Restaurant signage can explain the menu before a guest orders, introduce a dish they have not tried, or point them to the pickup counter. Use a counter TV for menu artwork, a host-stand display for dining information, and a separate screen for photographs of your food or private dining room.
Better Signage plays your uploaded images and videos on physical Apple TVs connected to landscape HDMI displays. Assemble a playlist in your browser, choose the restaurant TVs, and press Play to publish it. Standard plans include unlimited screens, so the counter and dining room can have different playlists without a separate subscription fee for each TV.
Give featured dishes enough context to be useful
Your food photography can show something a menu name cannot: the appearance of a plated dish, how a sharing order arrives, or the difference between two preparations. Pair the photograph with a short description of the actual item. A chef's special can name the preparation and included accompaniment instead of filling the screen with general praise.
A silent kitchen clip can show a dish being finished or a dessert assembled. Include the dish name in the edit so a viewer who joins halfway through knows what they are seeing. Use the same serving presentation as the order your team supplies, and have the kitchen review any ingredient or dietary wording before it appears in public artwork.
Use entrance and pickup screens for the next step
A host-stand display can identify the restaurant, explain where to check in, and introduce a reserved dining area. A pickup TV has a different job: show where orders are collected and how guests should approach staff. Put the name of the collection counter in the artwork and use a photograph or a simple directional diagram when the location is not obvious.
These are prepared instructions that accompany your service workflow. Better Signage does not receive order numbers, table availability, or wait estimates from a point-of-sale system. Keep individual order information with your existing system or staff, while the screen explains the part of the process that applies to everyone.
Introduce private dining and catering with real examples
Guests in the dining room can see photographs of a private room, an example table arrangement, or a catering presentation. Show the space or service you actually offer and give a direct contact route, such as asking the host about private dining. A short room tour can make a separate area visible to guests who would otherwise never walk through it.
Prepare different material for a booked function. The entrance can show an approved welcome, while a TV inside the reserved room carries the client's photographs or event artwork. Select those Apple TVs when publishing so a private-event playlist reaches the intended rooms rather than every restaurant screen.
Apple TV signage for restaurant service
Upload finished JPEG or PNG menus and food artwork through the browser. Videos are converted to H.264 MP4 and play muted. Prepare a 16:9 landscape composition with the logo and text already included. Each display needs a physical Apple TV running tvOS 26.5 or later on which the App Store listing permits installation.
Your team controls menu changes. When prices, availability, or the meal service change, revise the prepared content and publish the relevant playlist with Play. Better Signage Free costs $0 per month with 50 MB of storage; paid storage plans start at $4.99 per month for 250 MB. The Apple TVs and displays are supplied separately.
What to put on your screen
Counter menu: main dishes and sides
Create one landscape menu image with categories, item names, serving details, and prices. Keep it as the ordering reference and put rotating promotions on another display if they would interrupt access to the menu.
Lunch offer: a complete combination
Photograph the main and side together, name what is included, and show the total price and applicable service hours. Use the restaurant's confirmed offer rather than leaving guests to infer a package from separate images.
Chef's special: dish and preparation
Start with the plated dish, follow with a silent preparation clip, then repeat the name and ordering description. This short sequence explains a special through both its finished appearance and its preparation.
Pickup area: collect an order
Show the collection-point name and a photograph of that counter. Add the instruction your staff use, such as speaking to the pickup attendant, without suggesting that the TV tracks individual orders.
Private dining: room and booking contact
Combine room photographs, an example table setting, and an instruction to ask the host about availability. A separate playlist for a booked room can replace these promotions with the organizer's approved welcome artwork.
Catering: an example service
Show photographs of your catering presentation with the type of occasion or service described. End with the restaurant's existing inquiry route so guests can ask about a specific event.
Set up your signage on Apple TV
Connect a compatible Apple TV to your landscape TV over HDMI. Install Better Signage, open the app, and enter its pairing code in your web dashboard. Give each screen a name that tells you where it is.
- Upload your finished JPEG or PNG slides and videos. Video conversion runs on our servers, and signage videos play silently.
- Arrange the files in a playlist and choose how long each item stays on screen. Build text and logos into your artwork, with room around the edges for the default crop-to-fill display.
- Select the Apple TVs you want to update and choose Play. The players download and check the media before starting the playlist. Send it again with Play whenever your content changes.
You need physical Apple TV hardware eligible to install Better Signage, running tvOS 26.5 or later. Internet is required for setup, downloads, and new publishes. Keep the app open on each player while it runs your signage.
Check the hardware and media requirements · Follow the Apple TV installation guide · Apple's HDMI setup guide
Common questions about restaurants
Can Better Signage run a restaurant menu board?
Yes. Upload your menu as a JPEG or PNG and play it on a landscape HDMI display connected to a compatible physical Apple TV. You create and maintain the menu artwork, including its prices and item descriptions.
Can menus and food promotions use different screens?
Yes. Create a menu playlist for the counter and a promotional playlist for other areas, then select the relevant paired Apple TVs for each publish. Every standard plan includes unlimited screens.
Does it update menu prices from my point-of-sale system?
No. Better Signage uses uploaded images and videos. Revise your menu artwork when a price or item changes, update the playlist, and press Play to send it to the selected TVs.
Will breakfast and dinner menus switch automatically?
No. Your staff choose and publish the appropriate playlist with Play. You can prepare meal-service playlists in advance, but Better Signage does not schedule the changeover.
Can I show a kitchen or food video?
Yes. Upload the finished video and allow its conversion to complete before adding it to the playlist. Playback is muted, so include dish names and any explanation visibly in the video.
How much does restaurant signage cost?
The Free plan is $0 per month with unlimited screens and 50 MB of media storage. Paid plans start at $4.99 per month for 250 MB and also include unlimited screens. You supply each display and a compatible Apple TV separately.
Ideas for nearby spaces
Browse all Apple TV signage use cases · Get help with artwork and playlist timing
Try your first screen for free
The Free plan is $0/month with 50 MB of media storage and unlimited screens. Paid plans add storage as your library grows. You supply the displays and Apple TVs.