indoor · P1.8–P2.5
Digital Menu Boards for Restaurants and Cafes
The screens above a counter that show the menu, the prices and the offers — changed from a laptop or a phone instead of reprinting a backlit panel every time something moves.
- Manufacturer warranty
- GST invoice
- Pan-India delivery
- On-site service in Karnataka
- Transparent, published pricing
A digital menu board earns its cost in one specific way: it removes the reprint. A backlit or printed menu panel has to be redesigned, reprinted and refitted every time a price moves, an item is dropped or an offer starts. On a digital board that is a two-minute change from a phone, and it costs nothing.
That also changes what you can do. Most restaurants running printed boards do not change prices as often as they should, because each change has a cost and a delay. Once it is free, dayparting becomes normal — a breakfast menu until eleven, a lunch menu until four, an evening menu after that, all on a timer.
What it costs
Menu boards are priced by area like any other indoor LED, but they sit at the finer end of the pitch range because the content is text. Prices have to be legible from the back of a queue, and that is a legibility requirement, not an aesthetic one.
| Size | Area | Indicative range (Indoor P2–P2.5) | Typically |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 2 ft | 8 sq ft | ₹48,000 – ₹96,000 | — |
| 8 × 3 ft | 24 sq ft | ₹1.4 – 2.9 lakh | — |
| 12 × 3 ft | 36 sq ft | ₹2.2 – 4.3 lakh | — |
A single 4 × 2 ft panel above a small counter is the entry point. The common QSR arrangement is a run of two or three panels totalling 8 to 12 ft wide, which lets you split the menu into categories and keep one panel for offers.
Which pitch keeps prices readable
This is where menu boards differ from most other indoor screens, and where they are most often under-specified. A video wall showing a showreel can be coarse; a menu board carrying ₹ figures and item names at 40 mm text height cannot.
| Queue depth | Recommended pitch | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 m — small counter, single queue | P1.5 – P1.8 | Customers stand close and read small text; anything coarser shows pixel structure on the characters |
| 2 – 4 m — typical QSR counter | P1.8 – P2.5 | The usual answer. Sharp on text, sensible on cost |
| 4 m and beyond — food court, drive-through | P2.5 – P3 | Text is larger at this distance anyway, so a finer pitch is wasted |
If you are unsure, our viewing distance calculator at /viewing-distance-calculator/ takes the distance from the counter to the back of the queue and returns the coarsest pitch that still reads cleanly.
What the running cost actually is
Menu boards run every hour you are open, which makes power a real line rather than a rounding error — but a smaller one than most people assume. An indoor menu board runs at a fraction of the brightness of an outdoor screen, and menu content is mostly flat colour and text rather than full-brightness video.
The other running cost is content, and it is usually zero. The cloud CMS is normally a small annual fee or bundled, and price changes take minutes. Where it stops being zero is if you want designed seasonal artwork every month — that is a design cost, not a screen cost, and it is worth budgeting separately rather than discovering it later.
What to check before ordering
- Measure the wall above the counter, including the drop from the ceiling and anything in the way — extraction hoods and light tracks are the usual surprises.
- Measure from the counter to the back of the queue at its longest. That sets the pitch.
- Decide how many panels. Splitting a wide run into two or three makes categories readable and lets you retire one panel to offers.
- Check where power and network reach. A ceiling-suspended run needs both at height, and retrofitting either after the shopfit is expensive.
- Ask who changes the content, and make sure they are shown how before handover. A board nobody can update becomes a printed board with extra steps.
Specification
- Pixel pitch
- P1.8 – P2.5 — prices are text, and text needs a fine pitch
- Typical size
- 4 × 2 ft to 12 × 3 ft, usually a run of two or three panels
- Mounting
- Wall or ceiling-suspended above the counter
- Brightness
- 800 – 1,200 nits indoors; more where a glass frontage lets sun in
- Control
- Wi-Fi or LAN with a cloud CMS — change prices from a phone
- Scheduling
- Dayparting: breakfast, lunch and evening menus switch on a timer
Common sizes
- 4 × 2 ft (8 sq ft)Single panel above a small counter
- 8 × 3 ft (24 sq ft)Two-panel run, typical QSR counter
- 12 × 3 ft (36 sq ft)Three-panel run, wide counter or drive-through
Made to size — these are the sizes people most often order, not a fixed range.
Common questions
What is the price of a digital menu board in India?
They are priced by area at an indoor pitch, so a single 4 × 2 ft panel and a three-panel 12 × 3 ft run are very different figures. The indicative ranges for each common size are in the table above, excluding GST. The pitch matters more than the size: menu boards carry text, so they need a finer pitch than a screen showing video.
How many screens do I need above my counter?
One panel works for a small counter with a short menu. The common arrangement for a QSR is a run of two or three totalling 8 to 12 ft, which lets you separate categories and keep one panel for offers and combos. Splitting a wide run also makes each panel readable rather than crowded.
Which pixel pitch is right for a menu board?
P1.8 to P2.5 for a typical counter with the queue 2 to 4 m back. Closer than 2 m, go to P1.5 to P1.8. Beyond 4 m, P2.5 to P3 is enough because the text is larger anyway. Menu boards need a finer pitch than most indoor screens because prices and item names are small text.
Can I change the prices myself?
Yes, and that is the main reason to buy one. Content is managed from a cloud CMS over Wi-Fi or LAN, so a price change takes a couple of minutes from a laptop or phone. Menus can also be scheduled, so breakfast, lunch and evening switch on a timer without anyone touching them.
Is a digital menu board worth it compared to a printed one?
It depends entirely on how often your menu changes. If prices and items are static, a printed backlit panel is far cheaper and there is no argument for digital. If you reprint several times a year, or you want dayparting, the reprint cost and the delay are what you are actually buying out of.
Tell us the size and where it goes
Free site assessment, a written quote, and an honest opinion on whether you need what you think you need.