A digital menu board costs a recurring subscription for the software and one-off costs for the hardware: a screen, mounting it and, if your TV does not have Android TV, an Android TV box or stick. With Narrow.TV you pay the subscription per screen; the current amounts are listed under our prices. Whether a digital menu board is cheaper than a printed menu depends mainly on how often you change something on your menu. Below we help you work that out for your own business, without made-up savings figures.
What the cost of a digital menu board is made up of
- Software: a subscription per menu board screen. This is the only recurring amount you pay Narrow.TV. Three menu boards means three subscriptions.
- Screen: one-off. A consumer TV is cheaper; a professional display is built for long operating hours and is often brighter.
- Player: one-off, and sometimes not needed. The Narrow.TV Player is an Android app. If your TV has Google TV or Android TV, you install the app directly on the TV. Otherwise, you connect an Android TV box or stick via HDMI.
- Mounting and cabling: a wall bracket or ceiling mount, and power and internet in the spot above the counter. These costs are not included in the subscription.
- Electricity: a screen that is on throughout your opening hours uses power. The consumption is listed in the screen's specifications.
- Time: setting up your menu properly once. After that, a price change takes a few minutes.
The cost of a printed menu
With a printed menu, a light box with posters or a letter board, the costs are less visible because they are spread over the year. Think of:
- Printing for every price change, new product or seasonal menu. Large formats and light box films are often more expensive per piece than ordinary paper.
- Design: if you have a designer update the menu, you pay for that with every change too.
- Time: ordering, waiting, collecting and replacing. And until the new print arrives, your board is wrong.
- Stickers and quick fixes: covering over a price or taping over a product rarely looks good.
Only you know what this costs you. Dig out your printing and design invoices from the past year and add them up. Add an estimate of your own time. That is the figure you can fairly compare with a digital menu board.
What pushes the cost up or down
Two businesses with the same number of menu boards can still end up with very different totals. The main factors:
- Number of screens. Each menu board is its own subscription and its own screen. Sometimes your menu fits neatly on two screens instead of three; that saves on both counts.
- What you already have. If your TV runs Android TV or Google TV, you do not need an extra player. Samsung Tizen, LG webOS and Fire TV are not supported; in that case you need an Android TV box or stick.
- Brightness for the location. If your menu board hangs far from a window, you do not need an extremely bright screen. If there is a large glass shopfront behind your customers, you do, and that makes the screen more expensive.
- Operating hours. If the screen is on all day, six days a week, a professional display can work out cheaper in the long run than a consumer TV that is not built for it. Also check the warranty for commercial use.
- Mounting. A screen bracket on a solid wall is simpler than a ceiling mount above a counter, or a spot that does not have power yet.
More about choosing a screen can be found in which screen for digital signage.
A worked example in words
Say you have a collection counter with three menu boards above it.
- Digital: three menu board subscriptions (work them out with the current prices). One-off: three screens, possibly three Android TV sticks, and mounting. You make price changes yourself, as often as you like, at no extra cost.
- Printed: no subscription, but three lots of printing for every change, plus possible design costs and your own time.
If you change your menu once a year, printing is often cheaper, and we will say so honestly. If you raise your prices several times a year, rotate seasonal products or want to show daily specials, the printing costs soon add up and the fixed subscription for a digital menu board becomes attractive. The difference is not only about money: with a digital menu board your board is always correct, and you can show photos and video of your products.
A handy rule of thumb for your own calculation: put what the software costs you over a full year, plus the hardware spread over the number of years you expect to use the screen, next to your annual printing, design and time costs. You will quickly see which way it tips for your business.
What you get for the subscription
For the subscription per screen you get the online dashboard and the Narrow.TV Player. You design your menu in the editor with a price table (headings with product and price lines), text, images and video, in landscape or portrait. Changes appear on screen within about a minute. There is no integration with your till system: you manage prices yourself in the dashboard. All the features are listed under digital menu boards, and the comparison with chalkboards and light boxes is in digital menu board vs chalkboard. If you would also like a promotions screen alongside your menu boards, take a look at what digital signage costs.
Try first, then decide
The best way to see whether a digital menu board suits your business is to try it. You can try it free for 30 days with 1 digital menu board, on a screen you may already have. Start your free trial or check the current prices first under our pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What does a digital menu board cost per month?
With Narrow.TV you pay a subscription per menu board screen. The current price is listed under prices on the Narrow.TV home page. The screen and player are not included in the subscription.
Is a digital menu board cheaper than a printed menu?
That depends on how often you change prices and products. If your menu rarely changes, printing is often cheaper; if you change it regularly, the recurring printing, design and time costs disappear and digital becomes more attractive.
Can I use an ordinary TV as a digital menu board?
Yes, as long as it runs an Android device with the Narrow.TV Player: a TV with Android TV or Google TV, or a TV with an Android TV box or stick via HDMI. For a screen that is on all day, a professional display is often more durable.
Are there extra costs when I change my prices?
No. You change prices and products yourself in the dashboard, as often as you like, with no extra cost per change. The screen is updated within about a minute.