digital menu display screens factory
Digital menu boards provide POS messaging on menu choices and special promotions, updated instantly according to the time of day or season and have a proven record of increased sales and per person turnover. Annual savings as high as 1800€ are possible for each menu board switched to digital, with no paper printing, no frequent installation change and savings on delivery costs. Swift-throughput and efficient customer service are crucial and digital menu boards can greatly support staff in providing a superior customer experience and significant sales uplift.
The concession stand can be a punishing environment for electronic equipment; grease, dust, airborne particles and extreme temperatures meaning robust and reliable professional grade displays are essential.
Static hand-written signs or boring posters are a thing of the past as restaurants aim to modernize their establishments and create an aesthetically pleasing oasis to enjoy any choice of meal. As a restaurant entrepreneur, you should ensure your business uses state-of-the-art technology, such as digital menu boards. Not only do they offer a clear, cohesive way for customers to read your menu, but draw customers in to try food choices with savory images. In fact, 76% of customers admit entering a store based on digital signage. Therefore, besides a digital menu giving you better control over what your customer sees, they help generate revenue.
A study shows that 29.5% of customers’ purchase decisions were influenced by digital menus, making them highly effective. Digital signage offers businesses an opportunity to reach potential customers and engage them. Besides, it’s ideal for different industries like restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, and other businesses. But where can you get a reliable digital menu board and software solution to create engaging templates and layouts?
Here are the top five digital menu board companies we recommend engaging your customers. Utilizing these digital signage solutions, you are sure to boost sales and marketing while engaging your customer to come back in the future.
Among the leading cloud-based digital signage software and content management solutions is Mvix. It offers versatility since it’s compatible with different operating systems like Windows, Linux, and apple.
Enjoy the multi-user platform and different digital display options offered by Mvix. You can schedule real-time updates and use customizable templates, fonts, and layouts to display your message to your audience. So, you can personalize the message to suit your audience. Additionally, there are different menu board systems that you can customize to a menu design you have in mind.
Mvix offers users an easy way to create content and distribute it through digital signs, touchscreen, and 4k displays. It also provides data integration, scheduling apps, and Sharepoint for real-time data displays.
You can now use Mvix to manage multiple screens remotely. Additionally, you can preview the signs you have created before publishing them. Alternatively, you can schedule when to display content. Mvix offers point-of-sale signage that helps customers during checkout and enables upselling opportunities to your customers before making their purchases.
Are you on the lookout for digital signage solutions with free and paid plans? Yodeck offers both. This digital signage software has been in the market since 2015 but has taken the digital signage industry by storm.
The company offers you innovative ways to promote your business and brand through digital signs, screens, and an effective electronic menu board. So, if you run a restaurant, you can use the software for mouth-watering menu displays that draw in potential customers. It offers high-resolution digital screen displays for any budget.
Yodeck is all-inclusive and serves as digital signage and appropriate meeting room software. Therefore, it can meet your content management needs by displaying dynamic content at ultra-high speed. This digital menu board is highly customizable, despite not having a mobile app integration. However, it comes with widgets that you can use on your mobile device or desktop.
There are three monthly pricing plans for Yodeck digital signage software, besides their free plan exclusive to one-screen users. You can choose the standard package for $7.99 monthly, the Pro Plan for $9.99 monthly, or the Enterprise package for $12.99 monthly.
With a record of installations in different countries, OnSign TV is a popular digital software system around the globe. It has been in the digital signage industry since 1995, and it offers interactive menu screens like restaurant menu boards for the hospitality industry.
In fact, it offers compatibility with different devices like tablets, mobile phones, and desktops; hence, ideal for remote working. Moreover, you can download content to play offline using the digital signage player. OnSign TV comes with a robust API that allows you to add digital signage to a business of any size.
The software comes with powerful features and pre-installed digital menu board templates to help showcase your food service. After content creation, you can use drag-and-drop editing tools to edit your content before showcasing it.
Yet another leading digital signage software is Navori. It’s an enterprise-grade platform that includes a QL server with:Multi-level, multi-user web content management module
With Navori digital signage platform, you can seamlessly create simple rules and scenarios. That’s because the platform allows your live data sources to automate real-time content management and playback decisions.
Menuat is a digital menu board solution that has been operational since 2013. As cloud-based software, it allows users to update menu items from a central place in real-time. The platform uses high-resolution digital flat-screen panels ideal for the digital space.
