Today the humble restaurant menu is going digital. And this has never been easier with digital signage software like Yodeck. Let’s see how you can turn any digital display into a dynamic and engaging digital menu board.
Benefits of TV screen menus
Let’s start with some basics. Whether we are talking about a fine dining restaurant, a QSR, or an independent cafe, we need to see what’s in it for the business owners to swap their printed menu to a digital menu board. So, what are the benefits?
Cost effective
TV screen menus, also known as digital menu boards, can save money in the long run. For starters, you can utilize any screen that you may already have, you would only need to get a media player and the necessary software that will streamline your content management.
But even if you decide to invest in commercial digital signage displays and a more sophisticated deployment for your tv menu, you eliminate the need to frequently update paper menus, which require frequent printing and cumbersome updating procedures.
Flexible and easy updates
With a digital menu board software like Yodeck you can quickly change and adapt your content across multiple screens with a single dashboard. Promotions, happy hours and pricing can dynamically be readjusted to serve the shifting needs of your establishment in an industry where menu engineering can make or break your profit margins.
Optimizing daypart demand and supply can also be achieved with an innovative digital signage solution that can dynamically edit and present fresh content according to foot traffic, turnover rate, and kitchen capacity. This affordance is hard to come by with traditional menus.
Enhanced brand and visual appeal
In such a competitive market, taking care of your brand can also go a long way. High resolution images and videos, behind the scenes teasers of your kitchen or your artisanal coffee roasting process, and a coherent brightly lit application of your brand guidelines can help establish a unique image for your space.
A TV menu display can capture attention and enhance overall customer satisfaction by providing a sleek and innovative ambiance that is quickly becoming the industry standard. After all, this is why 88% of restaurants are considering swapping to digital menus. In any case you can fit so much more on a tv display than a traditional paper menu.
Choosing your gear
When embarking on your transition to digital signage it is important to carefully consider the equipment that you will be using for your deployment.
Size and resolution
Thoroughly assess the architecture and layout of your space to determine the optimal placement for your digital menu displays. Viewing distance and angles are important as they will influence the decision about what type of digital screens best fit your needs. It is also highly recommended to opt for indoor screens that support resolutions of 1080p or higher to ensure crisp and smooth playback of images, video and text.
Connectivity and media playback
Connectivity features are a no-brainer when it comes to applying digital signage to tv screen menus. Look for models that feature multiple HDMI ports so that you won’t have to compromise on flexibility.
Most digital signage software will come with their own hardware, more specifically known as media players in the digital signage jargon. These players ensure optimal media playback, while also providing support for a wide range of apps that provide additional functionality; qr codes, elaborate layouts, real-time news channels, and many others.
There is however the choice to forego the external hardware option and utilize instead the built-in players that come with most smart devices, larger screens, and other services, like for example the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Yodeck supports a wide range of other players so that you can get exceptional playback even if you need to just test out the software.
Consumer and commercial TV displays
If you are planning for an advanced deployment, you will inevitably need to answer the dilemma: What is the best TV for you? Should you opt for a consumer TV or commercial grade screens?
To answer this question you will have to weigh in a host of different factors such as durability, pixel lifespan (for example, LED TVs have a different pixel lifespan than plasma screens), energy consumption and many other factors, particularly if your menu display will operate for long hours in a restaurant or similar setting. Check this article for a more detailed walkthrough of this topic.
Why choose Yodeck for your TV screen menus
When it comes to choosing the right digital signage software provider, you can rest assured that Yodeck can offer all the functionality, user-friendliness and seamless deployment you will ever need. Below we will take a look at why Yodeck is the best choice for your digital menu display needs.
User-friendly interface
Yodeck offers, first and foremost, an intuitive platform that requires minimal onboarding and allows for leveraging all of the advanced features with minimal training. Even for a non tech savvy franchise owner Yodeck offers an accessible solution that provides stellar benefits:
- Easy navigation: With a clean and straightforward dashboard, any user can easily navigate through different sections with ease. This simplicity reduces the learning curve, minimizing time from logging in to pushing stunning layouts on screen in a matter of minutes.
- Minimal training: The platform’s intuitive design means that employees can quickly get up to speed with content creation and management, eliminating the need for extensive training sessions. This is especially important for restaurants and QSRs where employee turnover can be high, and employees need to learn the ropes quickly and economically.
- Self-learning: With an extensive documentation library, a blog full of use cases and step-by-step guides, and a newly launched Yodeck Academy, Yodeck provides all the tools you need to become an expert in digital signage quickly and without breaking the bank.
- Drag and drop, editable templates: Creating and customizing content is as simple as dragging and dropping your media in your schedule and you’re done. Moreover, the template library offers professionally designed templates that you can edit and adjust to your brand guidelines and push to your monitors straight away without ever leaving the Yodeck app. No extra resources for graphic designers needed!
