How To Build a Digital Menu For Your TV
Aug 16, 2023
Digital menus have become increasingly popular among restaurants, breweries, and wineries. They offer a modern way to handle operations and create an engaging experience for customers. Digital menus allow for easy updates to offerings and prices and are an excellent way to showcase your brand. However, building a menu that fits on a TV screen isn't as simple as screen sharing your website or a photo of your paper menu. But don't worry, it doesn't have to be complicated either!
In this article, we will walk you through the steps to build a stunning digital menu for your restaurant or taproom. We'll cover everything from choosing the right hardware and software to uploading your content and displaying your digital menu.
Step 1: Choose Your Hardware
The first thing you need is a TV that can display your digital menu. Ideally, you should choose a TV with high resolution and a large screen size. You will also need a media player that can connect to your TV and display your digital menu content. This could mean connecting a computer or an iPad or using an Amazon Fire TV Stick (or something similar). You’ll want to make sure that the screen you choose is big enough for your patrons to see, even from far away.
When choosing your hardware, there are a few things to consider:
Size: The TV should be large enough to be visible to everyone in the room.
Resolution: The TV should have a high resolution to ensure that the images and text are sharp and clear.
Connectivity: The TV should be able to connect to a media player or computer to display the digital menu.
Step 2: Choose Your Software
When it comes to choosing software to use for your digital menu, there are many options available. You will want to consider a few factors when making your decision on which one to choose:
Price: An obvious consideration, but it’s not worth breaking the bank for your TV menu. There are affordable options abound.
Simplicity: Is it easy to use? Can your staff use it and update it when necessary when you're not around? This is often overlooked while selecting a software tool, but whatever you choose, make sure that it is easy to set up and update on an ongoing basis. It’s not worth your time spent fussing over minor details.
Design: Does the software make your menu look professional and easy to read? If not, it should. A digital TV menu is often the first thing your customers see when they walk in the door, and it’s showcasing your products. This should be representative of the brand you want to portray.
Compatibility: When choosing your software, you will want to make sure that it's compatible with your device and media player and that it offers the features you need to create and manage your digital menu.
There are a myriad of options to consider when choosing software. Your free options will mostly be limited to using PowerPoint or a design software like Canva. Though these tools can get the job done, they can be incredibly time-consuming to not only build but maintain as well. For example, if you have an item that sells out in the middle of a busy Friday night, the last thing you want to do is fiddle with crossing out text from a PowerPoint slide.
Some industries have solutions tailored to them. For example, breweries and taprooms may use tools that have TV menu capabilities included. Such tools include Taplist.io, Pourwall, and others. While these tools can be very powerful, any costs associated with them should be considered.
Sippo offers an affordable alternative, with features that make customizing your TV menu board easy. It has a generous free plan which allows you to build and launch your digital QR and web menu, as well as design your TV menu. The full version offers unlimited TV displays, and starts at only $10/month with Amazon TV Fire Stick support included.
Step 3: Upload Your Menu Content
Once you've chosen your software, it's time to upload your menu content. This typically involves transferring everything from your other menus into the software you chose. Make sure to always test out the menu on your own screen with your products before going live with your customers. Better to be safe than sorry!
When uploading your content, you will want to make sure that the images and text are clear and easy to read. You may need to adjust the layout or font sizes to ensure that the menu is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Step 4: Display Your Digital Menu
Finally, it's time to display your digital menu on your TV. Make sure that your media player is connected to your TV, and that your software is set up to display your menu content. Make sure that your screen isn’t set to time out and go to a screen saver so that people know what they can order all night long.
When displaying your digital menu, keep the following in mind:
Placement: The TV should be placed in a location where it is visible to everyone in the room.
Updating: Make sure to update the menu regularly to reflect changes to your offerings or prices.
Branding: Use your digital menu as an opportunity to showcase your brand and highlight your unique offerings.
With these steps, you can create a high-quality digital menu for your TV that will help you engage with customers and streamline your operations.
Digital menus are an excellent way to modernize your operations and create an engaging experience for your customers. By choosing the right hardware and software, uploading your content, and displaying your digital menu, you can create a visually appealing menu that showcases your brand and makes ordering easy for your customers. Take the time to create a high-quality digital menu, and you'll be sure to reap the benefits.
