Guide for US restaurants
Digital signage for restaurantsWhat to show, what it costs, and how to skip the fee
In most restaurants, the screen has one job: show the menu, with prices that change. A lot of signage software is built for slideshows instead, and bills you by the screen. Here's what belongs on your screens, what four signage tools charge, and how to run up to 3 TVs for free.
Every price checked on the vendor's own pricing page, November 2026.
What goes on the screen
What restaurants actually show on their screens
Ask an owner what the TV above the counter is for, and you'll almost always hear the same answer: the menu. Not ads. Not music videos. Dishes and prices guests can read while they wait in line. And a menu doesn't sit still. Here's one day on one TV.
Also worth a spot on the screen
- Promo prices: the regular price crossed out, the new one right next to it.
- Small tags next to a dish: new, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or spicy.
- A QR code that opens your full menu on a guest's phone, in other languages too.
What a menu-first tool leaves out
Videos, photo slideshows, social media feeds and ads are what general signage tools are built for. momoscreen leaves them out. Its boards show your menu as text, in 50 styles, with no photos or videos. If one of your screens should loop a video, a signage tool is the better pick for that screen.
Cost
Digital signage cost: what a small restaurant really pays
Let's run the numbers for a restaurant with two screens. The TV costs the same no matter which software you pick. What changes is the software fee, the player and the hours you spend making content.
Software for 2 screens, 12 months
Cheapest paid plan, published US price
ScreenCloud Core$480
$20 per screen per month, billed yearly
Screenly Starter$360
$15 per screen per month, billed yearly
OptiSigns Standard$216
$9 per screen per month, billed yearly
Yodeck Basic$192
$8 per screen per month, billed monthly or yearly
momoscreen$0
Free for up to 3 TVs
Before sales tax. Some vendors also offer free plans with limits. See the table below.
Free plans do exist
Yodeck is free for one screen. OptiSigns is free for up to three, with its logo on screen and only on certain devices. If you want slideshows or videos on a screen or two, start there.
Your time costs money too
With slides, every price change means editing an image. With a menu-first tool, you change the price once, and every screen and your QR menu follow.
Regular TV or commercial display?
A regular TV is fine to start. If a screen runs many hours every day, a commercial display is built for that and lasts longer.
The whole bill, line by line
TV or display
- Typical signage tool
- Often the TV you already own. A regular TV is fine to start.
- momoscreen
- Same here: any TV or monitor with an up-to-date browser.
Player
- Typical signage tool
- Often a player box or stick for each screen. Some yearly plans include one; other vendors sell it separately.
- momoscreen
- Only if your TV has no up-to-date browser. Then a streaming stick like a Fire TV Stick does it, bought once.
Software
- Typical signage tool
- A fee per screen, per month (see the table below).
- momoscreen
- $0 for up to 3 TVs. No subscription, no setup fee.
Setup
- Typical signage tool
- Do it yourself, or pay someone to install it.
- momoscreen
- Connect each TV once with a short code. It takes a few minutes.
Content
- Typical signage tool
- You design the slides, and redo them when prices change.
- momoscreen
- Type your products and prices once. The board lays itself out.
Electricity
- Typical signage tool
- For as long as the screen is on.
- momoscreen
- Same here. Turning the TV off after closing saves money.
Published prices for four signage tools
Yodeck
- Paid plans (per screen, per month)
- Basic $8, Premium $12, Enterprise $16
- Free plan or trial
- Free plan for 1 screen
- Player
- Yearly plans come with a Yodeck Player, or a discount if you use your own device
OptiSigns
- Paid plans (per screen, per month)
- Standard $10, Pro $12.50, Pro Plus $15 billed monthly (10% less billed yearly); higher plans from $30
- Free plan or trial
- Free plan for up to 3 screens, with the OptiSigns logo on screen and only on certain devices
- Player
- No player price on the pricing page
ScreenCloud
- Paid plans (per screen, per month)
- Core $20, Pro $30, billed yearly
- Free plan or trial
- 14-day free trial
- Player
- Yearly plans come with a free device or a discount
Screenly
- Paid plans (per screen, per month)
- Starter $15 (1 to 5 screens), Business $24, billed yearly
- Free plan or trial
- 14-day free trial
- Player
- Starter: players sold separately. Business: a free player with a yearly plan
As listed on each vendor's US pricing page on November 10, 2026. Prices before sales tax.
Which kind fits
Digital signage software for restaurants: which kind fits you
Neither kind is wrong. It comes down to what your screens are for.