Menuat’s functionality is such that it allows you to save time in menu content creation and updating. Users can sync information in-store and on the website. Moreover, you can experiment with placement, animation, and features to increase engagement and drive sales. An added advantage is that you can always provide attractive and consistent brand messaging across all your digital signs.
Key FeaturesThe Menuat media player provides 24-hour monitoring and support, True HD, 4K support, and USB or Wi-Fi internet through supported screens.
The market has no shortage of digital menu board software, and you can be lost for choice when looking for the best. Luckily, the top five digital menu board companies above will make it easy to narrow down the best digital signage software that meets your business needs. Whether you are working remotely or at the business office, each digital signage software will help engage your audience and increase revenue. Thus, choose any of the companies above and propel your business to the next level.
Noventri Digital Menu Boards are the ideal digital menu board solution for restaurants, fast casual dining, convenience stores, theaters, cafeterias, airlines, trains, caterers, stadiums, campuses, and more. The Noventri Eco-Menu Board digitally displays your menus to your guests and patrons, providing easy price and menu updates.
We can take care of as much of or as little of the process as you would like – from shipping you a menu display kit that you install – to coming on-site and installing it all for you.
To get started with your digital menu board, all you need is a TV. Our players ship with your content preloaded, so just plug the provided device into the HDMI port, connect it to your WiFi network, and log into our convenient online portal.
With a few clicks, you’ll have a highly customizable production on your display that you can use to show off products and pricing, drive upsells, and informs your customers about your offerings.
The sleek, cutting-edge appearance of a digital LED display modernizes the look of your wash, helping you to make a better first impression on your customers. The eye-catching, expertly-crafted motion graphics captures customers attention, providing the opportunity to cross-sell and upsell key products and services easily and instantaneously.
Save time, make money. Deliver the right message when your customers are most receptive. In real time, make as many updates as you wish across as many sites as you need. There is no need for you to host a server on-site; all digital menu content is fully managed by Sonny’s Controls team.
Create engaging digital food menu boards that showcase your menu items with our easy-to-use media features. Drag & drop your own photos and videos into our platform. Or choose from thousands of free stock images and videos. Also, you can edit, update & display your menu boards remotely, across all locations, in seconds.
Advertise time-sensitive special offers with Yodeck’s user-friendly scheduling feature. Spur on-the-spot sales while customers wait in line using easy-to-edit digital menu boards for restaurants. Display playlists of popular menu items or promotions to cross-sell & upsell your specials. Also, advertise services such as catering and party-hosting.
Remind employees of health-code regulations outside business hours. Additionally, use staff-facing screens to promote training opportunities. You can also strengthen team-building by showcasing employee achievements or employee-of-the-month walls.
Display product stories, brand videos and live kitchen cams, with seamless streaming. Showcase what makes your menu stand out from the crowd. Additionally, highlight local ingredients or specialties on electronic menu boards.
News and weather updates get displayed in seconds using our super easy widgets from our impressive Widget library. Offer your customers useful information that gets them focused on your restaurant screens.
Display your social media feeds to gain more followers and generate social proof. Also, showcase images and videos posted by happy customers. Additionally, use your signage TVs to show customer testimonials.
Grab our free screen layout templates and wow your customers with professionally designed, industry-specific content for restaurant digital menu boards.
Stimulate customer purchases with restaurant digital menu boards: 59% of people who see digital food signage content want to learn more about the topic shown.
Our user-friendly drag & dropfeature means you upload your photos and videos in seconds. Additionally, create great menu board content that boosts sales in seconds with free stock images and videos from our Galleries. Upload, edit and display content on all TVs remotely, from your PC, using our online platform, no matter where you are.
Our extremely affordable pricing model offers great value for money, with feature-rich plans, for all businesses that use electronic menu boards. Also, get free, complete Raspberry Pi Yodeck Player kits with annual plans.
Get free pre-configured hardware if you choose an annual plan. And setup is a breeze, with no tech expertise required for successful digital signage deployment.
The important thing for us was that we needed an easy-to-use, robust digital signage solution that we could comfortably manage from our central offices, and of course, one which could fit to our low advertising budget. In Yodeck that is exactly what we found.
With years of experience working alongside restaurants, we know what it takes to create quality menu designs that will wow your customers. Our unparalleled design team creates digital menu templates with restaurants in mind, so you"ll find what you need without having to sort through a bunch of unrelated templates. Plus, you"ll have access to all our other designs for menus, social media templates, flyers, and more.
