Digital menu boards: a practical buying guide
A printed menu is out of date the day a price changes. Every new offer, seasonal drink or breakfast-to-lunch switch means another print run, another set of boards to swap, and someone on a ladder before opening time.
A digital menu board fixes that, but only if you buy the right one. Choose a screen that’s too dim for your window and it looks switched off by mid-morning. Choose a domestic TV and it won’t survive running 18 hours a day. This guide covers what actually matters, so you can choose once and choose properly.
In this guide:
- What a digital menu board is
- Why restaurants are switching from print
- Commercial grade, not a TV
- How bright does a digital menu board need to be?
- Screen size, orientation and multi-screen walls
- The software: scheduling and remote updates
- Digital menu board costs: what you’re paying for
- Making the content work
- Where to put your screens
- Choosing a digital menu board: a checklist
- Frequently asked questions
What is a digital menu board?
A digital menu board is a commercial display that shows your menu, prices and promotions in place of printed panels. Content is managed through digital signage software. You can change it from a laptop, schedule it by time of day, and push the same update to one site or a whole estate at once.
You’ll find them in three places:
- Above the counter, where customers read the menu while they queue
- In the window, where they pull in people walking past
- At the drive-through, where they have to stay readable in full sun and rain
Each place needs a different specification. That’s the most common thing buyers get wrong.
Why restaurants are switching from print
Customers increasingly expect digital as standard. In the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Technology Landscape Report 2024, 76% of restaurant operators said technology gives them a competitive edge.
The operational case is simpler still. With print:
- Every change costs money twice: once for the printing, and again for the staff time to take the old boards down and put the new ones up.
- Offers reach the customer late. By the time a printed promotion is up across every site, half the campaign has gone.
- It creates waste. Regular reprints add to your carbon footprint.
Those are the three problems Costa Coffee set out to solve when it moved away from printed menus and posters in its UK stores. Costa rolled out 400 of our 43″ Muro Double-Sided Window Displays. One face draws in people walking past, and the other advertises to customers already inside.
Commercial grade, not a TV
A domestic television is built for a few hours a night. A menu board might run from 6am to midnight, seven days a week. That’s why it needs to be commercial grade.
When you compare displays, look for:
- Rated for 24/7 operation. Our Muro Menu Board is designed to run 24/7, with a panel lifespan of more than 50,000 hours.
- A built-in media player. Displays with an on-board Android player run content without a separate PC or media box behind every screen, so there’s one less thing to fail.
- A proper warranty. Our Muro menu board and window displays carry a 3-year standard warranty.
How bright does a digital menu board need to be?
Brightness is measured in nits (cd/m²), and it’s the specification that matters most. The right figure depends entirely on where the screen goes, so start with the location rather than the display.
Indoors, above the counter: 700–1,000 nits
Away from windows, you’re competing with restaurant lighting, not daylight. A display in the 700–1,000 nit range stays clear and vivid under bright shop and mall lighting without dazzling the people in the queue. That’s the range of our Muro Menu Board.
In a shop window: 700 or 3,000 nits
Behind glass, two things decide the brightness you need: which way the window faces, and how far the screen sits from the glass.
- A shaded or north-facing window, with the screen close to the glass, can work with a 700-nit display. One example is our Muro Double-Sided Window Display.
- A south-facing window always needs an ultra-high-brightness display of around 3,000+ nits, whatever the glass. The same applies when the screen sits further back from the glass. Below that, a sunlit window display looks grey and washed out. Our Muro UHB window displays run at 3,000+ nits. An automatic brightness sensor turns them down at night, so the window isn’t glaring at an empty street.
Two practical points for windows:
- Every display should sit at least 100–150mm from the glass, unless the glass has heat and UV blocking treatment.
- Direct sun heats a screen. Look for panels designed for it. Our UHB displays use heat-resistant panels, and they protect themselves if temperatures climb too far.
At the drive-through: 3,000 nits and weatherproof
A drive-through menu board is effectively an outdoor display. It has to be readable in direct sunlight and survive whatever the weather does. Look for:
- Around 3,000 nits, so the menu stays clear in bright sunlight
- An IP66 rating, so it keeps working in rain and dust
- Single, dual or triple screen layouts, so the full menu fits
Our drive-through displays are 55″, available as single, dual or triple screens, at 3,000+ nits and IP66. They have LED side lights and an optional camera and microphone.
Screen size, orientation and multi-screen walls
Size comes down to reading distance and how much menu you need to show. Our Muro Menu Board comes in 32″, 43″, 55″ and 65″, and works in portrait or landscape.
Resolution matters more on bigger screens, where customers stand close and read small text. Our 55″ and 65″ menu boards are higher resolution than Full HD for exactly that reason.
Multi-screen menu walls are where the frame around each screen (the bezel) matters. When three or four screens sit side by side above a counter, thick frames make the menu look like a row of televisions. Your options:
- A slim-bezel menu board. The Muro Menu Board has an 8mm bezel, so a three- or four-screen wall reads as one menu.
- A video wall with no visible gaps. For a single continuous image, our zero bezel LCD video walls have a 0mm screen-to-screen gap. Our LED video walls have no outer frame at all. These suit premium venues that want a feature wall behind the bar as well as a menu.
The software: scheduling and remote updates
The screen is half the system. The other half is the digital signage software that decides what it shows.
Scheduling
Scheduling is the feature restaurants use most. Set it up once and your breakfast menu switches to lunch at 11:30am without anyone touching it. Evening menus and weekend specials work the same way. PeakSignage, our cloud-based platform, schedules content daily, weekly or monthly from a calendar view.
Cloud-based, remote updates
With cloud software, you manage content from any modern web browser, so you don’t need to be on site. Change a price at head office and it’s updated everywhere you choose. You can group screens by location, device type or campaign, so a regional offer only goes to the region it’s meant for.
