TV menu boards for restaurants: how they work and what they cost

A TV menu board shows your menu on a screen in your restaurant, usually above the counter. This guide explains what a TV menu board is, how VUNO Screens works, what you need to provide, and what it costs.

What is a TV menu board?

A TV menu board is a digital version of the painted or printed board behind a counter. It shows your dishes, prices and photos on a television screen. It is most useful where customers order at a counter: takeaways, fast food, cafés and bars, where people decide what to buy while they are standing in the queue.

The advantage over a painted board or a printed poster is the same as with a QR menu: when a price changes, you change it once and the screen updates. You do not need to repaint, reprint or stick paper over old prices.

How VUNO Screens works

VUNO Screens uses a small device called a VUNO stick. It plugs into your own TV and shows your menu on it. The screen is connected to the same dashboard you use for your QR menu, so there is one menu to manage for both.

• In sync with your dashboard. When you change a price or mark an item sold out on your phone, the screen picks up the change, normally within a minute.
• Keeps running without internet. If your Wi-Fi drops, the screen keeps showing your menu as it was last updated.
• Updating while offline. If you need to change something while your Wi-Fi is down, switch on your phone's hotspot and the screen updates.
• Back on by itself. After a power cut, such as during load-shedding, your menu comes back on automatically when the power returns.

The menu on the screen is designed by the VUNO team as part of setup, using the same items and prices as your QR menu.

What the restaurant provides

VUNO does not supply televisions. You provide:

• Your own TV, with a free HDMI port for the VUNO stick and a power socket nearby.
• A place to mount or stand the TV where customers can read it.
• Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot for updates. The screen keeps showing your menu without it, but it needs a connection to receive changes.

Each TV needs its own VUNO stick. One stick runs one screen.

What it costs

VUNO Screens is part of the Starter plan, which costs K300 a month or K3,300 a year (one month free). Each branch includes one TV screen in its fee, and each additional branch is K270 a month.

• Your business's first VUNO stick is free, once per business. It stays the property of VUNO during the trial and becomes yours once you subscribe and pay.
• Every other VUNO stick, including sticks for additional branches, is K600.
• Need more screens in one branch? You can add up to 3 extra screens at K150 a month each, each with its own stick.

See the pricing page for the full list, including QR stands.

Do you need a TV board and a QR menu?

They do different jobs. A TV board helps customers decide while they queue at the counter. A QR menu lets customers at a table browse at their own pace on their own phone. With VUNO you get both from one dashboard, so you only update your menu once. If you are new to QR menus, start with our guide to QR code menus in Zambia. If you are weighing up whether a digital menu is worth it, our QR menu vs printed menu comparison helps you work out your own numbers.

Getting started

Send us your menu and the VUNO team sets up both your QR menu and your screen design. Setup is the same day once we have your menu. You plug the VUNO stick into your TV and your menu appears. To see what the menu looks like on a phone first, open our live demo. When you are ready, start a free 14-day trial and try it in your own restaurant.