With our intuitive drag and drop editing tool, it"s easy to make a digital menu board that best reflects your business style and vibe. Just choose one of our unique templates and alter it to incorporate your text, colors, photos, backgrounds, and more. In just a few simple clicks, you"ll be ready to download and share on your screen. If you have any issues, don"t hesitate to contact our Customer Service team and they"ll help you create the perfect digital menu board.
Once your design looks great, download the image file to your computer, save it to a USB drive, and connect it to your tv screen for display. If you have a wifi-capable screen, you can publish with a web link. We support custom sizes for any monitor size (widescreen and fullscreen) up to 70 inches. It"s never been easier to upgrade your menu than with MustHaveMenus!
Customize the appearance of your menu boards and improve overall experience with our cost-effective digital menu board software solution. Our easy-to-use platform allows for quick updates to prices, products, and promotions as they appear on your digital menu. Schedule several digital menu displays throughout the day with our day-parting feature so that your menu board changes seamlessly following meal times.
At REACH, we offer digital menu board software for any industry, and our partners have seen many benefits from turning to digital menu displays to better convey information. Digital menu board software from REACH offers a whole host of benefits compared to paper menus or even other digital signage software platforms:
Keep Pricing Up to Date—Our digital menu displays allow you to quickly and easily update pricing and menu information at the touch of a button. Simply login to our cloud-based digital menu software interface and instantly change any element with ease.
Highlight Specials and Promotions—If your establishment typically has extended wait times, digital menu board software can help to reduce the frustration by highlighting specials and promotions that you may be offering. You can also integrate live video and other interactive elements into your digital signage menu to keep your guests entertained, even if they have to wait a few minutes to be served by your establishment.
Environmentally Friendly—Paper menus are wasteful, especially if they must be changed regularly to feature new specials and promotions. Thanks to digital menu software, you can say goodbye to paper menus, but still keep your digital menu board up-to-date with the latest information.
Cost-Effective—Maintaining paper menus and static restaurant menu boards can be quite expensive, especially when changes need to be made. This is in contrast to digital menu boards, which are much more cost-effective and much less labor-intensive to change.
Build Your Brand—Digital menu boards can be a great way to help you build your brand. Think about the visual possibilities when you can showcase high-quality images of specials that you’re looking to highlight as opposed to being limited to text on a paper menu. Your patrons will appreciate being able to see what some of the menu items look like on a digital menu display as opposed to waiting until their order is prepared and presented to them.
Still have questions about digital menu displays? Browse our FAQs below to learn more about how digital signage solutions can revolutionize your approach to menu boards.
You need three things for a digital menu board: digital signage hardware, a screen to display the menu on, and the software to display it on. While the technology might seem fancy or inaccessible, you can use any screen (including televisions and computer monitors) and connect it to digital signage player—something you can either buy yourself or purchase from your digital signage solutions providers. If you choose REACH as your solution, you can either use hardware you already own or we will provide it to you.
Any television made within the last decade (or more) can easily become a digital menu board. All it takes is a digital signage player and corresponding digital signage software that can manage the menu on the screen.
Our team is ready to deliver easy-to-use digital signage solutions to your business. With dedicated support teams and powerful design tools, anyone from any skill level can design professional-looking designs in minutes!
Melitron is a designer, manufacturer, and contract manufacturing services provider of durable enclosure systems for electronics and electro-mechanical products, including a Melitron-branded fully customizable line of indoor and outdoor digital signage and kiosk solutions.
Looking to update your foodservice establishment? These digital menu boards for restaurants are a cutting-edge way to replace static options such as LED boards and paper versions. With the new labeling laws, now is a better time than ever to replace old foodservice signage options with electronic versions. The recent regulations mandate many restaurants to show calorie counts and nutritional information alongside items. These digital menu boards have an initial investment cost but are free to update once implemented. In the future when more foodservice laws arise, this display will not cost restaurants any money to change. In addition, when fast food establishments add new items, it is free to add to these digital menu boards.
These flat screen ad players offered in this online catalog have built-in plug & play capabilities. Users simply insert a USB drive preloaded with full-screen images and play content on the screen. Restaurants may show food items, promotions, and upcoming events on these digital menu boards. This electronic restaurant fixture is sure to engage the customer and enhance the overall restaurant experience. These digital menu boards allow users to change templates as needed to effectively communicate information to customers. These versatile systems are great for keeping up with the supply of food items. For example, this digital menu board promotes items that are overstocked in order to directly influence buying choices. What Types of Digital Menu Boards Are Available?
