With a digital menu board you change a price without printing, sticking or reaching for a chalk pen. With Narrow.TV you design your menu in the online editor, with a price table, text, photos and video. When you change something in the dashboard, the screen picks up the change automatically, within about a minute. You need a screen, an Android device with the Narrow.TV Player and a subscription per screen.
What the menu board software does
You create one menu design per screen. You build it in the same editor as our digital signage software, with a few elements that matter most for a menu:
- Price table: headings (for example "Sandwiches", "Hot drinks") with lines for product and price underneath.
- Text in 11 fonts, for example for a daily special or opening hours.
- Images of your dishes and your logo.
- Video (MP4, WebM or MOV), for example a short clip of a dish being prepared. Video plays without sound by default.
- Shapes, lines and backgrounds to lay out your menu and match your own branding.
You can start from a ready-made Narrow.TV template, filtered by screen type and orientation, or from a blank screen. Save a design you like as your own template so you can reuse it for a second screen.
Change prices and products yourself
The biggest advantage of a digital menu board is that changes cost next to nothing. If a product goes up in price, something sells out or a new sandwich is added, you edit the line in the price table in your browser. The player checks for new content every 60 seconds, so the change is on screen within about a minute.
You can do this from anywhere with a browser: behind the counter, at home or from another branch. If several people work on it, Narrow.TV will add a colleague with the editor role on request. They can edit menus, templates and media, but have no access to the subscription and payments.
An honest caveat: Narrow.TV is not linked to your till system. So you manage the prices on your till and on your menu board separately. For most businesses with a manageable menu that is not a problem, but it is good to know.
Landscape or portrait, and which resolution
For each screen you choose whether it hangs in landscape or portrait. Portrait screens fit well above a narrow counter or side by side as a row of menu panels; landscape screens are handy for a wide menu with several columns. Resolutions: Full HD 1920x1080 (default), 4K 3840x2160, HD 1366x768, square 1080x1080 or a custom size. The content is scaled to fit.
If you hang three screens side by side, you create a separate menu for each screen, for example one screen for sandwiches, one for hot dishes and one for drinks. If you also want to run a single image or video across all screens at once from time to time, you can do that with the Combined view add-on.
How to keep a menu readable, with enough contrast and not too many products per screen, is explained in our tips for a digital menu board.
What hardware do you need
The Narrow.TV Player is an Android app from Google Play. It runs on Android TV, Android tablets and Android media boxes or sticks. If your TV does not have Android TV or Google TV, connect an Android TV box or stick via HDMI. Fire TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Windows, iOS and Chromecast are not supported.
General advice for a menu board: the screen is often on for the whole of your opening hours and sometimes hangs near a window or bright lighting. So when choosing your screen, pay attention to brightness and whether it is suitable for many hours a day.
Pairing works with a code: you create the screen in the dashboard, install the app, enter the code and the menu appears. Set the app as the device's home screen so it opens as the main app. After a power cut, check that the menu is running again.
Who is a digital menu board suitable for
A digital menu board pays off especially if your menu or prices change regularly, or if you want to show your products better than with text alone. Think of a takeaway or chip shop, a bakery or café or a collection counter in a restaurant. Torn between digital and a chalkboard or light box? Read our honest comparison digital menu board vs chalkboard.
What does a digital menu board cost
For a digital menu board you pay a subscription per screen. See the current prices; what a menu board costs in total, including screen and player, is explained in digital menu board costs.
You can try it free for 30 days with 1 digital menu board. Create your menu, put it on your screen and see how it works in your business. Start your free trial.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the prices on a digital menu board?
You edit the product or price in the price table in the Narrow.TV dashboard. The player checks for new content every 60 seconds, so the change is on screen within about a minute.
Can a digital menu board be linked to my till?
No, Narrow.TV has no integration with till or POS systems. You manage products and prices yourself in the dashboard.
What do I need for a digital menu board?
A screen, an Android device (such as an Android TV or an Android TV box or stick) with the Narrow.TV Player app, internet and a subscription per screen.
Can a digital menu board hang in portrait?
Yes. For each screen you set whether it hangs in landscape or portrait and choose the resolution, for example Full HD or 4K. The content is scaled to fit.