Templates, not design work
A drag-and-drop editor with templates means a store manager can update a menu without a designer. That’s where most of the savings over print come from.
Digital menu board costs: what you’re paying for
“How much does a digital menu board cost?” is the question everyone asks first. The honest answer is that it depends on a handful of choices, and knowing them helps you compare quotes properly.
What changes the price
- Location and brightness. This is the biggest factor. An indoor 700–1,000 nit display is the most cost-effective option. A 3,000+ nit window display or an IP66 drive-through board costs more, because it’s built for sunlight and weather.
- Screen size and number of screens. A single 32″ screen and a four-screen 65″ wall are very different projects.
- Single, double-sided or multi-screen. A double-sided window display does two jobs from one fitting. A seamless video wall is a premium choice.
- Touch or non-touch. Touch is only worth paying for if customers will interact with the screen (see the FAQ below).
- Mounting and installation. Wall, ceiling-hung, floor stand or outdoor enclosure, plus who fits it.
- Software. Simple setups can run from a USB stick. Most restaurants choose a cloud signage subscription for scheduling and remote updates, which is an ongoing cost rather than a one-off.
- Content. Whether you build menus yourself from templates or pay a designer.
The running costs
Commercial displays run for long hours, so power use matters. Our Muro Menu Board ranges from 90W on the 32″ to 295W on the 65″. Brightness sensors on our UHB window displays turn the screen down when full brightness isn’t needed.
What you save
The cost needs weighing against what you no longer spend. With digital, you stop paying for reprints, for staff time swapping boards, and for promotions that arrive late. You can also change a menu the moment a supplier changes a price.
The fastest way to a real figure is to tell us your sites, where the screens will go and how many you need. Get a quote from our team.
Making the content work
A digital menu board that shows a static menu is a missed opportunity. Movement catches the eye where a still image blends into the background. Some ideas:
- Let a featured item or price grow, pulse or slide into view
- Run an animation that flows from one screen to the next across a menu wall
- Build a promoted item piece by piece until the finished image appears
- Rotate a limited-time offer in one panel while the core menu stays fixed
Keep it readable, though. Prices and item names should stay put long enough to read from the back of the queue.
Then use the flexibility. If an item isn’t selling, give it more space on the screen or a better photo, and see what changes. With print, that experiment would mean waiting for the next run.
Where to put your screens
Menu boards don’t have to live above the till. Think about the whole route a customer takes:
- In the window, to stop people walking past and bring them in
- Above the counter, for the full menu and prices while they queue
- Near the waiting area, to promote the add-on you most want to sell
- At the drive-through, where the order is decided in seconds
Different screens can show different content. Your window might promote the offer that brings people in, while the board by the counter sells the upgrade. Try different content in different places to see what each location does best.
Choosing a digital menu board: a checklist
Before you ask for quotes, answer these:
- Where will each screen go? Indoors, a shaded window, a south-facing window, or outdoors?
- How far will customers be when they read it? That decides the size and resolution.
- One screen or several? If several, how slim do the bezels need to be?
- Portrait or landscape?
- Do customers need to touch it, or is it display only?
- How will you update it? USB at one site, or cloud software across many?
- How long will it run each day? If it’s all day, insist on commercial grade.
- What’s the warranty, and who supports you after installation?
Frequently asked questions
How much does a digital menu board cost?
It depends mainly on where the screen goes and how bright it needs to be. Indoor menu boards are the most cost-effective. Sunlight-readable window and weatherproof drive-through displays cost more. Screen size, the number of screens, mounting, installation and software also affect the price. Most restaurants also pay an ongoing subscription for cloud signage software. For an accurate figure, contact our team with your sites and screen positions.
How long do digital menu boards last?
A commercial display should last for years of all-day use. Our Muro Menu Board is designed to run 24/7, with a panel lifespan of more than 50,000 hours, which is over five years of continuous use. It comes with a 3-year standard warranty. Domestic TVs aren’t built for those hours, which is why they tend to fail early in a restaurant.
Are digital menu boards bright enough for a kitchen or drive-through?
For a drive-through, yes, if you choose an outdoor-rated board. Look for around 3,000 nits and an IP66 rating, like our 55″ drive-through displays. Inside, a 700–1,000 nit menu board is plenty for counters and serving areas. Our indoor menu boards are rated for 0°C to 50°C, but their specification doesn’t state any protection against steam, grease or water. So if a screen will sit right next to cooking, ask us about the best option for that spot.
Can I run a multi-screen menu wall without visible gaps between screens?
Yes. Slim-bezel menu boards, like our Muro Menu Board with its 8mm bezel, keep the gaps small enough for three or four screens to read as one menu. If you want no visible gaps at all, a zero bezel LCD video wall has a 0mm gap between screens, and an LED video wall has no frame at all.
What happens if the power goes out?
Our Muro Menu Board switches itself back on automatically when the power returns, so nobody has to come in early and turn the menu wall on. Content can be stored on the display itself, in its built-in storage or on a USB stick or memory card. That means it doesn’t depend on a separate PC starting up first.
Are digital menu boards touchscreen?
Usually not. Most menu boards are display only, because customers read them from the queue rather than touching them. Our Muro Menu Board is non-touch. If you want customers to browse and order themselves, you need a self-service ordering kiosk. Touch is also available as an option on some of our indoor displays, like the Versi Indoor Digital Signage Display, if you need an interactive screen.
Ready to choose your digital menu board?
LamasaTech has designed and built digital display technology since 2009. We make our own displays, kiosks and video walls, and we support restaurants, cafés, retailers and hospitality venues across the UK and internationally.
Tell us where your screens will go, and we’ll recommend the right brightness, size and setup for each one. Contact us today or explore our window displays.