Customization and advanced features
Apart from the user-friendliness of the platform, Yodeck comes with a host of advanced features that place it far ahead from the competition and allow for high degree of customization, flexibility and reliability:
- Real-time remote updates: Yodeck enables its users to make instant updates, that can be applied remotely no matter the number of screens and locations, all from a single dashboard, making it ideal for chains with multiple locations and different menus.
- Interactivity: The next generation of digital signage is not just menu boards on screens. With touch screen support and apps such as QR codes, customers can now interact with tv screen menus, making digital displays an ideal application for both Point of Sale and Point of Purchase locations.
- Social media integration: with scores of ways to integrate social media into your tv screens along with your menus, you can count on Yodeck to provide all the tools necessary to build social proof and feature user generated content. There is no better way to keep customers engaged than leveraging their social channels on your digital displays.
- Advanced scheduling: With the frenetic rhythms of the restaurant, dining, and coffee industry, timing your promotions, happy hours and menu updates is a strategic puzzle that can seriously enable an efficient and profitable business. Intelligently changing your digital signage content from value menus to food safety, and from nutrition information to upselling prompts, can be easily achieved with the advanced media scheduling features that Yodeck can provide.
All these, along with the highly competitive subscription pricing, are just some of the features that collectively make Yodeck an ideal choice for any establishment looking to modernize its menu displays.
Setting up Yodeck
The TV screen menu setup with Yodeck is as straightforward as using the app is. Follow the steps below to quickly get your digital menu board up and running with stunning content (this quick start guide for the recommended Yodeck player setup, the versatile and powerful Raspberry Pi) .
Gather your equipment
Before you begin, make sure you have everything you need. This checklist will help you get it all right:
- TV display(s): A smart TV with HDMI ports is nowadays the industry standard, so you’re probably already covered.
- Yodeck player: If you opt for a yearly subscription, you will have your players delivered to you already configured for the Yodeck app for free!
- Cables and power adaptors: HDMI cable, ethernet (optional), and power cords for both your screen and player.
- Internet connection: a stable connection with WiFi or through Ethernet will do. (Our platform ensures that playback will continue offline in case of any internet downtime, but you won’t be able to edit or update your content unless your players are connected again.)
Connect and configure Yodeck
When you have everything ready, you will then need to plug your Yodeck Player to your TV screen and connect it to your Wi-Fi network.
The next step is to log into your Yodeck account on your computer. There you will find on-screen instructions about how to pair your Yodeck player with your account. After your monitors have been successfully registered, you can start pushing content to your TV screen menus right away.
Our Yodeck Academy can help you do all that yourself, check here for more information and videos.
Creating engaging digital menu content
The content that you will feature on your new TV menu board will be essential for attracting, engaging and retaining customers. The Yodeck platform gives you access to a host of powerful design tools, a wealth of templates, apps, and stock images, as well as the Yodeck Academy that will make your deployment easy and successful with self-paced, bite-sized guides to follow along.
Yodeck’s built-in assets and tools
Templates
Menu design becomes easy with access to a variety of templates that you can freely edit and use. Our templates are professionally designed and fully customizable through the app’s own template editor, so you won’t have to leave the Yodeck app at all.
Moreover, special care has been taken to ensure a plethora of templates for small businesses that would not necessarily have the extra resources to invest into content production and design with external professionals like photographers and graphic designers.
These templates cover the needs of a wide range of businesses such as cafes, restaurants, bistros, QSRs franchises and everything in between. The menu board templates have been crafted so as to ensure that different menu item can be effectively highlighted, ensuring clarity and attractiveness.
Stock images
A vast library of high-quality stock images that are royalty free and readily available can enhance your menu’s visual appeal even if you don’t have the time or resources to photograph your own products. Just browse through the library and select the images that represent your dishes accurately and appealingly. This will entice even your regulars and increase sales.
Canva app: enhance your menu designs
Among the many apps that you can integrate onto your digital menu boards is the Canva app. Canva digital signage unlocks numerous new content capabilities that can take your designs, and ultimately your screens, to a whole new level.
The Canva app itself is well known for its ease of use and extensive library of templates and various design elements. Through Yodeck, you can directly import Canva designs into your digital menu. This streamlines the design process even further ensuring stunning visuals as well as lightning speed in updating any little detail instantly.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Canva with Yodeck. It’s easy and efficient.
Tips for effective food photography
- Consistent lighting: Use natural light where possible, or simulate bright diffused natural light through other means. Avoid harsh shadows and ensure even lighting across all images.
- Consistent angles: Shoot all dishes and drinks from a similar angle and distance to maintain a cohesive look. Apply the same camera settings when photographing to avoid differences in depth of field and focus.
- Use props sparingly: Use minimal props to enhance your pictures while not overshadowing the dish. Keep the focus on the food.
- Edit for perfection: Utilize photo editing tools to adjust for brightness, contrast, and saturation. Ensure the food looks natural and appetizing.
- Show freshness and quality: Aim to highlight quality and freshness of ingredients in your images to entice health-conscious eaters.
Organizing your menu for maximum impact
Getting started with digital signage design can seem daunting, but we aim to make stunning digital signs accessible to everyone. Keep on reading to see how you can do it yourself.
