How to update a digital menu board
Keep prices right without the stress.
Guide
Cloud-based digital menu boards: what “cloud” means for you.
Your menu lives on the internet and plays on your TV. Here is what that means, in plain words, and what to ask.
Cloud in plain words
“Cloud” sounds big, but the idea is small. It means your menu lives on a computer on the internet, not on a box under your counter. You make or change the menu in one place. Then it travels over the internet to your screens.
Think of a recipe card that lives in a binder, and a copy that lives in a shared note on your phone. If you fix a price in the shared note, every phone sees the new price. A cloud-based digital menu board works the same way. You change one thing, and every screen gets it.
For a shop with two or three TVs, that is the whole benefit. You do not walk to each TV with a USB stick. At Sweet Aloha, all 5 of our TVs get their menus this way, and nobody on our team plugs anything in.
What happens if the internet drops
This is the question every owner should ask. If the menu lives on the internet, what happens when your Wi-Fi goes out in the middle of a rush? Systems differ, so ask. Ours keeps playing.
Here is why. Your player does not stream the menu live, like a video call. It downloads the menu files and saves them on the TV. Then it plays them from the saved copy. When the internet leaves, the board has everything it needs. When the internet comes back, the player checks for anything new and catches up.
The one thing you cannot do with the internet off is send a new change. A price you edit during an outage shows up once the Wi-Fi returns. The board you already had keeps running the whole time.
Want a board that keeps playing when the Wi-Fi does not? We set up your first screen with you. Try it free for 14 days, no card.
Who can see your menu
Putting a menu “in the cloud” can sound like putting it on display for the whole world. It is not. A menu on a cloud system is not a public web page unless somebody makes it one.
With Wow Menu Boards, your menu goes to the screens we set up for you, and to nobody else. We build it with you and send it to your TVs. We do not publish it as a public web page. The people who can change it are your own team and ours.
Your menu is not secret in the way a recipe is secret. Your customers see it on the wall every day. What matters is who can change it. A price that changes by accident is worse than a price someone sees. So ask any company who is allowed to edit, and how you take that away from someone who leaves your shop. We handle changes for you today, so that list stays short.
Cloud, box or USB stick: which fits a small shop
There are three ways to get a menu onto a screen. Each one fits a different shop.
| Way | How the menu gets there | Good fit |
|---|---|---|
| USB stick | You carry files to each TV and plug them in | One screen, a menu that almost never changes |
| Box in your shop | A computer in the back room sends files to the TVs | A shop with someone who likes to run computers |
| Cloud (ours) | Files travel over the internet and are saved on each TV | A busy counter that changes prices and specials |
The cloud way saves the most walking. It also moves the work of updating from you to the system. Our team handles that part. Read how to update a digital menu board for the day-to-day steps.
Questions to ask any company
Before you sign up for any cloud menu board, ask these six questions. Write the answers down.
- What does the screen do if the internet drops? Ask to see it, not just hear it.
- Where are my menu files saved? You want a copy on the TV itself.
- Who can change my menu? Get names, not “your team.”
- Do updates arrive by themselves? Or does someone have to touch each TV?
- What do I pay, and for what? Ask for a per-screen, per-month number.
- Can I leave any time? Ask what happens to your files.
Our answers: the board keeps playing offline, files are saved on each TV, updates arrive by themselves, and there is no contract. Our Basic plan is $12 per screen, per month, and Standard ($19) and Pro ($29) open when Clover sync ships. A dashboard to edit it yourself is Coming soon. See how offline play works, or go back to our home page.
Keep reading
Digital menu board cost
What small shops really pay, in plain parts.
Digital menu board media player
What the little box does and what to buy.
Raspberry Pi vs Fire TV Stick
Two small players, and which one saves you time.
Fire TV menu board
How the TV you own becomes a board.
Offline play
Your menu keeps playing if the internet drops.
Run your shop's menu like we run ours.
We open free trials a few shops at a time, and we set up your first screen with you.
14 days free, no cardNo contract. Cancel anytime.