie information vary by country and by the size of the business. In the UK, food businesses must be able to give allergen information for the food they serve, and in England larger businesses also have calorie labelling duties. In the US, chains above a certain size must show calories on menus and menu boards. Check the current guidance from your national food regulator for your situation.
A screen makes this easier to keep current. A rotating slide with allergen details, or a clear note telling customers where to find them, is simple to add.
Multiple screens and multiple sites
A three-screen menu wall is three screens, each with its own playlist. Design the three panels as separate images and schedule each to its screen.
For several locations, keep one account and give each site its own screens and schedules. Local managers can be given Editor access to change specials without touching other sites.
What it costs
Reusing a TV, the hardware cost is a stick at most. Software depends on the pricing model. Many platforms charge per screen each month, so a three-screen wall costs three fees. onday charges per account: one screen free, up to 10 screens for $19 a month. The cost guide has full comparisons.
A one-afternoon plan
- Mount the TV, or use the one you have.
- Create a free onday account and pair the screen.
- Rebuild your current menu as one or two 1920×1080 images.
- Upload them, add them to a playlist and schedule it for your opening hours.
- Stand at the back of the queue and read it. Enlarge the type.
- Add a second playlist for a different time of day once the first is working.
Start with the menu you have. Improve it once it is on the wall, where you can see what customers actually look at.
