If people keep asking what a flat white costs, the board needs work. Keep the regular drinks visible, align size prices and give the seasonal special a smaller patch of space.
Some coffee shop menu board ideas also change the software bill. OptiSigns lists custom fonts in Pro, at USD $12.50 per screen/month on monthly billing, checked November 2026. Standard is $10. Budget for Pro if the menu depends on a custom brand font.
Group coffee, cold drinks and tea under familiar headings
Start with familiar headings such as coffee, cold drinks and tea. Put the drinks you sell every day in those groups. If house names need explaining, add a short description where it changes the order.
Try these layouts.
| Counter situation | Layout idea | Detail to keep visible |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly takeaway coffee | Drinks grouped beside aligned size columns | Size labels and prices |
| Coffee and a small bakery case | Coffee area plus a shorter food list | Which food is available today |
| Seasonal drinks change often | Stable core menu with a separate special | Special price and serving size |
| Breakfast ends before lunch | Separate service designs | The time each menu applies |
| Two TVs above the counter | Drinks on one, food on the other | A clear category heading on each |
Keep descriptions for details that change the order: a size, preparation or ingredient choice.
Align prices so people can compare sizes
Choose one size system and use it consistently. If you sell small and large, put those labels above the relevant columns. If a drink comes in one size, make that clear rather than leaving an unexplained gap.
Show extras together where they can be understood. An extra-shot price should not look like a second price for the drink above it. Check milk-alternative charges against the till and your actual policy before publishing.
Do not invent ingredient or allergen statements to fill a template. Use the information your team has checked. A decorative leaf beside a drink is not a substitute for accurate dietary wording.
The editable templates give you a starting composition. The free menu maker accepts a menu PDF, reads it in your browser and lets you check the drinks before redrawing the layout. No account is needed.
Give the seasonal special a small area beside the core menu
Give a seasonal drink its name, price and a short explanation. If it takes a paragraph to describe, move the story to a counter card. The main screen still has to answer how much a flat white costs.
Someone needs to own the bakery list as it changes through the morning. Ask who updates the board when the last cinnamon bun leaves the tray. The sold-out menu workflow covers that handover.
Add a photo only if it helps identify the product and leaves the prices readable.
Check contrast under your café lights
Use a plain area behind names and prices. Text over coffee foam or a busy photograph may look charming on your laptop and disappear above the espresso machine.
The W3C’s contrast guidance recommends:
Provide sufficient contrast between text and its background.
WCAG is a web-content standard, not a TV viewing-distance formula. Its ordinary-text ratio of 4.5:1 is a helpful design check, but reflections, distance and the actual panel still matter. Test the board during the brightest part of your service day.
Use the menu font-size guide to run a queue-distance check. Ask someone to find a particular drink and price. Do not point to the answer first.
A custom font can move you into OptiSigns Pro
A coffee counter may need schedules and price edits. Buy the tier for those tasks.
For a concrete example, OptiSigns’ pricing page, checked November 2026, lists these USD monthly-billing rates. Hardware and tax are separate.
| Plan | One screen per month | Billing term | Relevant included features | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $10 | Monthly | Scheduling and Designer | Support is email |
| Pro | $12.50 | Monthly | Custom fonts and approval workflow listed | A required brand font can affect the qualifying plan |
Kinosign makes a competing product, so weigh our view with that in mind. Its screen service is pre-launch. Keep OptiSigns if you use its Designer and integrations. For a fixed menu image, compare the price of displaying the finished artwork with the price of editing it inside the signage app.
Change the food menu before the rush
Prepare the next service in advance. Keep drinks in the same place and change the food area. The daypart guide shows how to handle the gap between breakfast and lunch.
Import your current PDF into the free menu maker, check the drinks and prices, and try the new layout from the back of the queue.
Sources
Vendor prices and plans were checked against each linked page in November 2026. They change often, so open the page before you buy.