Digital menus have become increasingly popular among restaurants, breweries, and wineries. They offer a modern way to handle operations and create an engaging experience for customers. Digital menus allow for easy updates to offerings and prices and are an excellent way to showcase your brand. However, building a menu that fits on a TV screen isn't as simple as screen sharing your website or a photo of your paper menu. But don't worry, it doesn't have to be complicated either!
In this article, we will walk you through the steps to build a stunning digital menu for your restaurant or taproom. We'll cover everything from choosing the right hardware and software to uploading your content and displaying your digital menu.
Step 1: Choose Your Hardware
The first thing you need is a TV that can display your digital menu. Ideally, you should choose a TV with high resolution and a large screen size. You will also need a media player that can connect to your TV and display your digital menu content. This could mean connecting a computer or an iPad or using an Amazon Fire TV Stick (or something similar). You’ll want to make sure that the screen you choose is big enough for your patrons to see, even from far away.
When choosing your hardware, there are a few things to consider:
Size: The TV should be large enough to be visible to everyone in the room.
Resolution: The TV should have a high resolution to ensure that the images and text are sharp and clear.
Connectivity: The TV should be able to connect to a media player or computer to display the digital menu.
Step 2: Choose Your Software
When it comes to choosing software to use for your digital menu, there are many options available. You will want to consider a few factors when making your decision on which one to choose:
Price: An obvious consideration, but it’s not worth breaking the bank for your TV menu. There are affordable options abound.
Simplicity: Is it easy to use? Can your staff use it and update it when necessary when you're not around? This is often overlooked while selecting a software tool, but whatever you choose, make sure that it is easy to set up and update on an ongoing basis. It’s not worth your time spent fussing over minor details.
Design: Does the software make your menu look professional and easy to read? If not, it should. A digital TV menu is often the first thing your customers see when they walk in the door, and it’s showcasing your products. This should be representative of the brand you want to portray.
Compatibility: When choosing your software, you will want to make sure that it's compatible with your device and media player and that it offers the features you need to create and manage your digital menu.
There are a myriad of options to consider when choosing software. Your free options will mostly be limited to using PowerPoint or a design software like Canva. Though these tools can get the job done, they can be incredibly time-consuming to not only build but maintain as well. For example, if you have an item that sells out in the middle of a busy Friday night, the last thing you want to do is fiddle with crossing out text from a PowerPoint slide.
Some industries have solutions tailored to them. For example, breweries and taprooms may use tools that have TV menu capabilities included. Such tools include Taplist.io, Pourwall, and others. While these tools can be very powerful, any costs associated with them should be considered.
Sippo offers an affordable alternative, with features that make customizing your TV menu board easy. It has a generous free plan which allows you to build and launch your digital QR and web menu, as well as design your TV menu. The full version offers unlimited TV displays, and starts at only $10/month with Amazon TV Fire Stick support included.
Step 3: Upload Your Menu Content
Once you've chosen your software, it's time to upload your menu content. This typically involves transferring everything from your other menus into the software you chose. Make sure to always test out the menu on your own screen with your products before going live with your customers. Better to be safe than sorry!
When uploading your content, you will want to make sure that the images and text are clear and easy to read. You may need to adjust the layout or font sizes to ensure that the menu is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Step 4: Display Your Digital Menu
Finally, it's time to display your digital menu on your TV. Make sure that your media player is connected to your TV, and that your software is set up to display your menu content. Make sure that your screen isn’t set to time out and go to a screen saver so that people know what they can order all night long.
When displaying your digital menu, keep the following in mind:
Placement: The TV should be placed in a location where it is visible to everyone in the room.
Updating: Make sure to update the menu regularly to reflect changes to your offerings or prices.
Branding: Use your digital menu as an opportunity to showcase your brand and highlight your unique offerings.
With these steps, you can create a high-quality digital menu for your TV that will help you engage with customers and streamline your operations.
Digital menus are an excellent way to modernize your operations and create an engaging experience for your customers. By choosing the right hardware and software, uploading your content, and displaying your digital menu, you can create a visually appealing menu that showcases your brand and makes ordering easy for your customers. Take the time to create a high-quality digital menu, and you'll be sure to reap the benefits.