Countertop stands, stationary wall mounts, articulating brackets and ceiling-hung configurations are the mountable styles offered. Kits include chosen mounting devices, LCD display (with plug and play capabilities), and free web-based template software!
Freestanding, stationary, and portable floor stands encompass a variety of uses! From shorter menu displays to extra tall truss stands, the range of options for usage is incredible! Each option available contains a unique stand, monitor, and media player!
High-definition images and brightly colored layouts on these flat screen systems provide customers with a visual treat. Food is perishable which makes the restaurant industry one of the highest capable sectors to profit from this technology. With different seasons come different foods and crops so the menu options at foodservice establishments are always changing and so do these versatile kits. These systems allow for easy updating of prices with the changes in the market. Restaurant fixture displays different food items depending on the time of day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) with ease and eliminates the need to waste employee labor. This signage content is ideal when marketed towards a specific demographic based on trends noticed by the restaurant owner. Displays for restaurants help create an ambiance. Digital signage systems are the new age in menus. This display is used to enhance the overall customer experience. Flat-panel media players are the perfect mode of communicating with customers in this technological era.
The graphics displayed on the screens may help guide customers in their purchasing decisions making this an ideal tool for restaurants. This signage helps increase revenue, customer satisfaction, and overall branding. This display includes the necessary hardware and free access to online template software. MAD Monkey Media is a trusted source for electronic displays. This all-in-one display for restaurant digital signage includes access to free template software. These ad players for the foodservice industry provide plug and play capability. These ad player bundled kits are perfect for restaurants of all types. Purchasers of this display can find all the support they need right here! This online catalog has a vast selection of e-media players to make the transition into electronic displays a smooth one. A foodservice establishment can benefit greatly from this menu board signage. These all-in-one displays are versatile and sure to engage customers. Along with the hardware offered, the free online template software will make the transition into e-media that much easier. In addition to e-media players, this site has thousands of in-stock POP displays to choose from. Check Out Our Other Signage
One of the best ways to deliver and monitor this information is through well-placed digital signage screens. Workers of all levels can see them and no one needs access to a PC or app to get a minute-by-minute glance of what’s going on. In most organizations, updating information that’s printed or on the company portal more than once or twice a day is unrealistic. With digital signage, information updates itself and is far more relevant.
Automatic updates offer near-endless possibilities of workplace updates. A task is completed? It can move along in the progress display. New staff member joined? Add a quick slide to introduce them to the team.
Digital signage really does adapt to your organization and the way you want to run your manufacturing floor. Here’s how it leads to increased engagement and productivity for your team.
When you measure progress, more progress is made. Making company goals visible for your employees is incredibly motivating. However, static signs will quickly get outdated. On the other hand, digital signage? These can be updated at a moment"s notice. Using an app such as Screenful, you can create visual dashboards and automated reports that sync up with project management tools you probably already know and use, like Trello or Jira.
With all of these solutions, you can use digital signage to show information you already have, meaning there’s no doubling up on work. All of your production data, targets, goals and progress reports can be updated on the fly and they’re more visible to your team. Pushing dynamic production updates and statistics is proven to keep workers more productive and engaged, since the large majority of frontline workers, managers and corporate leaders believe new technology will lead to overall organization success. So why is nobody using them?
For example, you can have multiple screens display progress and targets in front of personnel on the manufacturing or production floors and within manager and supervisor offices.
In break rooms, you could also use screens but the information could be more relevant towards employees personally, showing progress reports alongside content such as weather, news and social media.
Alternately, all of your screens can run the same content, but at break time you can encourage a more relaxed atmosphere by displaying a Vimeo playlist of music videos, a social media wall or even a digital menu board to show what’s available in your on-site cafeteria.
Digital signage is already shown to benefit an employee"s productivity. However, digital signage can also benefit the employee. Deskless employees with sufficient technology are twice as likely to be satisfied with their job. Maintaining employee satisfaction is crucial when 37% of deskless workers are at risk of leaving within the next six months.
Less than half of frontline employees feel heard at their workplace. By using digital signage, you can show that you care. Congratulating an employee for their work, wishing another a happy birthday or encouraging employee well-being can better fold your employees into the organization.
