Simple Ways to Make Your Digital Menu More Fun and Easy to Read
In today’s fast-paced dining scene, your restaurant digital menu needs to do more than just list items—it should captivate customers, reflect your brand, and make ordering easier. A well-designed restaurant digital menu board can improve customer satisfaction, increase sales, and create a memorable dining experience. Here are some simple ways to make your digital menu more fun and easy to read.
1. Use Clear and Readable Fonts
One of the most important elements of a good restaurant digital menu is font choice. Avoid overly stylized fonts that are hard to read from a distance. Instead, go for clean, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Roboto. Make sure your font size is large enough to be readable, even across the room.
Pro Tip: Use bold fonts for headers and item names, and lighter fonts for descriptions to create a clear visual hierarchy.
2. Add Mouth-Watering Images
Nothing grabs attention like high-quality food images. Including photos of your best-selling dishes on your restaurant digital menu board can entice customers and boost impulse orders. Use professional photos or well-lit, appetizing images that accurately represent your menu items.
Pro Tip: Use a rotating slideshow feature to display specials, combos, or seasonal items with imagery.
3. Stick to a Simple Color Scheme
A digital menu board should be visually engaging but not overwhelming. Stick to two or three main colors that match your restaurant’s branding. Use high-contrast combinations like white text on a dark background to improve readability.
Pro Tip: Use accent colors to highlight new items, promotions, or popular dishes.
4. Organize Items into Logical Categories
Customers want to find what they’re looking for quickly. Group similar items together—such as appetizers, mains, drinks, and desserts—and label each section clearly. This not only improves navigation but also encourages customers to consider more options.
Pro Tip: Keep your layout consistent across all your restaurant digital menu boards for a seamless experience.
5. Include Short, Fun Descriptions
Your menu doesn’t have to be boring. Adding playful or creative descriptions can make your offerings stand out and create a fun vibe. For example, instead of just “Cheeseburger,” try “Our juicy signature cheeseburger stacked high with melty cheddar and crispy pickles.”
Pro Tip: Keep descriptions short so they don’t clutter the screen.
6. Highlight Specials and Best-Sellers
Use your digital menu board to draw attention to high-margin or best-selling items. Use icons, different colors, or animation effects like subtle blinking or sliding text to make them pop—just don’t overdo it.
Pro Tip: Update your specials daily to keep content fresh and engaging.
7. Keep It Updated and Timely
Nothing frustrates customers more than outdated menus. Take advantage of the flexibility of digital signage by updating your restaurant digital menu with seasonal items, limited-time offers, or holiday-themed designs. This keeps customers interested and coming back to see what’s new.
6. Highlight Best-Sellers and Specials
Use your restaurant digital menu board to draw attention to the items you want to sell more of. Whether it’s your highest profit margin dish or a seasonal promotion, digital signage allows you to spotlight them in creative ways.
Use subtle animations, badges like “Customer Favorite” or “Limited Time Only,” or rotate slides that feature these items prominently.
Bonus Tip: Run time-sensitive specials (like lunch deals from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and schedule them to appear automatically using your digital signage software.
7. Keep Your Menu Updated Regularly
One of the biggest benefits of using a digital menu is how easy it is to update. Take advantage of this by keeping your content fresh—add seasonal items, remove discontinued dishes, or tweak pricing without the hassle of printing new menus.
Frequent updates also show customers that your restaurant is active, modern, and always evolving. This sense of freshness can encourage repeat visits.
Bonus Tip: Use your digital menu board for announcements, upcoming events, or social media handles during idle screen time.
8. Incorporate Motion and Animation—But Sparingly
Subtle animations can make your restaurant digital menu feel modern and lively. For example, you can slide in a featured item, use gentle fading transitions between menu panels, or animate a “Specials” badge.
However, don’t overdo it. Too much movement can distract from the actual menu and confuse customers, especially during busy times.
Bonus Tip: Test your animations during peak hours to make sure they enhance rather than interrupt the experience.
Final Thoughts
Creating a restaurant digital menu board that’s both fun and easy to read doesn’t require a design degree. With the right fonts, layout, colors, and images, you can build a menu that delights customers and boosts your bottom line. Keep it clear, keep it updated, and most importantly—keep it appetizing.
Want to simplify your menu updates? Try digital signage software that lets you edit and schedule your content with just a few clicks.
