To make an animated menu board, list your items and prices by category, then build a looping video in the screen's format, 1920x1080 landscape or 1080x1920 portrait. Give each category 8 to 12 seconds, animate items in once and hold them still, give the special its own card, and make the last frame flow into the first.
Real outputs from the Videotto template gallery.
Where an animated menu board earns its place
Menu boards are read from a distance, often in a queue, often in a hurry. The motion should guide the eye, never make people wait for a price. Subtle movement on a mostly still board beats a board where everything moves.
The same design does several jobs, so it helps to decide up front which ones you need:
- In store screen. A TV behind the counter or in the window. Loops all day, no sound, long holds on each list. The goal is easy choosing.
- Social post. Vertical, 10 to 20 seconds, music and a hook like "New on the menu". Shows only the special or what is new, then your address or order link.
- Order page or profile highlight. A short animated card of a single item for a pinned post, a delivery listing banner or a story highlight.
Price boards work outside food too. Barbers, salons, gyms, repair shops and car washes all have a short list of services and prices that reads better in motion than on a faded print.
Digital menu board specs and timing
Most shops play a digital menu board on an ordinary TV, either from a USB stick in the TV, a small media player or a signage app. The numbers below are safe defaults for that setup.
| Setting | Landscape TV | Portrait screen or social |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1920x1080 (16:9) | 1080x1920 (9:16) |
| Items per screen | 6 to 8 with prices | 4 to 6 with prices |
| Time per category | 8 to 12 seconds | 8 to 12 s on a screen, 3 to 5 s in a reel |
| Full loop | 30 to 60 seconds | 30 to 60 s on a screen, 10 to 20 s in a reel |
| Smallest text | Readable from the back of the queue | Clear of the app buttons on social |
| Sound | None | Music on social only |
A quick test for size: on a 55 inch TV, item names and prices should still be easy to read from roughly 4 to 5 metres away. If you have to squint at the laptop preview, they will be lost on the wall. Fewer items, bigger type.
Animated menu board prompt for Otto
Adapted from the way Videotto users brief Otto for shop and restaurant graphics. Put your list in the brackets and change the timings if you have more categories.
Make a 36 second looping animated menu board for [cafe name]. FORMAT: 16:9 landscape, 1920x1080, for a TV behind the counter, smooth loop with no jump. MENU: Coffee: [item] [price], [item] [price], [item] [price] Tea: [item] [price], [item] [price] Pastries: [item] [price], [item] [price] SPECIAL: [item] [price] STYLE: warm dark brown background, cream text, accent [#E9A23B] only on the special. My logo top left. TYPE: bold friendly sans for items, prices the same size, aligned right. ANIMATION SEQUENCE: 0 to 9 s: Coffee. Title fades in, items slide in one by one, my cut out coffee photo floats on the right. 9 to 18 s: Tea, same layout. 18 to 27 s: Pastries, same layout. 27 to 36 s: the special on its own card, big photo, soft shine across the price, then loop to the start. RESTRICTIONS: keep every price exactly as written, no bouncing, nothing moves once a list is complete.
Short menu board prompts for other shops
- "Turn my salon price list into a portrait screen loop, soft pink and gold."
- "A 10 second reel announcing our new seasonal drink with the price."
- "Chalkboard style menu, hand drawn arrows pointing at the best sellers."
- "Make two boards: one for breakfast, one for lunch, same design."
- "Same design, but the prices in two languages under each item."
Build your digital menu board in 6 steps
- Write the list cleanly. Category, item, price. Keep descriptions to three or four words or drop them. Double check every price now, before it is in a design.
- Pick the format. 16:9 for a landscape TV, 9:16 for a portrait screen or for Reels and TikTok. Say which, and the length of one loop.
- Upload your photos and logo. One sharp photo per category or for the special. Otto can remove the background so the item floats on the board.
- Describe the look. Chalkboard, clean modern, warm cafe, neon bar. Give your colours and say which item is the special.
- Ask for a smooth loop with no jump. The last frame should flow into the first, so the screen can play all day without a jump.
- Read it on the real screen. Play the export on the actual TV, step back to where customers stand, and check every price. Make text bigger if you cannot read it.
Example: a 36 second cafe menu board loop
Example input: a small cafe with a 55 inch landscape TV above the counter. Three categories (4 coffees, 3 teas, 3 pastries), one special (an iced honey latte), four product photos and a logo. The owner pastes the prompt above with those items and asks for a 36 second loop.
What comes back, beat by beat:
- 0 to 9 s: "Coffee" fades in, four items slide in about half a second apart, then the list holds for roughly 6 seconds with the cut out cup on the right.
- 9 to 18 s: the coffee list slides out left, "Tea" slides in with the same layout and the same hold.
- 18 to 27 s: pastries, same rhythm. Nothing moves during the hold.
- 27 to 36 s: the special fills the screen with its photo, the price gets one soft shine, and the last frame matches the first so the loop restarts cleanly.
The owner then asks for a 15 second vertical cut of only the special for Instagram, with "New this week" as the hook and the cafe address on the last frame. When the latte price changes next month, the change is one line in the prompt and a new export, not a reprint.
Doing the same by hand in Canva or CapCut is very possible: a three category loop is typically 1 to 2 hours the first time, mostly lining up prices and timing the holds. The prompt route moves that time into writing the list carefully and checking the export.
Menu board problems and how to fix them
| Problem | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A wrong price | It causes arguments at the counter | Paste prices exactly, ask to keep them as written, check the export |
| Text too small for the room | Fine on a laptop, gone on a TV across the cafe | Cut to 6 to 8 items per screen and enlarge the type |
| Everything moving all the time | People cannot read text that keeps moving | Build in, then hold still, one small accent on the special |
| A loop with a jump | The reset looks like a glitch every 30 seconds | Ask for a smooth loop and watch the end and start together |
| Category changes too fast | Customers lose the list before choosing | Give each category at least 8 seconds |
| Prices in a different style per screen | The eye has to hunt for them | Same size, same column, aligned right on every screen |
FAQ
How do I play a menu board video on a TV in my restaurant?
To play a menu board video on a TV in your restaurant, export it as an MP4 in the screen's shape, copy it to a USB stick and use the TV's media player with repeat on. Some TVs do not loop video files, so a cheap media player or streaming stick with a looping app is the usual fallback.
What size should a digital menu board video be?
A digital menu board video should match the screen: 1920x1080 for a standard landscape TV, or 1080x1920 if the TV is mounted in portrait. Most 4K TVs upscale a 1080p file without trouble. Avoid odd sizes, which the TV may stretch or letterbox, and keep important text away from the very edges of the frame.
Do digital menu boards need calorie counts?
Whether digital menu boards need calorie counts depends on where you trade. In the United States, restaurant chains with 20 or more locations must show calories on menus and menu boards, digital ones included. Other countries have their own rules, and many small independent shops are not covered. Check your local requirements before you design the board.
How often should I change my digital menu board?
How often to change a digital menu board depends on your offer, but updating the special weekly and the full board whenever prices or items change works for most cafes. Morning and afternoon versions help if your menu changes during the day. A board that never changes becomes wallpaper, so rotate at least the featured item regularly.
Is a video menu board better than a static digital menu?
A video menu board is better than a static digital menu when you have more items than fit on one readable screen, or something to promote. Rotating categories keeps the type large, and a moving special draws attention. If your menu is six items that never change, a well designed still image on the screen is simpler and works fine.
Make your next video with Otto
Tell Otto what you want in plain words. It cuts, captions and animates the video for you.