We all work harder and better when we know the goals we’re working towards. Make the data of your production lines easy to digest and allow employees to take control of their own productivity rates, all from a few screens on your walls and a simple reporting system from data you already have and use.
Begin implementing your digital signage displays today. At ScreenCloud, we offer a 14-day free trial plus free access to all of the apps mentioned above. Get started here.
Adigital menu boardis an electronic screen that displays your menu items, products, or services. It can include everything from photos and text to graphs and rotating imagery. In the past few years, digital menus have become more popular in fast food restaurants, QSRs and takeaways as a tool for delivering high impact dynamic content.
As these signs become more widely used, you may be wondering if digital menus are right for your business. Weighing the benefits against the costs for installation, screens, and design software (though some companies offer more affordable digital menu board templates as an option), and time it would take to set up will be important factors in the decision.
Digital menus are great for businesses that have an open layout or a register and counter that the customer walks up to. Generally, this includes fast-food restaurants, QSRs, takeaways but can also include stores, reception areas in offices, hotel lobbies and many other environments.
Digital menu boards can be used throughout the environment to inform customers about products & services, update on ongoing promotions and increase revenue through promotion of upsells, new products etc. Digital menu boards are usually featured on internal walls and behind the service area for maximum effectiveness. They can be used in window space but we often recommend anultra high brightness display screenthat offsets the direct sunlight.
Businesses that have frequent menu changes are great for digital menus as it is easier to update your digital menu on the fly than print new menus. Additionally, if you have products or menu items that frequently sell out, this is a great way to stay on top of editing your menu availability or indicating that something is sold out as soon as it happens.
Our FREE CMS Network upgrade & FREE 1 yr subscription offers access to scheduling software that allows you to make the most of your menu and the time of day or sales season. You can schedule the appearance of breakfast menus, lunchtime specials, Christmas deals etc with the handy app.
In addition, this means saving money on reprinting materials. Of course, the upfront cost of installing a digital menu will be hefty — screens, software, installation, and time are all pieces to consider. This cost can vary depending on what services and products you choose, but can easily be in the thousands. After the initial upfront cost, though, digital menus can save your business significant amounts of money down the road if you often spend money on print due to frequent menu changes.
Grocery stores that want to highlight their sale items, or even daily lunch and dinner specials, could benefit from digital menus. Using a digital menu can make sale items more noticeable with the use of bright or rotating imagery. This is also a great way to highlight new products or products that customers may not be aware of.
Since digital menus tend to be more engaging than traditional print products, customers are more apt to notice these updates or specialty products, making it easier to upsell and increase sales overall.
Using a digital board instantly supports your brand by giving it a more modern look. Accessing marketing templates allows you decide the look and feel of your marketing to suit your customer profile. Strong images and aspirational copy can do wonders for sales and brand. Again, our FREE Network CMS upgrade offers user management functions so you can get all the crew involved.
As we all know, customers always begin their decision-making process by glancing at your menus. Whether static paper signs or digital screens, your signage is one of the most valuable assets in your business. When executed properly, digital menu boards offer a cost-effective way to help you reduce customers’ perceived wait time, increase foot traffics, and more. Here are the top benefits of Digital Menu Board with some fun facts:
It’s very often you would run into customers that are having troubles deciding what to order at a quick-service restaurant that uses static menu signs. This is not surprising as the text requires 60,000 times more time to digest than visuals, according to 3M. With digital menu boards, business owners can present their menus with a clean layout and stunning visuals. This will help customers make informed decisions more efficiently and speed up the queue.
After customers place their orders, they usually have to wait for a short while before their meals are ready and feel time pass by more slowly. This is the time that customers get impatient and feel dissatisfied with the services. With vibrant animation and consistent motions, digital menu boards keep the customers’ eyes busy, minds occupied, and direct their attention away from the wait itself effectively. This will then reduce their perceived wait time, leaving them satisfied when they receive their orders and exit the stores.
Studies revealed nearly 30% of customers find digital menus influential for purchasing a product. Unlike printed signs boards, which offer limited information and visuals, digital menu boards can grab customers’ attention quickly and promote menu items effectively. You can display limited-time offers, special promotions, and best-selling items with images, videos, and special animated effects to stimulate customers’ appetites and encourage them to make purchases. You can also include calories, ingredients, and nutritional information to help your customers make a decision.