A general signage tool fits if…
- you want videos, photo slideshows or ads on screen
- you show more than food: events, social posts, news
- you run many screens across several locations, with a marketing team
- a monthly fee per screen fits your budget
A menu-first tool fits if…
- your screens mostly show the menu and prices
- prices, specials and sold-out dishes change often
- you have 1 to 3 screens and no time to design slides
- you want the same prices on your screens and in your QR menu
Digital signage for small business: keep it simple
For a small restaurant, café or food truck, the cheapest setup is the TV you already own, a streaming stick if it has no up-to-date browser, and software that doesn't charge per screen. You can mix, too: momoscreen for the menu, and a signage tool on the one screen that plays videos.
momoscreen
Run your restaurant screens with momoscreen, for free
momoscreen turns any TV in your restaurant into a digital menu board. You enter your products and prices once, and that one list feeds both your screens and your QR code menu.
1
Type your menu once
Categories, products and prices, on your phone or computer.
2
Make a board
Pick one of 50 styles. The board lays out your products on its own and tells you if something doesn't fit.
3
Connect the TV with a code
Open momoscreen.com/tv in the TV's browser, then type the code it shows into the app. You do this once per TV.
Not sure which TV to use or where to hang it? Our setup guide covers every step: how to display a menu on a TV.
Your screens with momoscreen
- Software
- 0.00 for up to 3 TVs
- Player box
- not needed with a browser
- Changes
- show up automatically
- Is it running?
- “Online” in the app
- Internet down
- last version stays up
Free
Prices change
We took every price from the vendor's own US pricing page. Plans and prices change, so check the current page before you sign up. momoscreen isn't affiliated with any company named here.
As of November 2026
Sources
Each vendor's own pricing or product page, read on November 10, 2026.
- YodeckPricing
- OptiSignsPricing
- ScreenCloudPricing
- ScreenlyPricing
- AmazonAmazon Signage (Signage Stick)
Questions about digital signage for restaurants
What is digital signage for restaurants?
It's any screen in your restaurant that shows content you control from a phone or computer. Most often that's the menu with prices, plus specials, sold-out dishes or drinks. The software you choose decides how you make that content and how it gets onto the screens.
How much does digital signage cost for a restaurant?
Signage software usually charges a fee per screen, per month. The cheapest paid plans we found run from $8 (Yodeck Basic) to $20 (ScreenCloud Core, billed yearly) per screen per month. For two screens, that's $192 to $480 a year. The TV, a player and the time you spend on content come on top. momoscreen costs nothing for up to 3 TVs.
Is there free digital signage software for restaurants?
Yes. Yodeck has a free plan for one screen. OptiSigns has one for up to three screens, with its logo on screen and only on certain devices. momoscreen is free for up to 3 TVs, and it's made for menus only: it shows your products and prices, not videos.
Do I need a media player for digital signage?
It depends on the tool. Many signage tools run on a player box or stick plugged into each screen. momoscreen doesn't need one, because it runs in the TV's own browser. If your TV has no up-to-date browser, a streaming stick like a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast with Google TV does the job.
Can I use a regular TV instead of a commercial display?
Yes. A regular TV is fine to start. A commercial display lasts longer if the screen runs many hours every day, but you don't need one.
Can momoscreen show videos, photos or ads?
No. momoscreen boards show your menu as text, in 50 styles, with tags like vegan or spicy, sold-out dishes and promo prices. Dish photos appear only in the QR menu. Need a video loop or ads? Put a signage tool on that screen. You can use both.
Can the screens switch from lunch to dinner on their own?
Not by the clock. You change what a TV shows on your phone, in a couple of taps, from wherever you are. Want several boards on one TV? An animated board lets them take turns, each for 3 to 60 seconds.
What's the difference between digital signage and a menu board?
Digital signage is the broad term for any screen that shows content. A digital menu board is digital signage made for menus: it builds the screen from your products and prices, not from slides.
How many screens can I run for free?
Up to 3 TVs: say, one at the counter, one in the window and one at the bar. You can make as many boards as you like. Need more than 3 TVs? Write to us, and we'll find a solution.
What should a small business look for in digital signage?
Three things. Add up the cost per screen for a full year. Check whether you need a separate player. And count the steps it takes to change one price. For a small restaurant, the menu is usually the content that matters most.
By momoscreen (JetCoders GmbH, Vienna)Updated:
Your menu on every screen. Free.
Sign up, type your menu once and connect your TV with a code. After that, price changes and sold-out dishes show up on screen automatically.
No subscription · No fee per screen · Up to 3 TVs