Digital menu boards for restaurants: the plain guide.

It is a TV on your wall that shows your menu as pictures and video. Customers read it while they wait. When something changes, you change the screen. You do not reprint a sign.

You may also hear “electronic menu board” or “digital menu.” For a counter or a restaurant wall these usually mean the same thing. If you were thinking of a menu on a customer's phone or a tablet at the table, read our page on the electronic menu.

1. A TV

A normal TV with an HDMI port. You do not need a special signage screen. If you already have a TV over the counter, you probably own this part. Size depends on your room: the farther back your line stands, the bigger the screen or the bigger your words.

2. A player

Fire TV built in, or a Fire TV Stick. This is the small computer that runs the app. Three of our five TVs have it built in. The other two use sticks plugged into the HDMI port. A stick needs power, so check there is an outlet near the TV.

3. Software

The app that shows your menu and follows your hours. That is Wow Menu Boards. It plays your pictures and videos full screen, goes black at closing, and updates itself. Today our team builds your boards with you.

4. Your menu

Your items, your prices, and photos of your real food. A grid like the one below is a good start: sizes across the top, items down the side, prices big and in one column.

1. What is the price per screen?

Ask for it in writing, per month, with the billing term. Then ask what is not in it. Some companies charge extra per feature, for a player, or for each extra screen. Write each answer next to the others on one sheet. Side by side, the differences show up fast.

2. What do I need to buy?

A player, a TV, a cable. Get the full list. Ask if the player is a box the company sells you or a stick you can buy anywhere. If you already own a TV with Fire TV built in, you may need to buy nothing. We will check what you own before you spend a dollar.

3. Who builds and changes my board?

You, or the company? How long does a change take? Today, with us, you send the change by text or the contact form and we update the board. A dashboard so you can do it yourself is Coming soon. Whatever a company says, ask for a real example: how long did the last price change take?

4. What works with my register?

Ask what is live today and what is promised later. A register connection that is “on the roadmap” is not a feature yet. Ours is Coming soon, Clover first. Until then your board runs next to any register. Read more on our Clover menu board page.

5. What if the internet drops?

Does the screen keep playing? On a busy Friday night, a blank screen is a bad answer. Ours keeps your last menu on the TV and catches up when the internet comes back.

6. Can I leave?

Is it month to month? Do I keep my photos and menus? Ours is month to month. If you cancel, ask us and we will send you copies of your board and photos.