According to Nielsen Norman Group, the movement of animations captures attention, especially when it is in a customer’s peripheral view. Digital menu boards display your menu items, photos, and videos with unique menu designs, special animated effects, and bright colors with great resolution. With the right creative graphic design team, your digital menu boards will be eye-catching to customers and stand out from the crowd to the passers-by.
QSRs must have the ability to respond to rapid changes quickly in today’s business climate and cope with younger generations. It is inconvenient for business owners to update traditional signs promptly and deliver them to multiple locations efficiently. This is where digital menu boards come in handy. From minor items and prices adjustments to new marketing promotion launches, digital menu boards can help business owners achieve them without hassles. With a centralized control cloud-based platform, business owners can make any menu changes to their digital menu boards from anywhere, at any time, and to any location of their choice. The system will distribute all new updates to multiple locations within minutes without involving any third party.
With the help of digital menu boards, quick-service restaurants can easily display various sets of menus based on the time of the day and day of the week. Why do it yourself when you can automate the process and have a system to do the work precisely? The Dayparting feature will have you automate and switch between breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus when the time comes. You don’t need to rely on anyone to change the menus manually and never need to worry about displaying your menus at the wrong time again.
Unlike traditional static menu boards, digital menu displays enable you to deliver diverse marketing and promotional content effectively to the customers at the right time. Business owners can keep customers informed about upcoming events, special deals and menu items, and limited-time offers. On top of that, with the Scheduled Publishing feature, you can easily plan and schedule all your future seasonal and new promotions ahead of time. The content will be published to the digital menu boards automatically when the time comes. This way, you can ensure that your seasonal promotions will never miss their best timing to help you generate more profits.
Brand consistency is one of the keys to successful marketing. Businesses need to ensure that their branding elements and messages are in sync. If all locations are supposed to display the same set of menus, any failure in this operation will send mixed signals and create negative impressions to their customers. Digital menu boards can help business owners eliminate this problem. Digital menu board software solution is scalable, quick to adapt, and easy to manage. You can update any menu content across multiple screens at multiple locations effortlessly. Keeping your branding consistent will help you establish credibility and leave memorable impressions on your customers. your customers.
Digital signage is the perfect solution for fast casual and quick-service restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, breweries, bars, and more. Use Skykit Beam, our powerful digital signage content management system, to enhance your establishment with eye-catching digital menus, promotions, and other content.
How many times have you experienced this— you walk past a quick-serve restaurant, you notice the outdoor digital menu board displaying the mouthwatering images of a burger or sushi…and now, all of a sudden, you feel HUNGRY!
And, that is precisely why your restaurant desperately needs a digital menu board, if it already hasn’t got one. Both indoor and outdoor digital menu boards act as visual magnets to draw customers towards the counter and increase sales.
Therefore, irrespective of whether you are a five-star hotel or a local cafe/QSR, it is essential for you to think through the outlook and design of your restaurant digital menu boards.
Well, creating a digital menu board for a restaurant doesn’t have to be expensive or even priced at all. There are many design software that allow you to download as well as edit free digital menu board templates.
In this blog, we will tell you how to create digital menu boards for restaurants using both free and paid software. We have listed the six online menu makers that can help you create stunning and professional-looking digital menu boards for your QSR, food truck, restaurant, hotel, or school cafeteria.
Before choosing the design application, make sure that you know what file formats are supported by your digital menu board software. For example, Pickcel’s software for digital menu board supports all kinds of images, video formats, and URLs.
Pickcel has the perfect software for digital menu boards that will take care of all your creative necessities. This digital restaurant menu app can be a fabulous asset, particularly for those eateries that need to update their menu boards quite frequently, and for whom time is of the essence. This commonly includes food services like restaurants, cafes, QSRs, hotel restaurants, office canteens, drive thru stalls, etc.
Clean and organized menu design, fancy but readable texts, and a whole lot of breathable space to avoid confusing or overwhelming the customers. Believe it or not, creating such clever designs on your own is not really as simple as it may look.
But, that is the advantage of using ready-made templates of the Pickcel digital menu board app: They are designed by professionals and you can simply select a digital menu template and edit it to the very last detail like:
Exclusive for digital menu boards: As you scroll down through this list, you will see that there is hardly any software that is so fine-tuned to the requisites of the food service industry. When you use a dedicated software, the chances of your objective getting fulfilled (in this case, your menu board being an instrument of temptation so that your customers can’t avoid buying from you) increases strikingly.