While organizing your items on your digital menus, aim for templates and layouts that enhance readability while they also facilitate both customer experience and upselling opportunities.
Let’s take a look at the strategies you can employ to structure your menu displays for maximum impact; we will focus on fonts, sizes, and colors.
Simplicity and readability
Use clear fonts and appropriate sizes
First off, select fonts that are easy to read on screens. Avoid overly decorative fonts that can make the text difficult to read, or reserve such fonts for titles and non-essential elements to maintain readability.
Make sure the fonts you will use are large and clear enough to be read from a distance. Item names and prices–key information for your customers–should be especially well thought out. Also, see that a uniform font size is maintained for similar types of information (e.g., all item names should be the same size).
Some simple, clean fonts that you can use are: Arial, Helvetica, or Sans-seriff.
Utilize contrasting colors
Aim for high contrast combinations between texts and background colors. This improves readability, especially when it comes to a digital screen that can present itself slightly differently depending on the viewing angle. Light text on a dark background or vice versa works best. Hint: utilize your brand’s colors to keep the visual presentation on-brand.
While we are talking about colors, it’s crucial to stick to a consistent color palette for your menu designs. Too many different colors can be both distracting and off-putting, while your brand’s color scheme will create a cohesive look that aligns with your visual identity.
Logical organization and interactivity
How to structure your digital menu might seem a difficult task at first, but by following the simple steps below, you can ensure a stunning TV screen menu without the need for a professional graphic designer.
Categorize menu items by type
First, you will need to group menu items logically. Appetizers, mains, desserts, and beverages should all have their own space. This will help your audience find what they are looking for quickly. Then, utilize headings and subheadings to break up those sections visually and guide customers through your menu.
Tip: Mark special diet dishes (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) with icons that clearly shows who the dish is appropriate for. Your customers will thank you for that!
Highlight specials and popular items
Being smart with your menu structure can go a long way for the financial impact of your digital menu boards as well.
Using visual cues like icons, bold text, or different colors to highlight specials or popular items can help move these items faster. Moreover, value menus, combo meals and high-margin items are prime options for favored placement on your digital menu board templates.
Interactive features
Your TV screen menus can offer a lot more options if you are a tech-savvy business that wants to appeal to the comfort that is synonymous with food ordering for today’s digital-native consumers.
Features like digital ordering have become ubiquitous in quick-service restaurants, but are quickly taking up space in more refined dining settings and artisanal cafes and bistros too. By utilizing touch interactivity or a QR code menu on your screens, you can create tools that help you connect with your customers on a level that is both more functional and engaging.
Some interesting ways to implement such interactivity features can include clickable icons that open dietary info pop-ups. Another one would be as customization tools that allow your customers to tailor items such as burgers or coffees to their individual tastes easily, saving time for you waiting staff.
Publishing and managing your digital menu with Yodeck
Yodeck’s user-friendly platform aims to make content creation and management accessible for any member of your roster, whether a junior helper or the store manager. With a powerful app such as Yodeck you can ensure that your digital menu is always up-to-date and performing well.
Schedule updates
One of Yodeck’s most powerful features is its ability to schedule content updates, making your menu always current and relevant.
Set time-based schedules for different dayparts
The app features both basic and advanced scheduling options. This is particularly helpful when setting specific timeframes for different menu items to appear. For example, you can display breakfast and coffee items in the morning, and automatically switch to lunch and dinner menu as the day progresses.
As you can also schedule playlists, your digital displays can cycle through different layouts and screens easier, while resting assured that your tv screen menus will jump to the next daypart playlist at the right time.
Advanced scheduling allows you to create schedules that only play at specific times and days, which is ideal for limited time offers and happy hours.
Plan ahead for seasonal changes and promotions
The central management of Yodeck’s app allows for content planning that can stretch for an extended period of time in advance. This means that seasonal changes can be incorporated into your tv screen menus ahead of time, for even multiple different locations, all from a single dashboard.
Monitor performance
The surest way to evaluate whether your digital screen content is working for your business goals is to regularly analyze your sales data. By comparing the screen time of specific items and submenus with your sales figures you can improve on both your menu offerings and your screen menu content by highlighting profitable items.
Conclusion
Traditional printed menus are, for better or worse, on their way out. Today, transforming any dinner menu into a restaurant digital menu board has never been easier, more accessible and more powerful than Yodeck makes it. Thanks to Yodeck, your menu presentation can have an innovative, cost-effective, and user-friendly revamp that will elevate your restaurant, cafe, or any other similar establishment with modern screen aesthetics.
What you should do now
When you’re ready to take the first step in your transition to digital menus, here are three ways that Yodeck can help you do it effectively:
- Book a demo: Our team will show you how easy it is to use Yodeck and answer all your questions.
- If you want to delve deeper into digital signage, visit our Blog and Yodeck Academy. Both are full of use cases, guides and more resources to make you an expert on Yodeck.
- Register to try Yodeck yourself today. Your first screen is free!