AI-powered platform aims to make creating and updating digital menus easier for street food traders, takeaways and other independent food businesses.

Creating a professional digital menu board can be another job for busy food businesses, particularly when prices, products or menus need to change regularly. A new British platform, Counterboard, is aiming to simplify the process by using AI to design digital menu boards from a business owner’s own instructions.

Rather than relying on a designer or spending time manually creating a menu, Counterboard allows users to photograph an existing price list or enter their menu information and then describe how they want the finished board to look.

The platform uses AI to produce a completed design, which can then be revised as required.

For street food traders, where menus can change depending on the event, location, availability or season, the ability to make changes quickly could be particularly useful.

Designed for Food Businesses

Counterboard was developed with independent businesses in mind, including takeaways, fish and chip shops, pizzerias, kebab shops, cafés, bakeries, dessert parlours and food trucks.

The company says the platform was built from experience in a working fish and chip shop, with the aim of making digital menu boards more accessible without requiring specialist hardware or design skills.

Once a board has been created, businesses can update it from their phone. Changes to prices or menu information can then be reflected on the screen without having to recreate the entire design.

The platform can be used on a smart TV through its own web browser, while businesses can also use a free third-party app on a Fire Stick.

Counterboard’s dedicated TV player app is currently with Amazon and is expected to be available through the Fire TV store shortly. A Google Play version is also in development.

Once those apps are available, the company says businesses will be able to install the app, enter a six-letter code and connect their screen.

No Specialist Hardware Required

Counterboard is designed to work with equipment many businesses may already have.

A smart TV with a web browser can be used to display the menu, while a Fire TV Stick provides an option for businesses using a television without the required browser functionality.

The company says the screen can also continue displaying the complete board if the internet connection drops.

Pricing currently starts with a 14-day free trial, with no card required. Following the trial, plans start at £14 per month for one screen, with larger plans available for businesses running multiple screens.

There is no contract, hardware purchase or specialist setup required.

Digital Loyalty Cards Added

Counterboard has also introduced a digital stamp loyalty card feature, allowing businesses to run customer loyalty schemes from the same screen as their menu.

Customers can scan a code displayed on the television and collect loyalty stamps on their phone, without needing to download an app.

For independent food businesses and street food traders, this provides another way of using the digital screen beyond simply displaying prices and menu items.

It could allow a trader to combine their menu, promotional messages and customer loyalty activity through the same display.

Built for Changing Menus

For food businesses, keeping menus and prices up to date can be an ongoing task.

Street food traders in particular may have different menus for different events, while ingredients, availability and pricing can change throughout the year.

Counterboard’s approach is to allow those changes to be made directly from a phone rather than requiring a new design or printed menu each time.

The company says businesses can make changes to their boards as often as required, with the updated information appearing across connected screens.

AI and the Future of Digital Menus

Counterboard is part of a growing move towards using AI to simplify tasks that traditionally required specialist software or professional services.

In this case, the company is applying AI to one of the more practical jobs faced by independent food businesses: creating a menu that looks professional while remaining easy to update.

For smaller operators without access to an in-house designer, the ability to describe the look they want and have an AI-generated board produced in around a minute could provide an alternative to traditional menu design.

With dedicated TV apps also moving towards release, Counterboard is continuing to develop the platform beyond its current browser-based setup.

For street food traders, takeaways and other independent food businesses, the combination of AI-designed menus, simple updates and digital loyalty features could provide a way to make greater use of the screens they already have.

To find out more visit: counterboard.com