You can do so much more than just design digital menus: We are not bragging, but the Pickcel digital menu board app surely emerges as a winner if you consider the additional benefits you get. This is a software that not only allows you to create excellent, professional digital menu designs, but also happens to be a complete package of your restaurant’s digital signage management.
The app offers one single platform from which users can create digital menus and publish them directly to the restaurant’s digital menu boards. Besides digital menu boards, restaurant digital signage can also be used for various other purposes like showing promotional contents, live news, weather updates, social media feeds, order status, and so on.
Within the Pickcel menu board app, users can pick and choose from a range of alternatives and then mix and match them to create a design of their choice. This takes far less time than filling up a completely blank space.
Pickcel software subscription required: If you are looking only for free digital menu design software, then this can come as a little anticlimactic. Pickcel’s digital menu board app comes free with the Pickcel digital signage software. In fact, an amazing collection of Pickcel apps comes free with the software. But, the digital signage software license itself is not free.
However, there is an upside to using licensed software. Most free softwares have limitations; they may be suitable for passion projects, but fail to meet business expectations. Proprietary products are secure; they come with rich features, UI, and tech support. Pickcel is a reputed digital signage company that caters to some of the biggest enterprises.
Pickcel offers the software license on a monthly and yearly subscription rate and the plan can be cancelled at any time. There is a text Moreover, there is a 14-day free trial period for which users can avail all the features of Pickcel signage player software including the digital menu board app, completely free of cost
DSMenu is a company that offers tons of customizable templates for different types of restaurant digital menu boards. These services do the creative heavy lifting for you by designing professional templates that meet the industry benchmark.
It saves time: Hotels, restaurants, and cafes need to update their menu boards frequently, often more than thrice a day to display different meals. On top of that, there are special meals, festive offers, regular discounts, coupon codes, and many other changes that require constant updates. Therefore, unless you have hired a creative team to regularly design and update your restaurant menu board, it is always reasonable to go for a ready-made template instead of designing one from scratch.
Exclusive for digital menu boards: DS Menu templates are tailor-made for food businesses only. This means that you will get huge collections of industry-standard designs. Moreover, the templates are well-organized under popular categories like ‘Lunch’, ‘Breakfast’, ‘School Menu’, ‘Happy Hour’, ‘Bakery’, ‘Chalk’ etc. You can also request custom designs.
Not Free: DS menu allows you to register and design your menu for free so that you can warm up to the application. However, in order to download your design, you need to be a paid subscriber.
If you are searching for hundreds of free templates, hands down, Canva is the ultimate option to try. It is, in fact, a one-stop solution for all kinds of creative templates, not just digital menu board templates. Even though all templates are not cost-free, it is safe to say that you’ll get plenty of unpaid designs to choose from. You can hover over each template/photo/video/element to check which ones are tagged ‘free’.
In Canva, you can also design your restaurant digital menu boards from scratch, import graphics from your personal devices, share your designs and work as a team.
It allows video formats: You can add free stock videos to digital menu board design. You can also download them in GIF or MP4 formats besides SVG, PNG, JPEG, and PDF file formats. Adding dynamic graphics (like GIFs and videos) can make the digital menu boards for restaurants 10X more attractive. Simply create a high-quality video of some great food being prepared in your restaurant kitchen, import it to Canva, and insert that video clip in your digital menu design! Isn’t that fun?
Let"s add another great news: Pickcel users can now design and manage their digital menu boards directly through our integrated Canva design tool. Check out our step-by-step tutorial with images for more insight.
Mostly Vertical Menus: Sorry, we couldn’t find any such downside for this tool. If at all something has to be pointed out, then we can only say that most of the digital menu board templates are in portrait orientation. But then, you can always resize! The standard landscape aspect ratio is 16:9.
Easil is another user-friendly graphic design software where you can create beautiful content for your restaurant digital menu boards. It offers three tiers of pricing plans. The ‘Basic’ plan is free and is packed with useful features.
The digital menu board template designs are surely a breath of fresh air, especially if you have a weakness for pastel shades and minimalist designs! If you need horizontal menus, you may be a little disappointed at first glance, as Easil mostly offers vertical menu board templates.
But, don’t worry, we’ll let you in on a secret that will solve your problem: all you have to do is copy and resize the vertical template into the ‘Digital Screen’ (1920px X 1080 px) size. It’s that simple!
