5 Steps to Creating a TV Menu Board [+ Software Comparison]
If you want to create a digital menu for your restaurant or cafe, you need TV menu software to make it happen.
This type of software helps you turn your smart TV into a menu by displaying the right content at all times.
You might display a single menu during your open hours, or change your menu once or twice throughout the day.
In this guide, we show you the steps to creating your own digital menu on your TV. Plus we offer a comparison of popular software platforms and a list of best practices to help you make the most of this technology.
How to create a TV menu board
Ready to get started? It's easy to display a digital menu on any smart TV. Create your own digital menu in 5 simple steps.
1. Choose the right software for your business (see options below)
The first step is to choose software that will help you turn your smart TV into a menu.
Look for these features:
- Remote content management
- Automated menu scheduling
- Design templates or integration with Canva for menu designs
- Affordable monthly costs
- No hardware required (unless you have a special use case and need a hardware media player)
Keep reading for a comparison of menu software.
2. Design your digital menus
The next step is to design your digital menus.
Make sure to include your item names, descriptions, and prices. Depending on the style of your restaurant, you might want to include a photo for every menu item, only some items, or none at all.
You can also use TV menu software to promote your specials. Let's say you have a lunch combo. You might have one screen for your main menu and one for your lunch combo. During dinner service, you could switch that screen to a dinner menu.
3. Add your designs to your TV menu software
You need to upload your designs to your TV menu software and set your schedule.
At Juuno, we call these content playlists. So, let's say your playlist for Monday through Friday switches from breakfast to lunch, while your playlist for Saturday and Sunday features your brunch menu all day long.
4. Install a smart TV in your restaurant locations
The next step is to install a smart TV. You might need only one TV for one location, or you might choose to have a couple of different TVs in each location so that the menu is easier to read.
You'll need mounting hardware to mount your smart TVs on the wall.
5. Launch your menu from the smart TV's web browser
The last step is to set your menu live. If you're using a browser-based digital signage platform like Juuno, all you need to do is navigate to Juuno from your TV's web browser, log in, and launch it. Juuno will automatically play the correct menu at the correct time.
5 TV menu software platforms to consider
To share your restaurant or cafe menu in a digital format, you need the right software. These platforms are called digital signage software, ranging from simple to complex. Below we cover some popular options to help you decide which is the right for you.
1. Juuno
Juuno is a digital signage solution that works for TV menus, announcement boards, live social media feeds, and more.
Features:
- Will work on any TV or PC that has a web browser
- Allows you to set automated menu schedules
- Remote content management
- Can play images, videos, and more
- Integrates with Canva (the best platform for menu templates)
- Social media integrations to show posts from your account and your customers
- Easy to use and designed for small business owners
Pricing:
Juuno costs $20 per screen per month. There are no one-time setup fees, and you don't have to purchase hardware. All you need is the software and your smart TV.
Pros and cons:
Juuno is an excellent solution for small business owners who want a simple, affordable solution. Large enterprise companies that want single sign-on and visibility into user sessions might need a more robust platform.
2. Scala
Scala is a robust digital signage solution designed for chain restaurants and retailers. In addition to playing content on digital screens, the company also offers sensors that use facial recognition and motion detection software to analyze your audience, track consumer behavior, and display optimized content accordingly.
Features:
- Offers templates for digital signage
- Designer studio for creating your content
- Content manager
- Playlists for scheduling automated content
- Live feeds with real-time updates
- Consumer audience analytics
- In-store content optimization based on demographics
Pricing:
Scala is designed for enterprise companies, so they only offer custom plans. You'll need to get in touch with them for a quote.
Pros and cons:
You have to purchase Scala's hardware to use their software. While this will be too expensive for small businesses, it might offer some benefits to enterprise customers looking for offline functionality and enterprise-grade behavior, and audience analytics.
3. DoPublicity
DoPublicity is a digital signage platform designed for restaurants. You can manage your content remotely, meaning that you can set up your digital screens and launch them from one place (logging in from your computer).
Features:
- Templates for digital signage
- Ability to play ads from the advertiser networks
- Media player
Pricing:
DoPublicity offers a lifetime deal that costs $299.
Pros and cons:
On one hand, DoPublicity does offer a lot of templates to choose from and the one-time fee seems appealing. But, because of the outdated template style, the low cost is probably not worth it for the vast majority of restaurants.
4. truDigital
truDigital can be used to create digital menu boards, announcement screens, testimonial walls, and other communication needs for both customers and employees.
Features:
- Design templates
- Works on any brand of smart TV
- You can hire them to design your menus
- The platform integrates with a variety of apps
Pricing:
truDigital only offers custom enterprise plans, so you'll need to contact them for a quote for purchasing their software and hardware.
Pros and cons:
truDigital has simple, modern UX that makes it an appealing platform. However, because they only offer enterprise plans and require that you purchase their hardware, this company's offerings are too expensive for small- and medium-sized businesses.
5. Spectrio
With Spectrio, you can display your restaurant menu on large digital screens. You can also create interactive kiosks to collect orders, if you want to digitize your ordering operations.
Features:
- Plays images, videos, slides and more
- Remote content management
- Integrations with social media platforms
- Interactive kiosks
Pricing:
Spectrio charges $99 per month for the first screen. You'll pay $30 per month per screen for any additional screens.
Pros and cons:
Spectrio offers digital signage and interactive kiosks, however the high cost for the first screen might make this cost-prohibitive unless you have a lot of restaurant locations to average out that initial monthly fee.
Best practices for creating TV menus
To create a digital menu that achieves your goals, follow these best practices:
Create menus that are on brand
To keep your digital menus from looking cheesy, make sure to keep the design simple and include lots of white space.
Most importantly, the menus should reflect your brand and the feeling that you want to evoke in your patrons. Choose fonts, colors, and layouts that match your brand.
Use Canva if you can't afford a graphic designer
If you have a graphic designer that you work with regularly, it's smart to hire them to design your digital menu. This way, it will match the style of the rest of your graphic design. However, if you can't afford a graphic designer, our favorite app for making your own menu is Canva. They offer thousands of free menu templates, both in portrait and landscape style.
Most TV menu software will be able to play a PDF, PNG, or JPG file, so you don't have to worry about complex file formats.
Juuno has a Canva integration, meaning you can add your digital menus to our software to display them on your smart TV (with no hardware required).
Automate your menu change if you have multiple menus
Do you have different menus for different times of the day or days of the week?
Make sure you automate your content schedule in your TV menu software.
You can set up a schedule so the correct menu will automatically play at the correct time. This way, you don't have to worry about changing it manually or training your staff. Your menu will always be correct.
Update your pricing as needed
One of the biggest benefits of a TV menu is that you can change it without having to pay an interior designer or re-print large boards. This means that you can update your pricing more often. Of course, you don't want to change your pricing too frequently, or you'll frustrate your customers. But it's good to know that you can now do so easily.
When in doubt, rely on this smart advice for when it's okay to change your prices:
- When costs have gone up and you have no choice but to raise your prices
- When you know wholesale prices or fixed costs will go up soon.
- When you are so busy, you have a line out the door almost all of the time
Add holiday specials
And lastly, now that you have a digital menu, you might as well make the most of it. Why not launch more specials now that it's so easy to update your menu?
You could add seasonal or holiday items. Even if it's just a drink or a small dessert, seasonal menu items can keep customers happy and put them in the mood to celebrate.