Whether you own a fancy restaurant, fast food franchise, or a coffee place, the need to create an effective digital menu board is the same. You want to make it in a way that will show your products most appealingly, attract customers’ attention, and persuade them to spend more. Crafting a digital menu board rather than the old-fashioned may sound confusing, but it’s way easier than you think, and you may find yourself having fun creating it. Keep reading to learn how to design a digital menu board as we try to explain every step to you. Discover how Yodeck can make this journey easier for you and create a better customer experience!
What is a Digital Menu Board?
A few words just to be sure we know exactly what a digital menu board is.
A digital menu board is a modern display system used in restaurants, cafes, and other food establishments to showcase menu items, promotions, and other relevant content. Unlike traditional printed boards, digital menu boards use screens to present dynamic visuals, including images, videos, animations, and text, creating an engaging and interactive dining experience for customers.
Benefits of Digital Menu Boards
The transition from traditional menu boards to digital displays offers a myriad of advantages for a restaurant owner:
Dynamic Content Updates: Digital signage allows for real-time updates and changes to menu items, prices, and promotions, eliminating the need for costly reprinting and ensuring that customers always have access to the latest information.
Enhanced Visual Appeal: By using vibrant images, enticing videos, and eye-catching animations, digital menu boards captivate customers’ attention and stimulate their appetites, leading to increased sales and consumer satisfaction.
Flexible Scheduling: Digital signage software enables users to schedule content to display at specific times of the day or week, optimizing promotional efforts and driving traffic during peak hours.
Cost Savings: By reducing printing and labor costs associated with traditional menu boards, digital screens offer significant long-term savings for restaurant owners, allowing them to allocate resources more efficiently. Plus it’s environmentally friendly!
Upselling Opportunities: Interactive elements and strategically placed call-to-action buttons on TV screen encourage customers to explore additional menu items, leading to upsells and increased revenue per order.
Streamlined Operations: Digital menu boards streamline the ordering process by providing clear, visually appealing menu displays that are easy to read and navigate, reducing wait times and improving overall efficiency.
Brand Consistency: With a customizable menu template and branding options, restaurant digital signage ensure consistency in design and messaging across multiple locations, reinforcing brand identity and customer loyalty.
To start with digital signage, you’ll need three essential components:
Digital Signage Software: Choose a reliable digital signage solution like Yodeck, which offers user-friendly design tools, robust content management capabilities, and seamless integration with various hardware devices.
Media Player: Bear in mind aspects like compatibility, ease of integration, and overall performance that will ensure seamless content playback on your digital displays.
Menu Content: Gather compelling images, engaging videos, and descriptive text to showcase your menu items effectively on the digital display, ensuring that your content aligns with your brand identity and resonates with your target audience.
Designing a visually appealing and user-friendly digital menu board requires careful planning and attention to detail. Here’s a step-by-step guide to crafting an impactful digital menu board for your restaurant:
Define your Objectives: Determine the primary goals of your digital menu board, whether it’s to promote new menu items, highlight specials, or enhance brand visibility.
Understand your Audience: Consider the preferences and expectations of your target audience, including their dietary preferences, browsing habits, and visual preferences.
Create a Clear Hierarchy: Organize your menu items in a logical and intuitive manner, ensuring that important items are prominently featured and easy to find.
Use Compelling Visuals: Incorporate high-quality images and videos of your menu items to entice customers and stimulate their appetites, making use of professional photography or user-generated content for authenticity.
Choose Readable Fonts: Select legible and consistent with your brand identity, avoiding decorative or overly stylized fonts that may hinder readability.
Add Interactive Elements: Enhance customer engagement by incorporating interactive elements such as touch-screen capabilities, QR codes, or digital ordering options, providing customers with a seamless and interactive dining experience.
Optimize for Mobile: With an increasing number of customers accessing menus via mobile devices, ensure that your digital menu board is mobile-responsive and optimized for viewing on smartphones and tablets.
Use Canva if you Don’t Have any Design Skills
Canva provides a user-friendly platform for designing stunning visuals, including digital menu boards. With Canvas’s drag-and-drop interface and a vast library of design elements, you can create professional-quality menu boards tailored to your restaurant’s unique brand identity and style.
Design Tips from the Yodeck Team
Harness the Power of Color Psychology Use color strategically to evoke emotions, convey brand personality, and guide customer behavior. Adhere to the “three primary colors” rule and leverage contrast to make important elements stand out.
Incorporate Dynamic Elements Capture customers’ attention with subtle animations, video loops, or scrolling text, adding movement and visual interest to your digital menu boards.
Choose Fonts Wisely Select fonts that are easy to read and consistent with your brand’s identity, ensuring readability across various screen sizes and viewing distances.
Encourage Action Include clear and compelling call-to-action buttons to prompt customers to take desired actions, such as ordering online, signing up for promotions, or exploring new menu items.
Use Authentic Imagery Showcase real images of your menu items to enhance authenticity and appeal, or draw inspiration from platforms like Pinterest for creative and aspirational visuals.
Minimize Clutter Avoid overwhelming customers with too much information or cluttered layouts. Instead, focus on presenting a curated selection of menu items and promotions, using multiple menu boards or rotating content to maintain freshness and variety.
Embrace Interactivity Foster customer engagement by incorporating interactive elements such as touch-screen interfaces, digital ordering systems, or interactive games, providing customers with a memorable and immersive dining experience.
Yodeck stands out as a leading digital signage solution, offering a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline the digital menu board creation process. From an extremely user-friendly interface, numerous apps, and customizable templates to flexible scheduling options and seamless content management, Yodeck provides everything you need to create stunning digital menu boards that captivate your audience and drive business results.
How Much Does it Cost to Create a Digital Menu Board?
The cost of creating a digital menu board varies depending on factors such as hardware, software subscriptions, content creation, and ongoing maintenance. However, with Yodeck’s affordable pricing plans, you can achieve impressive results without breaking the bank, allowing you to allocate resources more effectively and maximize your return on investment. Plus, the first screen is FREE forever!
Final Thoughts
Digital menu boards represent a powerful tool for modernizing your restaurant’s visual identity, enhancing customer engagement, and driving sales. With Yodeck as your partner, you can get the full potential of digital signage and take your restaurant to new heights of success.
