Restaurant digital menu: the complete 2026 guide
What a digital menu is, costs, benefits, hardware, allergen regulations. The complete Crubby guide to digital menus for restaurant owners.
The digital menu is the fastest transformation in the restaurant industry from 2020 to 2026. From paper that goes out of date in three days to a living interface on your venue's screens, updatable in real time. This guide covers what it is, how much it costs, how to set it up, and what changes in the day-to-day running of your venue.
In short
- A digital menu is your menu on a screen or on the customer's phone, synced live.
- Software-as-a-service plans start at around €40-50/month for a single monitor.
- It handles allergens in compliance with EC 1169/2011, ready out of the box.
- It works on any modern smart TV: no mandatory proprietary hardware.
What a digital menu is
A digital menu is a representation of your restaurant's menu shown on a screen (TV, monitor, tablet) or on the customer's phone via QR code. It is editable from a web CMS, synced in real time, and can be connected to ordering, payment and inventory-management systems.
How much a digital menu costs
A software-as-a-service digital menu starts at around €40-50/month for an entry-level plan with 1 monitor. Advanced plans with multi-monitor and extra features (integrated payment, multilingual, table ordering) reach €100-150/month.
For hardware (a smart TV) you can use the one you already have (€200-500) or even a mini PC. Crubby offers the Essential (€49), Pro (€99) and Premium (€149) plans.
Advantages over a paper menu
- Instant updates: change a price and it updates across every monitor in 5 seconds.
- Zero reprinting costs.
- Native multilingual support.
- Photos of the dishes.
- Allergen management compliant with EC 1169/2011.
- Real-time visibility of tastes and availability.
- Integration with QR ordering at the table.
Hardware you need
Any modern smart TV (2018 or later) with a web browser works. Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Android TV, Fire TV Stick: Crubby runs on all of them. No mandatory proprietary hardware. Alternatively, a mini PC (€100-200) connected to a monitor.
Good to know
Allergen regulations
The EC 1169/2011 regulation requires Italian restaurants to communicate the 14 allergens in a clear and accessible way. A digital menu handles allergens as structured metadata: visible markers next to every dish, editable in 5 seconds whenever you change a recipe. Compliance ready out of the box.
A legal obligation
How to choose a provider
Before you sign, check these five points:
- 1.Custom design or template? Crubby designs your menu like a branding agency.
- 2.Hardware required or web-based? Crubby is web-based, with no lock-in.
- 3.Multi-monitor with rules? Yes, if you have more than one TV in your venue.
- 4.Multilingual? Crucial if you get tourists.
- 5.Transparent pricing? Crubby publishes its plans on /plans.
Do I need a special TV for a digital menu?
How much does a digital menu cost per month?
How long does it take for a price change to become visible?
Is the digital menu compliant with allergen regulations?
Can customers order from the digital menu?
See also
Keep reading
Digital menus for restaurants: the complete 2026 guide
What a digital menu is, what it costs, the hardware you need, and how it changes the day-to-day of running a restaurant. The complete Crubby guide.
Restaurant menu TV display: how to choose and set it up
Which TV for your restaurant's digital menu? Crubby explains which smart TV to choose, sizes, orientation, and configuration.
Menu engineering: 7 tactics that raise your average check
Seven proven menu-engineering tactics, layout, pricing psychology, sensory descriptions, photos, decoys, to lift average check without raising prices.