A digital menu board for restaurants is a screen that shows your menu, prices and offers. You change an item once, in a spreadsheet or the editor, and the screen follows. Screenbird adds scheduling by time of day, 250+ templates and playback without internet, from EUR 12 per screen per month billed annually.
What the screens do in a restaurant or cafe
A menu screen has one job: show the right menu at the right moment. Five tasks make up most of that job.
- Show current prices and offers. The price lives in one place, such as a spreadsheet or a design, and the screen shows it. A price change takes a minute instead of a reprint.
- Switch menus by time of day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and happy hour each get their own playlist. A schedule starts and stops each one, so nobody walks to the counter to swap a board.
- Sell with photos and short video. Dish photos, a coffee pour or a kitchen loop sit next to the price list. Uploaded images and video play from the screen's own storage.
- Show allergen and dietary information when you supply it. A screen shows the allergen text or codes from the source, for example an allergen column in a spreadsheet. The food business stays responsible for that information being correct. In the EU, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 sets the allergen rules, and Annex II lists the 14 substances. Check with your local food authority how the information must be given for food sold without packaging.
- Keep running when the connection drops. Uploaded images, video and designs keep playing. Live content such as a social feed cannot refresh until the internet returns.
How to set up a digital menu board for restaurants
- Decide where the screens hang and how. Count the screens behind the counter, at the door and in the dining room. A wide counter suits landscape; a narrow wall suits portrait. The page on screen orientation, resolution and aspect ratio explains how to choose.
- Choose a player for each screen. A TV with an HDMI input plus a small stick or player is enough. The page on the best media players for digital signage compares the options.
- Put the menu in a spreadsheet. Use one row per item and columns for name, category, price, description, availability and allergens. Keep one tab per menu, such as breakfast and dinner.
- Design the layout. Start from a template, keep the type large enough to read from the queue and use high-contrast colors. Screenbird's guide to making a digital menu board walks through a full build.
- Connect the data and schedule the menus. Add the spreadsheet as a content source, then give each menu its own time slot. Set the opening and closing hours so the screen follows the day.
- Test during service. Check the screen from the customer's position at the busiest hour, and fix glare, small type and slow loops.
- Name an owner. Give one shift lead the job of keeping the sheet current, and add a second teammate for holidays.
What to show and where the data comes from
A menu board is only as current as its source. The table lists the sources a restaurant or cafe can connect and what each one shows.
| Source | What it shows | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheet | Item names, prices, descriptions, availability and allergen codes, one row per item | How to display Google Sheets on a TV |
| Google Calendar | Live music nights, happy hour dates, holiday opening hours and one-off events | show Google Calendar on a TV |
| Designer templates | Menu layouts, daily specials boards and price panels you edit in the browser | designer with 250+ templates |
| Uploaded photos and video | Dish photos, drink pours, kitchen loops and seasonal menu artwork | Screen orientation and resolution |
| Canva designs | Posters and promotions your team already makes in Canva | how to display Canva on a TV |
| Your latest posts as a rolling feed beside the menu | Instagram feed on a TV |
Allergen information deserves a column of its own in the spreadsheet. Write the same codes on the screen that you use on the printed menu, and keep a printed legend visible in the room.
How Screenbird handles a digital menu board
Screenbird is built for small teams with mixed screens and has every feature in one plan: EUR 12 per screen per month billed annually, or EUR 15 billed monthly, excluding VAT. The trial lasts 7 days, requires a credit card and costs nothing if you cancel within the 7 days.
- Playlists and planning start each menu at its time of day.
- The designer offers 250+ templates, and Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Canva and Instagram are included sources.
- The AI assistant builds playlists and schedules, or designs a screen from plain-language instructions. Changes go live after you confirm them.
- Screens keep playing when the internet drops, and screens can switch on and off on a schedule through HDMI-CEC on supported players.
- Players include the Amazon Signage Stick, Fire TV, Google TV and Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi and any modern browser. Recent Samsung and LG TVs run Screenbird in the built-in browser, and a small stick is recommended for screens that run all day.
Screenbird's page on a digital menu board for restaurants shows example layouts.
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Keep reading
How much does a digital menu board cost?
The cost has three parts: the screen, a player and the software subscription. Screenbird costs EUR 12 per screen per month billed annually, excluding VAT. The page on how much digital signage costs lists each cost item, including the Amazon Signage Stick.
Do I need a special TV for a menu board?
A TV with an HDMI input and a small stick or player is enough to start. Recent Samsung and LG smart TVs can run Screenbird in the built-in browser, and a stick is the better choice for a screen that runs all day.
Can the menu change by time of day?
Yes. Screenbird plays each menu from its own playlist and starts it on a schedule, so breakfast, lunch and dinner appear without staff action.
Can I update prices from a spreadsheet?
Yes. Screenbird includes Google Sheets and Excel as sources. A price changed in the sheet is the price the screen shows.
What happens when the Wi-Fi goes down?
Screenbird screens keep playing when the internet drops. Live feeds cannot refresh until the connection returns, so build the core menu from uploaded images, video and designs.
Can a menu screen show allergens?
A menu screen shows the allergen text or codes that you put in the source, such as a spreadsheet column. The legal duty to provide correct allergen information stays with the food business.
Sources: Screenbird pricing · Screenbird: how to make a digital menu board · Screenbird: how to display Google Sheets on a TV · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers (EUR-Lex)