Custom dimension for digital screens: Digital menu boards for restaurants are generally large digital signage screens. For a layman, understanding the technical nitty-gritty of graphic design like size, resolution, and aspect ratios can be a genuine struggle. At the same time, not having the correct understanding of these dimensions can lead you to create a design that will ultimately appear blurry or pixelated on your digital signage displays. Easil completely obsoletes this hassle by providing a standard ‘digital screen’ dimensions.
Apple Keynote is another presentation tool that can be used to design beautiful dynamic and static digital menu boards for your restaurant/QSR. You will get plenty of gorgeous templates, to begin with. Apple Keynote comes pre-installed with Apple devices and can also be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store.
Tip: if you are a hip and urban restaurant/QSR with plenty of millennial customers, you can use this feature to give your digital menu board a cool and funky organic look!
The time factor: With more features, you need more time to figure them out. Besides, with Apple, you might be surprised at the number of new features getting introduced every now and then! So, for creating a digital menu board in Keynote, you might need to sit down with a cup of coffee, watch some tutorials before you can create a ‘wow’ design for the digital menu board. All we are saying is, we hope you are not in a hurry.
If you want to design your restaurant digital menu board right from scratch, then Google Slides can be your favorite application. It allows a much greater scope of collaboration. You can share your slides with others and can group edit your digital menu board designs in real-time.
Also, you can import any existing designs in PowerPoint and convert them into Google slides. If you want to get started with templates, that is also available. However, do not expect to find the kind of huge repository of templates that you get with applications like Canva or DS menu, or Easil.
Free: There is no subscription fee at all. Everything is free up to a limit. Supports screencast: Digital menu board designs made with Google Slides can be wirelessly cast on your digital displays directly from your android devices like smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, etc. using Chromecast, Hangouts, and AirPlay. You can get the tutorials here.
Before creating your digital menu board with PowerPoint, do make sure to resize the slides in the standard 16:9 ratio if you plan to show your menu on widescreen. The default aspect ratio of a PPT slide is 4:3. You can change the aspect ratio of your slides from the ‘Page Set-up’ option under the ‘Design’ tab of the toolbar.
Intelligent Design Suggestions: The new Microsoft PowerPoint version offers smart design suggestions based on the design of your first slide (as shown in the image above). You can find these suggestions under the ‘Designer’ tab. Some designs are free while others are only for ‘Premium’ members. Nevertheless, you can get a fair number of new digital menu board design ideas from this section.
A Little Time-Consuming: Same as with Google Slides; you will not get any such pre-baked designs for your restaurant digital menu board. Therefore, it is not a very time-efficient choice.
Once you have learned how to create a digital menu board for your restaurant or QSR outlet, it is time for you to move on to the next level: how to create a digital menu board that sells your products and communicates with your customers at the same time.
Add relevant images: Nothing cries ‘amateur’ more than an erratic and unrelated image/graphic in your digital menu board design. Imagine the disappointment of the customers when they walk into your restaurant hoping to get that delicious burrito displayed on your digital menu board but realize that it was just a decorative image and that you don’t actually sell one! You wouldn’t want to set a wrong impression, do you?
Less is More: While designing digital menu boards for restaurants, make sure that you do not crowd it with lots of graphics, font styles, and effects. Your customers will feel lost if you do that, and it might also make your menu look desperate for attention. Keeping it simple always works well enough.
Set Yourself Apart: Do a little homework on how your competitors design their digital menu boards? And, what can you do to make your’s a little different from the rest? If your competitors are using colorful images, then maybe you can go for the cool ‘chalkboard’ look. If others are using images, then you can add GIF or video elements to make your digital menu board even more dynamic.
Add Interactivity to Your Restaurant Digital Menu Board: When it comes to customer experience, nothing can beat the fun of interacting with gadgets & gizmos. That is why you need interactive digital menu boards for your restaurant . But the question is how.
However, on the upside, Pickcel provides affordable solutions like digital menu board solution and digital discount coupon that offer massive scope for digital interactivity along with an incredible range of advanced features that the DIY menu boards fail to match.
Check out: Pickcel"s Software for Digital Menu Boards! The software offers a consolidated platform to design, publish and manage your restaurant digital menu boards from anywhere, with any device!
The bottom line is, creating digital signage for restaurants, QSRs, cafes, or hotels does not have to be an ordeal. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. You don’t even need to hire a designer for the job. In today’s world of automation, designing your digital menu board can be an absolute breeze.