In the case of mobile food vendors and brick-and-mortar cafes, menu board is much more than a price list. It is the main selling device, the first object of eye contact, and frequently the determining factor between a customer leaving and placing a bigger order. Although food trucks and cafes have the same objective of effective communication, the nature of their operation in terms of environmental limitations and client behaviors requires varied menu board designs.

Food Truck Menu Board Surviving the Streets

A food truck works in an unfriendly environment. The menu board is daily assaulted by sun, rain, wind, road vibration and cooking grease. Plastic covers become yellow and crack, whereas printed boards made of static material can be destroyed in a few weeks in the direct sunlight. The answer is in waterproof UV-stabilized materials. Owners of food trucks are moving to the use of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or marine-grade aluminum panels laminated with vinyl graphics. These materials resist moisture, can be cleaned with commercial degreasers and can endure regular changes in temperature.

Digital menu boards are also becoming popular on food trucks, so long as they are designed to be used for mobile use. The tablet or TV of a typical consumer will not run long because it vibrates and gets wet. Rather, effective food truck operators deploy waterproof outdoor digital signage and anti-glare screens and sealed connectors. These rugged screens absorb shock from potholes and stay readable in full sunlight because of high brightness (1500+ nits). The digital benefit is clear: adjusting prices on a daily basis depending on the prices of ingredients, advertising a lunch deal at 11 AM, or reminding people about a low stock product before it goes out of stock.

Location is of great importance to a food truck. The food truck menu boards must be at eye level to the customers at the order window, yet also be seen at a distance of 20 feet as people go to the truck. The number of trucks that pack twenty items on a two-foot-wide board are numerous. Less is more. A food truck menu is most effective between seven and ten core foods, two daily specials, and clear price anchoring, which is having a mid-priced item between the entry-level item and the high price food to direct the choices.

The Cafe Menu Board Vibe and Up-Selling

The world of a cafe menu board is another world. Where a food truck is all about speed and longevity, a cafe is all about coziness, legibility, and brand image. The average customer of the cafe is not in a hurry. They can spend two minutes at the counter, surveying the options and choosing to have a flat white or a matcha latte. This is a golden opportunity to design strategies.

Cafe menu boards can be painted on chalkboard or with backlit lightboxes or framed printed panels. Chalkboards have attractive hand-lettering and simple daily changes of seasonal drinks. Nevertheless, they need to be kept clean all the time- smudges, erasure dust and bad handwriting are damaging to the professionalism. Lightboxes are backlit to ensure visibility at night and can have changeable plastic panels to change seasonal menus. Cafes with consistent menus are best done with printed panels, and matte finishing to prevent glare on the cafe windows.

A cafe menu board involves psychology. A cafe customer does not want to feel rushed like in a food truck because he/she wants to feel relaxed. Avoid capital letters, pushy discount messages or blinking electronic elements. Rather, apply soft hierarchy: the category headings (Espresso, Tea, Pastries) should be written in medium-weight font, the names of the items will be written in a little bit larger font, and the prices will be written in a smaller font that does not stand out. Studies indicate that when the dollar signs are dropped off prices, the average ticket size increases- customers consider less about spending.

Common Best Practices of both Trucks and Cafes

Although food trucks and cafes are located in different settings, there are three rules that are applicable to them. To start with, categorize group items. Put high-margin items (specialty lattes, breakfast sandwiches) at the top right corner, which is the last place that the eye naturally goes. Second, make abundant use of blank space. The overloaded menu disorients the customers, makes it difficult to order and decreases the sales. Third, keep prices clean and updated. Any corrections that are written on a printed board are a sign of amateurism; any digital boards or professionally reprinted inserts are credible.

Lighting matters too. The battery-powered LED strips should be installed on the top of the board of a food truck in an angled way to prevent glare on the panel or the screen. The warm directional spotlights (2700K to 3000K) are good in a cafe to present baked goods and espresso beverages in a rich and appetizing manner. Dark cafes that have dark menus lose business after 4 PM.

Last but not least, is the order of information. Food trucks must put the best-sellers at the top, as customers in a hurry will tend to order the first food item they encounter. Base drinks (drip coffee, tea) should be listed first, followed by specialty drinks, and this will direct customers with a tight budget to higher-margin drinks once they have already decided to order.

The menu board is a silent salesperson, whether it is on a truck on the move or a smooth polished coffee house wall. Food trucks should have protection against the weather. Cafes must be designed to whisper and not to yell. Get them right and customers come back.