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A digital menu board shows photos and short videos of your dishes where customers order, switches from breakfast to lunch to dinner by itself, and can be changed from your phone in seconds, so the menu stays correct.
People eat with their eyes first. A photo of a steaming bowl of laksa, or an iced coffee on a hot afternoon, does more for a dish than any description on a chalkboard. A digital menu board puts those pictures in front of customers right when they are deciding what to order, and you can change it whenever you need to.
Here is how cafes and restaurants use digital menu boards, and how to get the most from them.
Show the food
A full colour menu board can show photos and short videos of your dishes and drinks. Match them to the weather: soups and hot dishes in winter, salads and cold drinks in summer. Customers who can see what they are ordering often decide faster, which keeps the queue moving. Good photos matter here: take them in natural light, on the plates you actually use, so each dish looks the way it will arrive.
Can the menu change through the day?
There is no point showing the breakfast menu at dinner time. Schedule your menu board to switch from breakfast to lunch to dinner on its own, and to show different items on weekends. Once it is set up, nobody has to remember to change it.
Suggest the extras
A menu board can do some of the suggesting your staff would otherwise do at the counter. Good ways to use it:
- Combos. A coffee and cake, a burger with chips and a drink, or brunch with a juice, shown as one easy choice.
- Size upgrades. A large coffee instead of a regular, a bigger serve of chips, an extra topping on a pizza.
- Add-ons. Prawns with a steak, an extra sauce, a side salad.
- Pairings. A wine that goes with the dish of the day, or a dessert that suits the meal.
Your staff still do the talking. The board plants the idea before the customer reaches the counter.
Sold out? Change it in seconds
When the kitchen runs out of the dish of the day, take it off the board from your phone. No rubbed-out gaps on the chalkboard, and no staff explaining the same thing to every table. If you have stock that needs to move before it passes its best, put it on the board straight away.
Where should menu boards go?
- above or behind the counter, where people order
- at the ordering point in a takeaway or drive-through
- in the front window, facing the footpath, to bring people in
- outside on a pylon or wall, for passing traffic
A fine dining restaurant may prefer one screen in the window, so it doesn’t distract from the dining room. A busy takeaway can put screens front and centre.
What makes a menu board easy to read?
- Keep each screen to a few items, grouped the way people order: drinks, mains, sides.
- Use big text and strong contrast, so the menu can be read from the back of the queue.
- Show photos of your best sellers, and keep the layout the same from day to day so regulars know where to look.
- If the screens rotate, give each one long enough to read before it changes.
How do you update a menu board?
You update the board from a computer or your phone. ViPlex Express runs a NovaStar sign from a computer, LedArt runs an HD sign from your phone, and VNNOX and LED-Cloud run signs online. The guides are on Brochures & Guides and the apps are on our Downloads page. We set the board up and show you how it works.
Less printing, easier updates
When the menu changes, a printed menu board means a new print job. A digital board just needs a new photo and a few words, which saves money and waste and keeps your menu correct.
Indoor or outdoor, hire or buy
For menu boards inside, see our indoor LED displays. For a sign out the front, see our outdoor LED signs. You can buy outright, spread the cost with Ledge Finance, or hire a sign for a busy season.
For ideas through the year, read year-round digital signage ideas for restaurants.
See LED signs for restaurants and cafes, or tell us about your menu. Call Aaron on 0416 053 335 or the office on (08) 9335 7944.
