Digital Signage for Bakeries
Bakery menus change more than any other. A screen that changes with them is the whole point.
A bakery's menu is different at 7am, at 11am and at 3pm, and different again on Saturday. Printed signs can't keep up, which is why so many bakery counters end up with a chalkboard and a stack of hand-written "sold out" cards. A screen above the counter fixes that, as long as it is quick to change from behind the counter.
What goes on the screen
- Today's bakes with prices. The core list, split into bread, pastries and cakes if it's long.
- A "just out of the oven" slide. One item, one photo, when the tray comes out. Delete it when it's gone.
- Sold out. Rather than crossing items out, keep a second version of the list without the item and switch playlists. Or simply edit the slide and publish; it takes under a minute.
- Pre-orders and holidays. Christmas cakes, birthday orders, the Easter range: a slide with a start and end date, scheduled weeks ahead.
- Coffee and drinks. If you serve coffee, a separate drinks board in a second zone keeps the bakes list clean.
A bakery day on the screen
Schedule rules by time of day do the switching. A typical setup: a morning board from opening until 11 with bread and breakfast pastries, a midday board with sandwiches and lunch items until 2, and an afternoon board with cakes, coffee and a "half price after 5" slide for the last hour. Saturday gets its own brunch board with a rule limited to weekends. The café menu board guide walks through the same scheduling in detail.
Changing it from behind the counter
Studio runs in a browser, so the phone in your apron pocket is the remote. Edit the slide, press Publish, and the screen updates within seconds. Nobody climbs on a chair to reach the TV, and nobody carries a USB stick.
The hardware
The TV you have, plus an Android TV box or a Raspberry Pi running the free CastWize player. Flour and heat are hard on electronics, so keep the player behind the TV, not on the counter. The player caches its content, so a Wi-Fi blip doesn't blank the board. Full list in Set Up a Screen for Under $200.
Templates and cost
The free templates include a menu layout, a featured-item slide and seasonal specials that work for bakes as well as drinks. The software is $5 per screen per month, first screen free for 30 days. More on what food businesses put on screen: digital signage for restaurants and cafés.
Frequently asked questions
How fast can I mark something sold out?
Edit the slide and publish: under a minute on a phone. Screens on that playlist update within seconds.
Can the screen show a different list on Saturdays?
Yes. Put the Saturday list in its own playlist and add a schedule rule limited to Saturday and Sunday. It appears and disappears on its own.
Is a TV safe near ovens and flour?
The TV is fine on a wall above the counter; keep the small player behind it rather than on a shelf in the flour zone, and it will run all day without attention.
More from the blog
Café Menu Board on a TV: How to Set One Up
Turn the TV behind the counter into a café menu board that switches from breakfast to lunch on its own.
Digital Menu Boards for Pizzerias
Sizes, toppings and deals on a screen you update from your phone, with a lunch-slice board that appears at noon.
Happy Hour Boards: Digital Signage for Bars and Pubs
A happy-hour board that shows up at 5 and disappears at 7, plus match schedules and events on the same screen.
Ready to put your first screen up?
First screen free for 30 days, no credit card required.