Digital signage for restaurants, brasseries and fast-food
A daily menu that switches on its own between services, a digital chalkboard in the window, evening promotions: what digital signage really brings to restaurants — and what you need to set it up.
The real point: the right content at the right service
A restaurant doesn't show the same screen at 8am, at noon and at 7pm. That's the difference between a screen that's useful and one that eventually gets switched off: showing the evening menu during lunch service doesn't sell anything, it just clutters the screen.
The answer lies in the time-based schedule. You build one playlist per service and place them on a timeline: pastries and breakfast deals until 10:30am, dish of the day and lunch menus from 11:30am to 2:30pm, evening menu and suggestions from 6pm onward. The switch happens automatically, every day, without anyone touching it. On top of that you can add weekday recurrences — Sunday brunch, Monday closure — and special dates like Valentine's Day.
What works best in the dining room, in order:
- the daily menu with its prices, readable from the queue;
- set menus and the chef's suggestions;
- drinks and desserts, shown at the end of the meal;
- practical information: Wi-Fi, opening hours, social media, click and collect.
The storefront: the constraint people underestimate
The storefront screen is the one that brings in the most — it speaks to passers-by — and it's the one that causes the most problems.
Two points to check before buying:
- Brightness. A consumer TV tops out around 300 to 400 cd/m². Behind a window exposed to the sun, it becomes unreadable during the brightest hours — exactly when the most passers-by are around. A storefront screen should start at 1,500 cd/m², or even 2,500 for a south-facing window.
- Runtime. A storefront screen runs 12 to 16 hours a day. Consumer panels are built for home use, on the order of 6 to 8 hours: beyond that, the warranty doesn't cover this kind of use.
Setting it up, in practice
Three steps, about fifteen minutes for the first screen. You create the content — either by describing what you need to the AI Studio ("apple tart promo at €4.50"), or by importing your own visuals. You build the playlist for each service and place them on the timeline. Then you pair the screen: the player shows a six-digit code, you enter it in the platform, and playback starts.
If the dining room's network goes down — it happens, especially in basements — the screen keeps playing: content is cached locally and updates resume once the connection is back.
Questions fréquentes
Do I need a special screen for a restaurant?
No. Smart-Signage runs on Android TVs and boxes, LG webOS screens and any device with a browser. A consumer TV is enough for a dining room. Two cases call for a professional screen: a storefront exposed to sunlight, which needs high brightness, and a screen running more than 12 hours a day, for which consumer panels aren't warrantied.
How do I switch the lunch menu automatically?
Through the time-based schedule. You create one playlist per service — breakfast, lunch, dinner — and place them on the timeline with their time slots. The switch happens automatically, every day, without intervention. You can add weekday recurrences and special dates.
What happens if the dining room's Wi-Fi drops?
The screen keeps playing. Content is cached locally: a network outage doesn't interrupt playback, and the playlist updates again as soon as the connection is back.
How much does digital signage cost for a restaurant?
An independent restaurant usually gets by with one to three screens: the dining room, the storefront, sometimes the counter. Three screens are free with the Free plan, with the features of the Premium plan — a "Powered by Smart-Signage" badge appears after 30 days. Beyond that, count on €9 excl. VAT per screen per month, or €99 excl. VAT per year, with no commitment. Room tablets, remote controls and e-paper labels fall under the Lite licence at €5 excl. VAT per device per month. From 50 devices of the same type, a discount becomes negotiable.